Advantages of Post & Beam Homes
Post and beam construction is a building technique that involves the use of solid wood timber that is assembled together using mortise and tenon joints. A mortise is an opening cut into a piece of timber that is designed to receive the tenon, or projection, that is cut into a second piece of timber. Post and beam construction is also sometimes referred to as timber frame construction. Post and beam construction contrasts with the alternative style of construction, which involves nailing wood studs together into a frame and then covering it with interior Sheetrock panels and exterior plywood or other engineered wood product. Does this Spark an idea?
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Advantage One: Building Time
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Homes constructed with a post and beam construction method can usually be assembled quicker that other types of construction. The frame and insulated wall sections of a home are usually preassembled in a shop and then transported to the site where the home is built. This allows the mortise and tenon joints to be premilled at a remote location, saving time at the building site.
Advantage Two: Aesthetics
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Post and beam construction is generally considered to be more aesthetically pleasing than other types of construction because the wood is exposed on both the interior and exterior of the home. This is a subjective judgment that is obviously up to the individual viewing the home.
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Advantage Three: Fire Resistance
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Some building codes classify building materials into five different types based on the combustibility or fire resistance capability. Post and beam construction materials are classified as Type IV material, and the construction method is known for delaying the spread of exterior fires into the interior.
Advantage Four: Energy Efficiency
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The post and beam construction method is considered more energy efficient than houses constructed using alternative methods because it is easier to insulate the home. In a post and beam construction, cold air can penetrate only through the joints in between the individual timber beams. The insulation used has less of a cold air flow to protect against.
A home constructed with wood studs nailed together and then covered with exterior and interior panels allows cold air to infiltrate anywhere along the frame, making it more difficult to insulate.
Advantage Five: Online References
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Many online sites exist to provide information on post and beam homes. Some of the sites include the Timber Frame Forum, and the Timber Engineering Reference Center. The URLs for these two sites are in the Resources section of this article.
Advantage Six: Open Living Spaces
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Homes that are constructed using post and beam methods have larger interior living spaces than houses constructed using alternative methods. This is because the timber frames are strong enough to avoid the use of interior load-bearing walls.
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