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Framing

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  • Introduction to Framing
  • Framing Tools, Techniques, and Materials
  • Framing Floors
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Houses By Design

Posts and Beams Revised

Non-structural beams help a new kitchen match the aesthetic of this post-and-beam home.

By Kiley Jacques Issue 287 - Kitchens & Baths
Article Image

This remodel and addition by Whitten Architects was a matter of structural and aesthetic cohesion. Once a garage with an unfinished art studio, the heavy- timber barn was to be outfitted with a first-floor master suite, a new code- compliant stair, a guest room, and a home office. Hemlock post-and-beam construction was visible throughout the existing building. The challenge was to incorporate a similar aesthetic in the new open-concept kitchen, living, and dining space. The faux beams in the addition needed to have the same look of the mortise-and-tenon joinery in the traditional timber frames, and though not structural, they did need to be self-supporting. They also had to be preassembled in an interior space that was just slightly larger than the assembly itself. The team had to raise the faux frame—with little room to spare—using jacks and staggering posts to hold the assembly level.

To keep the addition economical, the shell was raised quickly with a conventional cast-in-place foundation, stick-frame wall assemblies, and a roof– truss system. This kept the envelope simple, with mechanical, fire-suppression, and electrical systems within the wall and ceiling assemblies. In the remodeled heavy-timber structure, everything needed to be within a SIP-panel envelope. To accomplish this, baseboards were detailed to house chases, ceiling panels were dropped between routed beams, and sprinkler lines were snaked up the timber beams.

room with bright windows and posts and beams

posts and beams structural

Designer Whitten Architects, whittenarchitects.com

Builder Steve Brann Building, stevebrannbuilding.com

Location Freeport, Maine

Photos Jonathan Reece

From Fine Homebuilding #287

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Introduction to Framing
  • House Framing Concepts, Tips, and More
Framing Tools, Techniques, and Materials
  • Tools
  • Techniques
  • Framing Lumber
  • Steel
Framing Floors
  • Floor Framing
  • Engineered Floors
  • Floor Sheathing
Framing Walls
  • Wall Framing Basics
  • Layout
  • Wall Assembly
  • Raising and Straightening Walls
  • Framing Rough Openings
  • Blocking
Framing Stairs
  • Stair Layout
  • Building Stairs
Framing Roofs
  • Roof-Framing Basics
  • Roof Design
  • Laying Out and Cutting Rafters
  • Framing Valleys
  • Working with Trusses
  • Dormers
  • Special Situations
Efficient Framing Methods
  • Advanced Framing
  • Double-Stud Walls
Timber Framing
  • Timber-Frame Construction
  • Timber-Frame Design

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