Yankee Barn Homes

The Evolution of a Yankee Barn Contemporary Farmhouse

BeamBabe — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:30:26 +0000

Post and Beam Living has followed this Connecticut Yankee Barn contemporary farmhouse style home as it has gone from the drawing board, shown in the first post Follow A Contemporary Barn-Style Farmhouse to beginning construction five months ago in the second post A Contemporary Barn Home Farmhouse Progresses, to today when you’ll see the progress has moved even further toward completion.

The frame is up.

By the end of January, the house is totally enclosed but the attached garage, with guest apartment above, has yet to appear.

The contemporary farmhouse as it appeared last week.

As seen in the photos above and below, much has happened since we last checked in on the farmhouse in Connecticut. The contemporary carriage house garage/guest quarters is now in place. Complete with kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bath, it has everything visiting family or friends would need to be totally comfortable during a stay.

The guest quarters sit above the garage.

The lower level of the garage is going to have a completely finished interior.

The interior of the main house is already beginning to show it’s contemporary style as the walls are all intended to be white. The bright white will play the role of backdrop to sleek lines and contemporary art and decor.

The front entry has a dark stained front door which stands is stark contrast to the all white interior.

The great room has yet to be painted, however the dark stain on the frame will counter balance the white walls and ceiling nicely.

Back outside the exterior, including metal roof and local stone chimney, is all but finished. An interesting architectural feature is the timber frame porch off the master bedroom.

Double French doors lead from the master bedroom out to the gabled porch.

Please check back toward the end of the summer as we’re expecting the home will be completed, including hard and soft landscaping around the exterior. I can’t wait to see how the interior is finished. From what we’ve seen here, I’m imagining how the interior will be furnished. I wonder how close my vision will be? I’ll let you know once the owners put their personal stamp on the interior decor.

The landscaping has yet to appear, but it must be close as the lawn in already being mowed!

If you would like more information about Yankee Barn Home options you can explore our floor plan options, call and talk to one of our design consultants at 1-800-258-9786 or fill out this short online form.

POST. BEAM. DREAM.

A Yankee Barn Home Sits Lakeside

BeamBabe — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:24:30 +0000

As summer approaches and thoughts turn to outdoor living, Yankee Barn home has the ideal location; lakeside. Upon approaching the home you might think you’re seeing a farm house style home, but the lake glimmering off in the distance suggests there’s more than meets the eye to this house.

The lake off in the distance implies this house is meant for fun and sun.

The Exterior

The back entrance, with a farmhouse style porch, let’s you know there are farmhouse elements to this home.

: A farmer’s porch spans the back length of the home.

However, upon looking off to the left, you spy a screened in porch with an observation deck above and you suspect there are more elements yet to be discovered. Coming around to the front of the home you’ll realize your suspicions totally justified.

: Wow! From the screened-in porch to the hot tub to the patio, this home is meant for outdoor fun.

The numbers of different rooms, including the outdoor room, from which the lake can be seen is simply amazing. The focal point being the two-story gable jut out with it’s wall of windows.

: The Yankee Barn nestles comfortably into this lakeside site.

Seen from further out, this home pretty much owns the little peninsula on this lake in Connecticut.

: A picture perfect setting for this Yankee Barn home.

The Interior

Once you’ve entered this post and beam home, a mountain style entrance envelopes you.

: This entrance is stunning and the stone fireplace adds an unusual but pleasing element.

This post and beam home is an excellent example of how Yankee Barn Homes can incorporate more than one interior style with ease. The entrance is decidedly mountain style, the kitchen conveys a farmhouse feel…

: The heavy use of bead board in the kitchen implies a farmhouse style.

…while the den and great room have a streamlined contemporary feel.

: The media and great rooms are done in a scaled-down minimal style.

Throughout the remainder of the home, the rooms stay within the style parameters set by the major areas of the home. The basement level bar (a.k.a. The Man Cave) …

: This bar on the lower level of the home allows for fun and relaxation indoors.

…along with the master bath, combine the mountain and contemporary styles.

: The master bath nods to both mountain and contemporary style with the birch bark mirror and the counter top square sink.

Aside from interior and exterior styles, this house is mainly about fun, sun, and enjoying life; indoors and out!

Sundown brings a peaceful calm to the lake house.

POST. BEAM. DREAM.

Do It Yourself Faux Finishes For Barn Homes

BeamBabe — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:14:46 +0000

Faux finishes and barn homes go together like hand in glove. If you’re thinking about using a faux finish, consider doing it yourself. In today’s world of DIY paints and the internet, you can find everything you’ll need from doing a small project such as glazing a decorative box, up to using faux finishes throughout your home. For example: you see a chair done in a French provincial finish and think it would look perfect in your barn home, but the cost of replacing a perfectly fine chair you already own causes you to hesitate. Today, it’s easy to redo the chair in a French provincial finish. It may take a bit more time on your part, but the price tag is far more appealing than buying a new chair; not to mention the sense of accomplishment feels great.

The French provincial is one of many styles which looks great in post and beam barn homes. This faux finish would compliment the timber frame nicely.

Ideas

In decorating barn homes you have a great deal of leeway. One room might lean to a mountain rustic feel while the kitchen might be a nod to the Tuscan style. In another house this could become a mash-up of looks, but with a beautiful timber frame as your back drop you’ll be able to tie these disparate looks together. My carriage house uses faux painting techniques everywhere. Starting with the interior wood doors, to creating the look of Venetian plaster on the walls, to making some of the metal brackets used in tying the beams together look like wood; various types of faux finishes were used. My bookcases were also faux finished to give them an aged European look, as was an armoire in the bedroom.

: New interior wood doors are faux finished to look as though they’re old.

: A faux Venetian plaster painting technique was used on all the walls through the carriage house to give the barn a golden, aged glow.

Products and Websites

If you’re willing to put in a bit of time and elbow grease, get out your brushes and rags and “Do It Yourself”. There are a number of good resources on the web for faux finishing How-Tos that take you step-by-step. Should you be inclined to spend a bit of money, you can’t beat the finishes Ralph Lauren has to offer for all types faux effects. For a bit less, Home Depot cares an extensive line of Martha Stewart faux finish products. These products may cost a bit more than if you created the finishes from scratch, but the time saved and the final result makes these products a viable option for many.

: This picture is compliments of The MarthaBlog.com

: This is an example of RL paint technique Indigo Denim.

If you’re into doing it yourself from scratch, check out Do It Yourself for information on how to faux just about anything or a great new find of mine called How To Faux Finish. These two sites are quite comprehensive so you should be able to find directions on how to do just about any faux finish project.

The Do It Yourself – Faux Finish website covers a large variety of how to’s for walls, furniture and just about anything else you can paint or re-finish.

On the How To Faux Finish website, you’ll be given a comprehensive tutorial on everything from prepping the room/piece to supplies you’ll need to complete your project.

POST. BEAM. DREAM.

Living the Post and Beam Dream: The Summer of 2010 Part II

BeamBabe — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:14:47 +0000

In my most recent post, Living the Post and Beam Dream: The Summer of 2010 Part I, I began a recounting of events which took place over the summer of 2010 in and around our Yankee Barn Homes carriage house. I quickly discovered there was too much to tell in one post. Here is Part II of “The Summer of 2010” and how our carriage house played an integral role in the events of that most memorable season.

A pea stone path meanders its way to our Zen garden tea house.

The Wedding of the Year

As summer was winding down and the lull of fall was settling in for many, our little piece of the world was gearing up for the most important event of not only the season, but one of the biggest milestones in any parent’s life: our daughter’s wedding. Kirsten had chosen our carriage house and grounds as the setting for her big day. The house itself would host a bevy of people both as overnight guests and as the central locale for the wedding party to get ready on the day of the wedding.

: Our bedroom was turned into the bridal party’s prep area the day of the wedding.

: The post and beam frame provided a perfect backdrop for pre-wedding activities, not to mention a great place from which to hang clothes.

: The bride and matron of honor have a semi-quiet moment with mom, a.k.a. my daughters and me.

Every inch of the extensive grounds and gardens would play a role in the outdoor wedding. The marriage ceremony would take place under the gorgeous canopy of trees by the brook.

: By the brook, under a canopy of trees, was the perfect place for the ceremony.

: The ceremony gets underway.

The post-ceremony cocktail party would be set in the Zen garden. The tea house would host a bar and standing-height bar tables would be placed within the pea stone pond. Twinkle lights, candles and flowers would complete the setting.

: The cocktail party was great fun and extremely relaxed. Guests got their beverage of choice and either met at one of the tables, or strolled through the garden.

: The cocktail party has come to a close and tranquility settles over the Zen Garden.

Once cocktail hour was over, guests would wind their way back across the bridge, past the ceremony area and enter the tent. The mulched walkway would be lined with white luminaries.

: Let the party begin!

Once at the tent, participants and guests alike would enjoy toasts, a sit-down dinner, speeches, dessert, and some serious cut-loose dancing. Did I mention the Candy Bar? This tent was truly a spectacle to behold.

: The candy bar was an extremely popular spot for young and old alike!

: The wedding cake was a custom design made specifically for this wedding.

: The interior design of the tent included Birch branches with twinkle lights, a table scape theme to reflect the season, a sweetheart table for the happy couple, and a large dance floor.

: Everything is ready and waiting as the wedding guests begin to arrive. Even the jelly jar twinkle lights suspended from the ceiling are beginning to glow.

: The atmosphere is one of informal garden elegance.

Now that you’ve seen the pictures, it may not surprise you to hear we received compliment after compliment on all aspects of the wedding; including our carriage house. It seems a number of guests made touring our home part of their fun-filled day. My husband and I were thrilled…and totally exhausted! As you might imagine it took months and months of planning and preparation to pull off this wedding. I’d heard tell that outdoor weddings are the most expensive and toughest of venues to do well. I now can testify this statement is 100% factual…and totally worth it!

: Our carriage house definitely played a major role in the atmosphere my daughter wanted to create. We believe it was a smashing success!

Our Everyday World

Our Everyday World

In winding up this trip down memory lane, I’d like to complete our story of “The Summer of 2012: Living the Post and Beam Dream” with a few pictures of everyday life here at our Yankee Barn Carriage House. These reflect our day to day life and make me smile every time I look at them. Life is good!

: Walking through the Zen garden with a cup of coffee is my favorite way to begin the day.

: The brook in our backyard is the best water feature I’ve ever had!

: After high levels of rain, we often find the most interesting pieces of driftwood have been deposited on the shoreline.

: The walkway to our front door is lined with beautiful gardens three of four seasons of the year.

: Come on up! Our main living is on the second floor. These stairs take some heavy traffic and remain looking great.

: This welcoming committee is likely to great you when you arrive at the top of our stairs!

: Our home is more likely to look like this than the perfectly staged appearance in the photo shoot pictures. Actually, these counter tops are a bit too clean; usually there are dog treats and human snacks sitting on them.

POST. BEAM. DREAM.

Living the Post and Beam Dream: The Summer Of 2010 Part I

BeamBabe — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:06:26 +0000

My first blog entry for Post and Beam Living was titled: Building the Post and Beam Dream. Nearly four years into living in our Yankee Barn Homes carriage house, the dream has not lessened one bit. For my husband and me – a pair of empty nesters – living in such a beautiful structure has afforded us many wonderful experiences which have enriched our lives immeasurably. What follows are some of the more memorable moments which took place over the course of the summer of 2010, in and around our gorgeous Yankee Barn carriage house.

The Photo Shoot

Two years ago was the summer of perpetual chaos, in a good way, but none-the-less chaos. Events began in June with a photo shoot of the carriage house, Zen garden and tea house, for which the photos would be used by Yankee Barn Homes, several magazines, advertisements and pamphlets. One day out of your life is truly not much, but when you’re expecting to get back into your home by 3 in the afternoon after the shoot has begun before 8 a.m., and you’re not back in until after 8 p.m., it feels like an eternity. Add two energetic young Boxer pups to this scenario and it’s extremely tiring. Had I known ahead of time the shoot would take so long, I’d have put the dogs in day care. Oh well, once I saw the pictures that crazy day was quickly forgotten.

: One of many interior shots taken during the first photo shoot of our home.

: The same area of our home from a different angle. It should be noted that each picture taken during a photo shoot takes at least one hour to stage.

: An exterior shot of our carriage house taken during the photo shoot.

: A lovely evening picture of the front of our home, also taken during the shoot.

: One of my favorite pictures from the shoot is of the bridge which leads to our Zen garden and tea house.

The Magazine Shoot

One month later came the shoot for yet another magazine. New Hampshire Home wanted to use their own photographer, hence an entirely new shoot needed to be done. At this point I should mention the house, the tea house and the gardens needed to be prepped again as none of the a fore mentioned stayed clean and/or in “photo ready” shape since the first shoot; think of the previously mentioned two Boxers and you’ll begin to understand why! Also, I’ve not yet mentioned the stealth pack of marauding deer which ate the leaves off of every single Hosta (a total of somewhere around 100 plants) in our gardens two days before the shoot! We had all new Hosta installed, at unbelievably high prices due to the need for mature plants, one day before the shoot!

: We were thrilled to learn not only had we gotten an eight page spread, but the cover as well!

: This photo shows eight of the new one hundred-plus Hosta we bought after the now famous deer inflicted carnage.

I know none of this sounds earth-shaking, but there is a phenomenal amount of time, effort and MONEY (particularly in garden prep, including but not limited to, the Hosta episode) involved in getting ready for a two day photo shoot. This time around my husband and I added to the expense by sending the dogs to the kennel and ourselves to Bermuda.

: These two photos provide insight as to why we needed the house and grounds spruced up between the two photo shoots!

: Need I say more? If you look closely, you’ll see the green tennis ball in the frothy water.

I have yet to mention the rather large wedding we were planning for my daughter, which was to take place the second week in September. A GARDEN WEDDING that included the use of every inch of our home, the gardens and tea house, and a newly installed expansive lawn, complete with a gorgeous stone retaining wall, for a very large tent! There will be much more on the wedding in Part II of this post.

: A glimpse of the yard and stone retaining wall we had installed specifically to accommodate the enormous tent for our daughter’s wedding.

: The tent securely in place on our new lawn the day of the wedding.

The Garage Bay Conversion

Due to a need for guest space as part of the upcoming nuptials, our lower garage bays were pressed into service. The conversion of what had been two car park spaces was a DIY project; we were already spending a king’s ransom between the two photo shoot preps and the upcoming wedding. We were figuratively hemorrhaging money at this point, so I did the conversion myself on a shoe-string budget. To this day, I thank my husband’s foresight at the need for a three-quarter bath which had been installed in the first bay during the construction of our carriage house. Also, Kudos to both me and my husband for having radiant heat put in the cement floors of all three of our garage bays!

All things considered, I was extremely pleased with the results of the garage conversion. The only things I purchased for the change-over were paint, a closet pole and some curtain rings. All the other “stuff” you’ll see in the following pictures we already owned.

: A queen-size bed fits nicely into the newly created guest room. As you can see the garage door and all it’s workings remain in place.

: The new sitting/living room was formerly our middle garage bay.

: An alternate angle of the living room space.

Please check back later this week as I will give an account and pictures of the wedding and our everyday world as we live our version of the Post & Beam Dream.

The wedding tent on a gorgeous September evening. Our carriage house can just be seen in the distance on the left side of this photo.

POST. BEAM. DREAM.

How to Choose Interior Paint Colors for Post and Beam Homes

BeamBabe — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:33:02 +0000

How to choose interior paint colors for post and beam homes continues to be a popular topic among Yankee Barn Homes clients. As interior styles and decor come and go, there remain “go to” colors for timer frame homes. This is related to the fact that in post and beam homes, the color of the timber frame must be considered when choosing wall and ceiling color(s).

This room is decorated and painted in neutral tones to convey a warm welcome. The paint color on the walls is C2's Chai.

Questions To Ask Yourself When Choosing Room Color

Answer the following questions when considering what color(s) to paint your post and beam homes interior rooms.

What color(s) compliment the stain color of my timber frame?

What feeling do I want to evoke in this room?

Does the room get a lot of light?

What is this room going to be used for?

How does color affect my living space and my mood? Check out this interesting article on the relationship between room color and mood.

: Bright white is an often used color choice for kitchens. It makes a wonderful backdrop for color to be used in other areas such as cabinetry and furniture.

Create A Mood With Color

Here are some basic color category suggestions for the various rooms in post and beam homes.

Bright, cheery, happy colors for entry and kitchen;

Calming and relaxing colors for bedroom and bathroom;

Red for dining rooms to inspire appetites;

White for a bright and crisp environment.

: A bright cherry red on the cabinets conveys a happy mood.

: A soothing combination of muted yellow tones give these faux Venetian plaster walls a calming color scheme.

: This kitchen’s color scheme works because the bright white used on the walls provides a perfect contrast for the bold blue on the cabinets and the honey-tone warmth of the wood.

: This master bedroom’s color scheme is Chameleon-like. By day the room is bright and cheerful due to the bright white ceiling and timber frame. At night the reverse is true, as the chocolate brown walls create a warm and soothing glow.

Inspirational Websites

Note: a fairly new company, Portola Paints, is unique in that it specializes in Specialty Finishes such as lime wash and Venetian plaster faux finish paints.

: A faux Venetian plaster on the walls of a post and beam carriage house. Please note: This look may be any color you like.

http://www.portolapaints.com/

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/

http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/rlhome/products/paint/default.asp

http://www.prattandlambert.com/

http://www.c2paint.com/

http://us.farrow-ball.com/colours/paint/fcp-category/list

http://www.peacockpaint.com/paint_colors/

http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/color/the-earths-color-collection-inside/

http://www.behr.com/Behr/home#

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/paint_colors/index.jsp

POST. BEAM. DREAM.

Single Level vs Multilevel Living In a Yankee Barn

BeamBabe — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:53:15 +0000

Single level vs multilevel living in a Yankee Barn home is an important topic to cover, as now and again clients suggest the desire to design a single level post and beam home. Many times it’s because they feel a need to plan for the future. A major concern is “someday we may not want or be able to climb stairs”. A very reasonable concern, but consider this: it’s a well known fact we stay in better shape as we age if we are exercising (this includes climbing stairs). A perfect example occurred in my family. My dad had serious heart disease. Three heart attacks and two by-pass surgeries later, his bedroom remained on the second floor because his cardiologist was adamant my father climb stairs as part of his daily exercise routine!

Stairs are a built-in exercise mechanism.

Stairways can be an architectural feature of the post & beam home.

If you are absolutely convinced you need to build a single level post & beam home, you should build one, but do so knowing all the advantages of a multilevel structure. A single level post and beam home is likely to include some or all of the following: a lofted great room and kitchen, a master bedroom wing with a master bath, two or three guest bedrooms, and other rooms such as a dining room and/or a media room. A large footprint will be created by the single level floor plan. Before the decision is finalized, please be aware of the advantages to building a multilevel post and beam home that, if need be, will still allow you to live on the first floor. With a multilevel timber frame home, the footprint will be smaller, which means less cost for the overall structure. This will allow for more money to be spent on other important features (please see Always Buy Quality in These 5 Yankee Barn Homes Build Categories). These advantages are possible while still keeping the cost under the amount needed for a single level home.

A single level post and beam home, designed and built by Yankee Barn Homes.

A multilevel barn style home by Yankee Barn Homes.

Yet another benefit to multilevel living: the option exists to place guests quarters on the first floor while the master bedroom goes on the second floor, thus retaining all the benefits of privacy, plenty of light, the option for a cathedral ceiling, plus the good exercise provided by going up and down the stairs. The best part of multilevel living is the money saved due to the smaller foot print! Here’s a scale-tipping fact: You’ll still have first floor bedrooms should you ever be unable to climb stairs. When it comes to money well spent, considering all your options is always the best way to go!

Bedroom(s) on both floors allow options in the owners living style.

A rustically beautiful two story Yankee Barn.

Should you like further information or have questions, please call Yankee Barn Homes at 1-800-258-9786.

POST. BEAM. DREAM.

Always Buy Quality in These 5 Yankee Barn Homes Build Categories

BeamBabe — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:07:10 +0000

Always buy quality in these 5 Yankee Barn Homes build categories is a post which came about as a result of my own build experience. When building a post & beam home it is important to keep two things in mind: a budget and a detailed plan, while understanding you’re likely to amend both throughout the build process. It is easy to go over budget when building a home or home addition. That’s why I recently wrote a post titled Yankee Barn Homes: Five Suggestions to Lower Building Costs.

However, as important as it is to save when building a post and beam, there were five areas I realized it was wiser to buy quality when building our Yankee Barn Homes carriage house. Here are the areas, and the reasons why, I didn’t downgrade in order to shave money from my total construction costs.

Windows

I can’t emphasize enough how important my windows are to the overall look, comfort and energy efficiency of my home. Buy quality windows; it will make a world of difference.

Most Yankee Barn Homes, especially those done in the barn-home style, have at least one room (usually a great room or a master bedroom) with a cathedral ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows. Windows can provide far less insulation than walls. The windows in my home are the Anderson 400 series; well insulated, well constructed, and well worth the money. By downgrading to smaller windows, I may have saved about $3,000 (for my whole carriage house) but the comfort and energy efficiency of my home would have decreased a great deal.

Doors and Door Hardware

Most timber frame homes are made with a high quality kiln-dried Douglas fir, giving the home a solid look and feel. The doors shouldn’t sound hollow and the door hardware (the parts of the home that you touch and move fairly often) should feel like something substantial and solid when you grasp the knob. You know the type of door…the “wood” appearance is a little too plastic and the hardware doesn’t look or feel weighty. Since timber frame is all about quality construction, lesser quality doors and knobs stick out like a sore thumb.

Insulation

Insulation is important; very important. I have foil-backed polyisocyanurate insulation in my True Wall (R-28.4) and True Roof panels (R-34.7) and my heating and cooling bills are extremely reasonable. I never feel a draft. If I’d downgraded to a less expensive insulation, I would have only shaved $1,500 off my total construction costs.

The Heating System

Seriously consider a forced hot water or radiant hot water heating system in your post and beam home. Even though forced hot air can be less expensive, hot water is the better choice, and here’s why:

Post and beam or timber frame homes have a lot of wood on the interior. Even though most post and beams are made from a high quality soft wood such as kiln Douglas fir, the beams will still be sensitive to changes in heat and humidity in the air. Wood, even kiln-dried wood, is like a sponge and it will absorb the moisture in the air. When the air dries, the wood will also dry out, making a “popping” sound as it contracts. Forced hot air heating systems circulate very dry, hot air. Some home owners who have forced hot air heating systems reported the popping noise as so loud that they thought gunshots were being fired in the house! This not only scares the heck out of you when you’re sleeping, but also results in “checking” (cracking) in the beams.

Fixtures and Faucets

The reasoning behind spending, not scrimping, on fixtures and faucets is similar to the reasoning for #2 (Doors & Door Hardware). Timber frame homes cost more per square foot to construct than stick built homes, but people like the sturdiness, quality and longevity that epitomizes post and beams. Every fixture in the house you touch/manhandle/twist/turn/swing/flip/switch, should feel just as sturdy as the beams that hold up your house.

Note: If you have three bathrooms and spend an extra $300 on your sink and tub/shower fixtures in each, that’s only an extra $1,800 to your overall construction costs. Upgrading your kitchen fixtures and key lighting fixtures to higher quality materials can be done for less than $2,000.

If ever the day comes when you sell the house, potential buyers questioning the quality (and therefore the price) of your home due to sub-standard elements in any of these five areas, would be very unfortunate. Spend the money up front; you’ll be glad you did!

Should you like further information or have questions, please contact Yankee Barn Homes at 1-800-258-9786.

POST. BEAM. DREAM.

The Amazing Strength of a Yankee Barn Homes Post and Beam Frame

BeamBabe — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:45:46 +0000

The amazing strength of a Yankee Barn Homes post and beam frame was first reported on Post and Beam Living a few years back. The story is so astounding and such a wonderful testimonial to the fortitude of these barn homes, I felt it well worth repeating, this time around with an update on how the home appears today. I hope you find this story as astounding as I did (and still do)!

A Late Spring Nor'Easter

A Late Spring Nor’Easter

Testimonial from a Yankee Barn Homeowner

“I live in a Yankee Barn that was built in 1979 – now 33 years old! April 15, 2007 was not one of my better days. In addition to putting my tax return and check in the mail, we were hit with a typical Spring Nor’easter. I should mention that my Yankee Barn sits on a lot surrounded by towering Eastern White Pines. The afternoon began with a heavy, very wet snowfall. As dusk settled in, the snow ended and the winds increased dramatically. My wife and I were sitting in the second floor balcony area of our barn watching television. Shortly after the winds increased, the electricity went off. We had anticipated this, as it happens often in our area. We went downstairs to the Great Room and lit a fire in our fireplace, as no power means no heat. It was not an unpleasant scenario – my wife and I sitting in front of the fire listening to the wind howl outside and enjoying a cocktail.”

“Suddenly there was what I can only describe as an explosion followed immediately by a loud startling bang as stuff began flying through our great room. Shingles, plywood, insulation and tree branches were everywhere. A triangular shaped piece of shingle flew across the room and imbedded in the wall above my wife’s head! We had no idea what had happened, except that there was an obvious hole in our roof and rain/snow was coming in.

I tried to go out the front door and quickly realized what had happened; a huge White Pine was blocking the door. One of the taller Eastern White Pines had loaded up with the wet snow and as the winds picked up, the top half of the tree had broken off, traveled 30 feet in the air, and punched an 8’ x 8’ hole in the roof panel. The trunk of the upper half of the tree, at least 3 feet in diameter, had actually hit the structure where the outside wall meets the roof and bounced off, due to its encounter with one of the Douglas Fir beams.”

“In addition to the obvious repairs necessary to the roof, we had to call in a structural engineer to verify the integrity of our frame and structure. The results were that our frame was 100% fine. The engineer explained that the top portion of our post & beam frame actually moved 6” or so when the tree hit, and then returned to its original position when the tree bounced off. He further added that had we been in a normal stick-built structure, that tree would have been in our laps!

I am now a believer in the amazing strength of these barn homes. “

Bob and Leila’s amazing story has a very happy ending not only for them, but for their Yankee Barn home, as well. Here is their house as it appears today; you’d have no clue a massive tree had once fallen literally into their home!

For more information on the sturdiness of the Yankee Barn Homes timber frame please see our website, Yankee Barn Homes, or call toll free at 1-800-258-9786.

Yankee Barn Homes

POST. BEAM. DREAM.

Yankee Barn Homes: Five Suggestions to Lower Building Costs

BeamBabe — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:07:18 +0000

Yankee Barn Homes: five suggestions to lower building costs are presented in this article. Post and Beam homes are expected to cost more than a 2×4 “stick built” home. The reasons for this are many and varied; however, the main ones have to do with the cost of a high quality timber frame (opposed to inexpensive wood studs), superior insulation, and the typical use of large glass areas. That being said, there are many ways you can keep the cost of a post and beam home down while maintaining the feel of a timber frame structure. Most importantly, before starting the design process you need to know your budget. Then, keep it in mind as you navigate the course of the build process and you’ll end up with a gorgeous Yankee Barn home you’ll love for years and years to come!

Five Ways to Lower Costs

1. Stay With a Rectangle

Stay with a Rectangle

The least expensive home to build (per square foot) is a basic 2 story rectangle. Single story structures, ells, dormers, or any type of bump-out are going to add to the cost.

2. Forgo a Cathedral Ceiling

Forgo a Cathedral Ceiling

Vaulted ceilings may add character to your home, but you are using (and paying for) large volumes of space. Instead of a cathedral ceiling great room, try putting a 10’ or 12’ ceiling over this space. You will still have a feeling of volume in the great room, but the space above is additional and usable square footage.

3. Build a Hybrid

Build a “Hybrid”

A hybrid design uses a true post and beam frame for the main living areas (great room, kitchen, and dining room), while using partial or no timber frame in the rest of the structure. You may find you don’t need the posts showing in bedrooms, which will save money.

4. Choose Drywall

Choose Drywall

Instead of the more expensive tongue and groove wood planks, use drywall on the ceilings. Or consider using the wood planks on select main areas of your home.

5. Choose Interior Finishes Wisely

Choose Interior Finishes Wisely

The primary goal should be to build a quality post and beam home with “good bones.” There’s no need to complete everything at once. Prioritize your list of “must haves” and decide what should be installed as you build and what can be done or upgraded at a later date.

For further information on keeping costs down when building a post and beam home, please contact Yankee Barn Homes at 1-800-258-9786.

YANKEE BARN HOMES