2 weeks Ago By Steve Maxwell
Share this Story : Houseworks: Timber frame vs. conventional house construction Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links Life Homes Houseworks: Timber frame vs. conventional house construction Author of the article: Steve Maxwell Published Mar 20, 2025 • Last updated 24 minutes ago • 3 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here .
Or sign-in if you have an account. Visible timber frame elements can be combined with conventional stud frame construction, offering a simpler way to get the timber look in new houses or renovations. Photo by Photo Steve Maxwell Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected.
Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content Q What’s your opinion on timber frame construction for a home compared with traditional stick-built designs? A “Stick-built” refers to the studs, joists and trusses that are used to build typical modern homes, and this works fine. Timber framing uses large posts and beams connected with interlocking joints done in the traditional ways barns were built.
The difference between the two is largely about the way things look inside the home. Timber frames are almost always exposed indoors, so you get to enjoy the rugged look of fine craftsmanship in wood during everyday life. Homes built this way usually have insulated panels applied to the outside to create enclosed exterior walls, and these provide very good energy performance because the insulation is continuous.
Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others.
Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.
Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content When I built my own house, I wanted the timber look inside, but because I was doing all the work myself, and I didn’t have the money to rent a crane to raise a traditional timber frame, I used a combination of stick framing for the walls, with visible timbers indoors wherever possible.
This let me put the timbers up one piece at a time, instead of large sections of pre-assembled frames as is usually done. The results look great, and it’s a construction approach that is more doable for owner-builders. ———— Deep-water wells are often bored with a rig like this.
Costs come down to how far down the well needs to go to get sufficient water. Photo by Photo Steve Maxwell Drilling a water well Q What should I know about having a water well drilled? We’re building on a rural property, and the well guy will come to our place in the spring. A Having a water well drilled is always something of a gamble, and the odds of success depend a lot on the groundwater conditions in your area.
Where I live, good and abundant water is almost assured, even with most wells drilled almost entirely through limestone bedrock. In some areas, a dry hole is a definite possibility. About five miles from where I live people often have to choose between drilling a marginal well to shallow depth, or a deeper hole to get abundant water that almost certainly yields sulphur water that smells like rotten eggs.
Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In your case I’d start by talking to people nearest your land about the depth of their wells and the quality of water. That’s a good indication of what you’ll likely face.
No matter what you get when the well driller is done, water with less than ideal chemistry can be treated. Hydrogen peroxide injection systems with whole-house carbon filtration, for instance, can eliminate sulphur water at a low annual cost. Wells with low output can be configured to produce lots of water using something called the trickle system.
———— Levelling a basement floor Q How can I deal with the uneven concrete floor in my basement? I want to install subfloor tiles then a finished floor, but some areas of concrete are sunken 1/2” deeper than surrounding areas. A Uneven concrete basement floors are all too common, even in new homes. It all comes down to the skill of the people finishing the concrete when it was poured.
When workers get lazy or rushed, corners are cut. Filling the low spots with self-levelling floor compound is one effective approach. It comes as a powder that you mix with water to a consistency like cake batter, Pour it onto the low areas, and the slurry levels itself by gravity.
If you have large areas that need levelling, contractors are available with equipment to get the job done quickly. Rigid subfloor tiles also come with shims you can use to stabilize each panel as it goes down if the hollow areas are less than 1/4” deep and not too widespread. Do you have some high spots in the concrete floor? Rent a rotary hammer with a bushing head attachment to pulverize the high spots until they’re level with the surrounding floor.
Steve Maxwell has been helping Canadians expand their hands-on how-to life since 1988. Visit his new website at baileylineroad.com for thousands of free home improvement articles and videos.
Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Houseworks: Timber frame vs. conventional house construction Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion.
Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments.
Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Trending U.S.
could block Canadian attempts to buy new fighter jets to replace F-35s, warn analysts Defence Watch Feds partner with Australia on $6-billion Arctic radar project in 'slap in the face' to Canadian company Defence Watch Senators captain Brady Tkachuk won't be scoreboard-watching: 'We control our destiny' Ottawa Senators So, where, exactly, is home for our newest prime minister? News Why hundreds of Ottawa residents donated their $200 rebate cheques to charity Local News Read Next Latest National Stories Featured Local Savings.
