Mother's Low-cost Home-building Contest: Winner Three

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The building's frame consists of 4 bents, the timber framer's term for a section of a post-and-beam building's frame that's assembled on the ground and then raised into position. In the Masons' case, each bent is a full structural cross section along the 24' dimension of their home. The main posts on the bents are 8" X 8", as are the main beams forming the second-story floor. From there, parts of the second story are framed in 6" X 4" timbers.

Each bent was lifted with the aid of a tractor and, according to Susan, "a lot of luck." From there, 6" X 6", 6" X 8", and 8" X 8" beams (with knee braces) linked the bents together. Floor joists are 4" X 4" on 18" centers, and more 4" X 4" supports run between the main posts to provide nailers for paneling and siding and to support insulation and windows.

One of the beauties of a timber frame house is that much of the work can be done in advance, since the posts and beams are usually cut and jointed (with mortises, tenons, and locking pegs) before any framing begins. Thus the skeleton of a post-and-beam house can be raised in a day by an energetic crew.

Inside Out

Once the roof — conventional 2 X 8 rafters on 16" centers covered by 1" sheathing boards and fiberglass-asphalt shingles — made the structure more or less rainproof, Richard and Susan began working from the inside of their house outward. Their first goal was to get the 1" shiplap pine and oak paneling up, since they intended to set this lumber green and allow it to settle into place.

With that done, they added 3-1/2" fiberglass insulation, laid horizontally on the 4" X 4"s, topped with 1-1/2" extruded polystyrene foam, to yield a wall R-value of about 25. (The roof got 6" fiberglass and the same rigid boards for more than R-32.) On the outside, they used their own board-and-batten siding, though they'd someday like to replace this with planed clapboards.

At this point, they consider all the windows other than the sliding glass door to be temporary. Their plan is to replace the upstairs windows with Andersen casement units as the money becomes available. Downstairs, there are several 3' X 6' fixed, insulated windows for which they still haven't settled on replacements. Likewise, the finishing of the living room/den awaits available funds and just the right idea. Someday they'll put in the fixtures for the second bathroom. As anyone who's been, or even known, an owner-builder is aware, erecting one's own house tends to be a longterm commitment.

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