The German Firstständerhaus is one type of the Low German hall-house, and is typical of the post built Germanic style, the style predating the frame-built house. It is an important step in the development of framing traditions across the Germanic world.

In the early middle ages, most houses that were built were built this way, or with a variation with 2 posts supporting mid-span purlins instead of ridge beams. This is called in German Zweiständerbau. In this style the exterior walls are non-loadbearing, but the weight of the roof is born by the mid-span posts. This works only for very small buildings of course. This was replaced by the 4-posted house, or vierständerhaus, which allows for much wider buildings. In these houses the middle hall is the living quarters while the outer aisles function as animal stalls with the space above being used as hay lofts. This basic style of the aisled barn is still used to this day in America. A bit of a side track from structural ridges, but it illustrates how the structural ridge is related to other building styles. IT seems that the simple structural ridge leads to the development of a pair of purlins, which in turn leads to more complex roof framing.