Highschool Project

Hi everybody, I am currently a senior in high school, and my senior project is on timber framing. It is a paper/presentation type project, my topic is "Why timber framing over a conventional stick built structure?" I don't know if this is breaking the Forum structure, I hope not, but i would love it if people would respond to this, telling me why they love timber framing, and why they choose to do it over conventional building?
Please do not limit responses to that one question, please feel free to elaborate on anything you would like.

Thank you so much.
Camden

Hi Camden. I will get right to the point.

Timber framing lends itself to vernacular building easily. Material can be converted from log to beam on site via a hewing process with minimal tooling. Most conventional building materials are highly processed and trucked great distances. Some or most timber frames are also built using non local wood, though.

The rugged structure not only calms your physical self but also your inner being. The mass of the structure makes you feel safe. This is hidden to most as they are simply impressed physical aspect, it goes deeper.

I find it a joy to work timber with traditional hand tools. To build conventional stick buildings one is bent to use modern devices for construction of the building, this is not as appealing to myself(although I do indulge from time to time). Again this can over lap into timber building as well, the use of modern machinery.

There is an inherent desire to keep timber frame building alive, even after 100s of years and some of those years in neglect,the building being strong enough to withstand the abuses of time, the building still stands. People find the desire to reaffirm with the old building and restore it with some or most of its fabric still intact. Others want to build these enduring structures from new material with new methods or traditional methods. A typical stick built or modular home will have an expected life of 50 years or so, after which it will most likely be demolished on site in favor of a newer modern style of home. While a timber frame, not all, will have a value that will and can hold for hundreds of years. I say "not all" for there are too many old barns being wrecked into the ground by machinery. This is usually done because of monetary reasons, not enough funds to deal with the building. So, again there is some over lap when compared to conventional building, but the timber frame for sure holds more power than its counter part.

I suspect you will get some more comments on this thread.

Thank you for your response timbeal, it has been a lot of help in the writing of my paper!

I am still open for any input from anybody else who feels like leaving me anything, thank you guys.