After six months or more of failed efforts to fit a decent floor plan into a sensible frame layout, everything finally clicked yesterday. Working from a simple 38 x 36 layout ( 4 bents with the 3 bays spaced at 12ft, 14ft and 12 ft, and 3 bays deep, each at 12ft) the floor plan seemed to drop right into space without a single stray column sticking up in the middle of a closet or shower. Even the second floor layout fell right into place.

(keeping things simple, symmetrical and ‘within the lines” was done to keep construction costs reasonable; not because I’m obsessive about symmetry or orderliness…)

OK, so I’ve got a column layout, a general idea of the bent positioning and a fairly detailed floor plan. What are the next steps, and how much farther can a novice timber frame ‘wannabe’ go before handing the design over to a structural engineer? Or am I done and its time to bring in someone who knows what the heck he's doing?