Ach du liewe! Ich bin ganz verhudelt!

I am currently doing a considerable amount of research on the topic of Swiss Timber framing. Not the blockbau log cabin-ish structures typical of the alpine "chalet" but the large, fachwerk-like structures of central Switzerland. My particular area of interest is the style prevalent in Canton Bern, such as the impressive Bauernhof of the Emmental.

This Website has been a helpful resource, and might give some inpiration to others as well.

However, there are still many questions left after my research, and perhaps some of you out there might have the knowledge I need to help put all the pieces together.

I have figured out quite a bit already, but a few questions remain, especially in the area of joinery.
I can see that the braces tend to be joined with half dovetails, rather than mortise and tenons, and it appears that any post joining a horizontal timber at a right angle is mortised into that timber and pegged. However there are still a few joints that I am unclear on. I realize that you all probably do not know the specifics of Swiss joinery, but whatever knowledge you may have on German Fachwerk will help.
How might the joists be joined to the plate (observation: the joists seem to serve in lieu of ties to resist outward thrust, so their joints would need to take this into account. Observation: the joists are joined atop the plate, not flush with the top Observation: The joists often are cut flush with the outside wall, their ends being visible on plastered exterior walls, but sometimes extend beyond, but this is usually when they are cantilevered to support some extension such as a balcony or eaves-brace) Especially how might the joint at the crners be executed, where an end joist/tie is joined atopthe plate, then a sill is joined on top of it and the other joists, and how is this sill joined to the other joists? Aside from this, the joinery is understandable and observable.

Another question I have is about timber dimensions. It is apparent that joists and rafters tend to be narrow, deep, and closely spaced relative to American timber framing. It also seems that the posts tend to be rectangular rather than square, even at the corners (which is a technique that can utilize more wood out of a given log, or allow timber to be hewn or cut from smaller logs than would be needed were the timbers made square)
Does anyone know what dimensions are common in fachwerk? I know that one particular style makes use of 12" beams, and that is noted as being uncommonly large.