Hi,

To a certain extent this design has its roots in the design of timber roofs built to sit on top of masonary walls where both an inner and outer wall plate is employed with these being tied together by short ties. In the barn design the thing that is missing is a short vertical ashlar strut rising from the inner plate to the rafter.

In my opinion there is nothing particularly Germanic about this frame. In this respect I agree with Don that European roof design is fairly ethnically diverse in it's roots especially concerning early buildings. The serious student might want to consult - "Roof Frames from the 11th to 19th century" edited by Dr. Patrick Hoffsummer and published by Brepolis Publishers, Belgium. This is not cheap !

Regards

Ken Hume