The third style is included here for comparison to see where certain concepts came from. This is the Alpine log house.



This type of construction is very simple. Log corners are interlocked, courses are stacked directly and sealed with a spline or double spline and secured against lateral shifting with stout pegs every 2 to 3 feet. Windows and doors are rigidly framed into the log shell. Typically even the gables are of full log construction.

Purlins are supported with heavy log buttresses, whereas in a timber frame from the same general area would require heavy struts to accomplish the same purpose

Certain elements can be tied directly to the hybrid framing style -the framing of balconies (a universal feature throughout much of Switzerland) the different arrangement of rooms from one story to the next, even the connections used in horizontal timbers in the hybrid frames are the same as those used in log corners.

The last picture illustrates a common shortcut, where uprights are used at the corners instead of interlocking joints. The uprights are not posts, because they do not bear the vertical loads of the structure.

Next I'll work on getting some good images of the old style of timber framing from the Swiss Plateau.