Frame Preferences

The placement of the timber frame is fundamental to load bearing and aesthetics, and is a factor in costs. Yankee Barn offers several frame types to create the look and space you desire.

Staff proposal

Full post and beam frame; the full width, length, and height of the structure.

Partial post and beam frame.

Some areas of the eave walls have no timber frame; for example the bedrooms or kitchen. An add-on structure might have a partial frame.

Panelized walls with no timber frame; for example a garage or horse barn.

A-frames. Where an A-frame truss is specified on the plans, no posts are required for the roof loads ( second floor area may require posts). Yankee Barn can provide concealed steel plate fasteners or exposed heavy steel plates and bolts for these A-frame connections. See engineered materials for choices.

King Post Truss frames are used to create a open space without interior posts supporting the roof (interior posts may be need to support the 2nd floor).

Decorative beams – non-structural beams to extend the post and beam aesthetic. To be cut to length and notched on site.

Don’t Know Yet

No / Not Applicable

Yankee Barn offers several frame options. Knee braces can be added to further enhance the frame. Knee braces are diagonal beams used at the intersection of a post and a beam. They are available in 4×4, or as a curved 4×6 brace.
Most fasteners are concealed but there are a few places where the fasteners are exposed in the interior of the house. Choose the type of fastener to be used in these exposed areas.

Customer selection

4×4 decorative straight knee braces

4×6 Straight knee brace

6×6 Straight Knee Brace

4×6 curved knee braces

6×8 Curved Knee Brace

Custom: see staff note

Finish nails with inconspicuous heads work well with planed frames. Finished nails are the most popular and were used in our show homes.

Wrought nails with decorative black heads work well with rough sawn or skip planed frames.

Don’t Know Yet

No / Not Applicable

Staff proposal

Structural knee braces (see plans for locations)

Yankee Barn provides kiln-dried Douglas fir for the material used in the timber frame rather than unseasoned timbers, which are commonly provided by many timber framers.
Kiln drying reduces the moisture content by 20 to 40 % and provides the following advantages over unseasoned timbers:
~ Minimizes dimensional changes, shrinkage, and warping in use,
~ Improves the resistance to decay; and,
~ Decreases the weight and increases the strength of wood.
The kiln-dried Douglas fir is WWPA (Western Wood Products Association ) agency graded and accepted by the major building codes including codes in US, the UK and many other European countries. Douglas fir is the most plentiful softwood species in North America and accounts for one fifth of the total softwood reserves. It is best known for its strength, rustic beauty and excellent "Heavy Timber" fire ratings. It is also "Heat Treated" certified for export to other countries.

Customer selection

Kiln-dried Douglas fir – WWPA agency graded #1 & Better

No / Not Applicable

Staff proposal

Custom: see staff note

The texture of your frame is important to the overall look and feel you want to establish.

Customer selection

Smooth Planed
The Post and beam frame is planed smooth with posts chamfered. After sawing, the timbers are planed to create a smooth surface. We chamfer the posts by cutting off the corners leaving a beveled surface.

Rough Sawn
Post and beam frame is rough sawn; timbers have a slightly rough texture from the blade in the sawmill.

Skip-planed
Post and Beam frame is skip-planed which means the rough sawn timbers are slightly planed to remove some of the beam’s rough texture from the sawmill, leaving some saw marks and roughness. This is a random texture giving a slightly more rustic look.

Don’t Know Yet

No / Not Applicable

Staff proposal

Custom: see staff note.

Staff Confirmation

Staff, please check to confirm customer choice

We use quality Minwax stains. Stain colors will vary with stain lots as well as wood textures, grain, and color. To intensify the grain, seal the finish and add gloss, apply two coats of satin polyurethane on site. For example, our model home had two coats of polyurethane applied to the beams. Note, these samples will vary in look on different computer monitors. The texture of the wood will affect the consistency of the color. Note that pickled white color is lighter than that in our show home which has had several additional coats of stain.

Customer selection

Leave frame unstained

Yankee Barn Pickled White

Natural (clear) #209

Ipswich Pine #221

Cherry #235

Fruitwood #241

Early American #230

Special Walnut #224

Golden Oak

English Chestnut

Don’t Know Yet

No / Not Applicable

Staff proposal

Custom: see staff note

Staff Confirmation

Staff, please check to confirm customer choice

For places in the frame with exceptionally long spans or unusually heavy loads.

Staff proposal

Laminated beams are manufactured using a number of smaller boards glued under pressure and planed to create one very strong timber.

Expose Steel Hangers or plates, to add strength to a beam connection with unusually heavy loads, or no post below. Hangers are painted black with black lags.

Steel beam to support YBH provide floor.

A-Frame Rafters with double collar ties bolted (with concealed shear plates)

A-Frame Rafters with concealed plate and steel pins with wood plugs.

A-Frame Rafters with exposed heavy black metal plates and bolts.

Don’t Know Yet

No / Not Applicable