Customer Reviews

Build a Classic Timber-Framed House: Planning & Design/Traditional Materials/Affordable Methods

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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This was my first look at timber framing and this book was a great primer. It explains the history of timber framing, the terminology, the how to's of getting started. I wish it would have had more suggestions for finishing the house after the frame is up, but it definitely gave me a good foundation and the confidence to give it try.

Jack Sobon does a great job walking you step by step in building your own house. It is one of the best sources out there for learning traditional timber framing technique. A must read for anyone interested in learning how the early framers built the barns and houses we love today. Expect hands on information and thoery for the practical end of getting the house frame built. Expect a well focused instructiional manual that is light and entertaining to read.

The plans, photos, patterns and details in this book can be used as a step-by-step guide to building a New England hall-and-parlor house. It's also a designer's guide, a history book and a great introduction to the craft and art of timber framing.

This is a superb guide to making a traditional hall and parlor style timber frame. It is a solid effort from beginning to end, and lays out every joint in the frame in clear detail. The frame is beautiful, sturdy, and modest. It is for the most part extremely historically correct which means it has excellent style and shows a sense of taste and proportion that is extremely comfortable to live in and with. Unlike many of the new breed of timber framed vanity cathedrals, with miles of exposed timbers and acres of glass, this is a house that will always look dignified and beautiful, and doesn't follow any whims or trends. I also like Sobon's adherence to traditional techniques (clapboard siding...shingle roofs...wood heat) and his suspicion of stress-skin panels. He thinks a house should breathe, and rightly so. This book will not walk you through the foundation, or the wall coverings or roofing, but it will give solid suggestions and point you in the right direction. The frame, however, is covered in exquisite detail.

The book is well-written explaining very clear about Timber Frame method that by the time you are done reading this book, you are most likely able to design your own Timber Frame house to be approved by your local licensed architecture with easy. I highly recommend this book if you really want to build your own Timber Frame house from scratch because it tells you how to chose your tree, what type of tree to use for what purpose, and what method to use for your location (snow vs high wind), and etc. Highly recommended!

This is one of the books a beginning timber framer needs to have when getting started, no question. Jack Sobon is one of the pioneers in reviving timber framing, and is an important one to learn from.