Ask Sir Walter: Choosing a Building System

Q: I am planning to undertake an exciting, and potentially frustrating challenge—building my family's first home. What are the benefits of the various building systems? - Home Building Novice.

A: Dear Home Building Novice:
Each of the building systems has very unique characteristics that will provide your family with a different type of home depending on which you choose.

Conventional framing is the most commonly used building option in new homes today. When your family chooses this option, truss or rafter framework is used for the roof and the walls bear their weight.

• Rafter roofs can open up the interior and allow for cathedral ceilings, while truss roofs create intimate spaces with lower ceilings.
• Because it is the most common construction option, most contractors are knowledgeable and efficient at building the home, enabling you to realize some savings on labor.

If your family is looking for a more unique home, post and beam construction offers wide-open spaces.

• Post and beam home designs are best known for their unique, extraordinary design possibilities.
• The strong framework of posts and beams support the roof's weight and frees up the interior walls from serving as structural support. That opens up all kinds of interior configurations.
• The post and beam system allows for an open, airy interior with soaring ceilings, and supports long spans and large expanses of glass.

For families who love the rural life, log homes and timber-wall constructed homes are very appealing.

• Log homes may be factory-made or handcrafted. Their solid log walls range from 6 to 15 inches in thickness. Thermal mass characteristics of log walls make log homes as energy-efficient as conventionally insulated walls.
• Log homes are among the most environmentally-compatible housing choices because of these thermal mass characteristics and the renewability of the building materials.

You can view more details on each of these home building options here

Best regards,
Sir Walter Lindal

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