75 Years of Post and Beam Home Design
What are Post and Beam Homes?
In post and beam homes, structural support is provided by thick vertical posts, traditionally made of timber, that support horizontal beams. Because of the capacity of the posts and beams to transfer the home’s weight down to the foundation, interior walls do not need to bear the load for structural support. Therefore, post and beam home construction allows for open floor plans and a great deal of flexibility in the placement of interior walls. It also allows for the structure of the home to remain exposed, showcasing the beauty of the material used.
A Lindal post and beam home with a classic prow front.
Build Anywhere
When it comes to post-and-beam homes of great beauty and modernity, Lindal is the undisputed leader. Since 1945, Lindal has designed post and beam homes of great strength and quality that can be engineered to meet diverse site requirements as well as weather conditions ranging from mild to extreme. Our homes are built on almost every continent, in every terrain and every climatic region. The structural stability of post and beam construction, combined with our excellent design and engineering capabilities, mean that our homes have a reputation for surviving and thriving in any location. Lindal post-and-beam homes have been known to survive floods, fires, hurricanes and earthquakes. Lindal homes are luxury kit homes, manufactured off-site, carefully packaged and shipped to the build site. Because of this, they are ideal for hard-to-access locations, from narrow city lots to islands accessible only by water.
For a Lindal home built on an island inaccessible by car, the materials were delivered to the build site by barge.
The Beauty of Post and Beam Construction
An A-Frame Lindal home featured on the cover of Popular Mechanics in 1966.
High Ceilings
Originally, Lindal was known for its popular A frame kit home designs. One of these retro beauties was featured on the cover of Popular Mechanics in the 1960s. A Lindal could be recognized because of its distinctive high-pitched roof. Lindal Cedar Homes’ founder, the maverick inventor and entrepreneur par excellence, Sir Walter Lindal, patented several of his A-frame home designs.
This Hestia design by OM Studio for Lindal was built on the banks of the Pedernales River in Texas Hill Country.
However, post and beam home designs aren’t defined by roof pitch. In fact, Lindal’s modern post-and-beam homes can (and often do) have flat or low-pitched roofs, while still maintaining the loft of the classic designs in the great room.
A flat-roofed design by Lindal Architects Collaborative member Dowling Studios.
Open Floor Plans
As mentioned earlier, the fact that interior walls are not load bearing in a post and beam home means that the homeowner can choose how to lay out the rooms without being restricted by structural considerations. Also, post and beam homes allow for an expansive great room, with defined spaces for living, dining, and meal preparation. Often, Lindal home floor plans have a great room as the focal point, with smaller and more private areas in the wings for the less communal aspects of daily living.
Walls of Glass
Besides creating a sense of spaciousness inside the great room, the post and beam construction provides the support for walls of glass on the view side to bring the outside in. Lindal homes often feature large windows and sliding doors that blur the transition between indoors and out. Whether your view is of a mountain, ocean, lake, forest, or backyard sanctuary, Lindal homeowners often talk about how connected they feel to nature.
Window Technology Updates
Advances in window technology allow for us to provide windows with superior insulating properties. Contrary to popular belief, a wall of windows doesn’t mean that you will lose a lot of heat and energy through them. Talk to your Lindal dealer about the region where you plan to build. They can advise you on the best window choices for your area.
“The main reason we chose Lindal to begin with was that your post and beam construction methodology was compatible with our desire for a light filled, airy, open, and modern design. The superior quality of your product distinguished you from your competitors as well. The excellent service from Roland and Betty Riddick during the design and planning phase served to confirm out initial favorable impressions of Lindal Cedar Homes. The proof of our good decision to use Lindal is in the final product. Our Lindal home is all we hoped for and more in terms of beauty, style functionality, and efficiency. Would we recommend Lindal to others? You bet we would and in fact we already have!”
-Sue & John Boyle