Beam Houses – Aesthetics And Resilience

Beam houses are usually made for the mountain areas, better integrating themselves into the rural style than into the urban one. The building technique allows wood joints which are durable, solid and airtight, also giving the whole structure a better look. According to the environmental and climatic conditions of that area, the thickness of the walls may differ. Generally, these houses have their walls from 40mm up to 140 mm thick. The beams are in a nut and feder joint, due to a higher degree of wood cubing. As an estimation of the costs, the structure of a beam house starts from 170 euros per square meter and can go up to 400 euros per square meter, due to a bigger wood cubing. Through structure we understand the exterior and interior walls, the support beams and the roof framing.

The first thing to notice at these houses is the way beams are interlocked, easily recognizable at corners. Which give the structure an aesthetic look. You can go for a simple holiday house, such as the one in the examples below, sitting on 32 square meters. Despite the small space, the bedrooms was placed on a loft which optimizes the repartition of the interior space.

If you want a full time living space, then you can opt for such a beam house spreading on 52 square meters. The attic can be set up as a living space or a storage area. A side patio is a must-have for those seeking to relax in nature.

The third example brings a house which, similar to the first model, features a loft as a sleeping area on half of the available space upstairs, the rest being open to below. The window on the top level sheds plenty of natural light over the sleeping platform.