Half-timbered houses – 95 photos of modern houses and good projects

A bit of history

A house is a structure erected for living. Over the course of historical time, the demands on housing increased, resulting in houses of different proportions and types of construction. In order to adapt to the environment, terrain and climate. Because of these factors, names are formed: castle, palace, villa, chalet, cottage, and so on.

For the medieval cities of Central Europe, the Germanic states in particular, the architectural model of the so-called half-timbered house is typical.

A half-timbered house, in German, is a load-bearing wooden frame assembled from supports and beams connected vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. The resulting spaces, of various shapes and sizes, were filled with adobe, brick, and sometimes wood. Then they were plastered flush with the beams, leaving the geometry of the frame structure in plain sight, giving the latter also decorative properties.

In this way, functional and aesthetic motifs are combined. Both solutions are extremely successful: houses of this type have been standing for centuries, and the ornate simplicity of the facades and walls is ornate and beautiful.

Pictures of half-timbered houses have spread among those who have never seen them, along with images of other “beauties.” Including in the form of wallpaper on PC screens. Which once again emphasizes the originality and even some fabulousness of these creations of human hands.

Modernity

The half-timbered house has begun a massive revival. The reason for this is practicality plus the development of the building materials industry.

Modern half-timbered house designs have little in common visually with traditional houses, but the principle from which the name is derived is the same – a visible wood frame that stands out in color from the rest of the walls.

The changes have gone toward a lighter and simpler construction, due to the quality of the materials and fasteners used.

The cell areas of the entire support structure expanded; in other words, there were fewer elements. Diagonal struts, which played an important role in building the pattern of the facade and in strengthening the frame, were no longer needed. They have lost their functionality.

Glulam lumber, which has replaced solid logs, is much stronger and sturdier; beams made of this material need fewer supports. The fillers between the joists are not heavy bricks and clay, as in the old days, but lightweight panels that have all the necessary strength, insulation and energy-saving characteristics. There is no need for a deep and solid foundation.

Construction

For the customer, construction begins with a review of the catalogs of half-timbered houses, on the website of the nearest company, or in the office itself. If you have your own project, negotiate the terms of adaptation of existing developments to the wishes of the client.

The technology of a half-timbered house allows the realization of any forms and shapes, from simple and unpretentious to the most complex and fanciful. This also applies to the internal layout – the frame is three-dimensional.

The monolithic structure is achieved by a careful and tight fit of the parts to be joined. This requires extreme precision in measuring and observing the distances and dimensions of grooves and studs. This condition is most often only achievable with stationary equipment.

For this reason, it can be argued that the construction of a half-timbered house takes place in the production area of a construction company.

At the customer’s site, the foundation is poured – concrete slab with a thickness of 20-30 mm – and installed. With the observance of all sections of the design documentation and construction rules – waterproofing, thoroughness, horizontal and vertical. Imported wooden parts of the frame, numbered for ease of assembly, treated with protective substances, and fastened to the foundation.

This is followed by filling in the openings of the exterior walls and interior partitions, flooring, and ceilings. Roofing, doors, windows, installation of heating and communications, finishing work, painting – and the process is complete. Stylish modern house is ready in a short time.

Floor-to-ceiling window. Or a glass wall.

The features of modern architecture are straightforward, some angularity even, with extensive flat surfaces predominating, and great windows. Fachwerk incorporates both of these characteristics.

Panoramic glazing of a half-timbered house is an integral part of the style, it just begs to be done. The full-wall window of a private house is an unfamiliar phenomenon in the post-Soviet space, much attention is paid to describing the benefits and advantages.

First, a lot of daylight is captured. Secondly, the size of the room extends to the nearest trees, or to the horizon, depending on the location of the house. And the opposite effect – the exterior becomes part of the interior.

In a cottage community, only the façade, behind which are the living room, dining room and kitchen, the common spaces, remains glass. The rest of the walls facing the fence or neighbors are blank.

It is possible to locate the house in the back of the lot, with the view side overlooking the propertied entourage. Or a “U-turn” in the direction of the patio. There are a lot of options – if only there were a plot of land.

Glazing is done with frameless three-chamber glazing, which can be formulated depending on the climate and geographic region. The outer side usually has tempered glass, which is several times stronger than ordinary glass and difficult to break. The inner side is made of solar-control or energy-saving glass. They protect against excessive heat in summer and heat loss in winter. From this point of view, a modern window can be any size.

Furnishings

The interior decoration, or the interior of a half-timbered house, is chosen taking into account the features of the style – laconic, simplicity, minimalism, the predominance of horizontal lines. Narrow, elongated in length hinged furnishings, squat sofas leave room for a sense of freedom. The color scheme is dominated by not bright, light, pastel colors.

There is no doubt that half-timbered buildings have a great future. Thanks to its environmental friendliness, style, reliability, lightness and short implementation time.

Pictures of half-timbered houses