The History of Timber Frame Houses

Timber frame house history is varied. This style of home has been popular for centuries. In fact, timber frame construction has long been a common home building technique. To understand more about his style of home, it helps to learn a bit more about timber frame house history.

Early Years

Timber frame homes were seen as early as the 12th and 13th centuries. Back then, lap jointing and mortise-and-tenon joints were the most popular technique used. Eventually, other methods were used with jettying become the most popular. This allowed for additional floors to be added to a home. 

A Lapse in Popularity

There was a time in the history of timber frame house construction when its popularity lagged. From the 16th to 18th century, timber became scarce, so it was hard to find for home construction projects. In addition, people’s preference for the look of this home style began to diminish.

Back in Style

In the 1970s, timber frame homes started to see a rise in popularity again. They became a more affordable option in home construction, which made them very attractive to new home buyers. In some areas, though, low-quality wood was used, which led to some issues. Over time, though, wood quality went up and consumers began choosing timber frame homes more often, and they are still popular today. The quality has risen and this construction style is more available to people all over the world. 

When looking at timber frame house history, it is easy to see that the overall style and method has been pretty popular on a continuous level. Only when there were timber issues did it wane. A lack of good timber led to some issues, but they were quickly overcome by increasing quality. Today’s timber frame homes are of a high quality and often one of the first choices people look to when building a new home.