Building a new home can be quite a challenge when you do not have sufficient types of structural timber. Timber plays a very crucial role in the overall process of construction, and to a great extent, to the beauty of the home. Any homeowner should recognise that the basis of beauty is possessing the right type of timber.
Structural timber is the timber used for developing frames, posts and even columns within buildings, and this is also known as carcassing timber. Walls and floors are developed with the use of structural timber too. The timber is exposed to pressure and heat and specially treated depending on the intended use within the home. For a new home to outshine the existing home in a neighborhood, the homeowner can employ these four types of structural timber that have proven to be very beautiful on their own:
The Closed Truss
The closed trusses have a unique feature. They are beams developed to resemble a triangle. However, the bottom or horizontal part is the tie-beam and acts as a connection to two rafters. Under the closed trusses are various types or models of structural timber that have been found to be rather unique.
Queenposts
The Queenposts are developed from green oak, larch timber and even mahogany. The timber structure gives the home a unique figure of a “queen”. The bottom layer of the queen posts has two goalposts and two braces that hold the tie-beam in place. The queenpost is placed in the middle of the triangle with the collar at its top.
Kingpost
Other than the queen posts, there is also the kingpost truss. The kingpost displays a distinct shape of a triangle just like the queen post. However, there is a vertical member or kingpost that is placed in the middle of the posts. There are also two goalposts placed on the sides holding the triangle somehow “head high” just like in the queen post truss. The post in the middle of the triangle (i.e. the Kingpost) prevents the tie-beam from bending.
The Open Truss
There is also another category of the structural timber used in building house roofs known as the open trusses.
There are various types as explained below:
Swing braces
These are the structural timber that are curved and run from the wall all the way to the collar. This type of timber has two interrupted tie-beams that unlike the closed trusses, give the home a unique appearance. The Swing braces truss design is usually used in churches and big luxurious homes. It is a design you can definitely employ.
Interrupted tie-beam
This type of structural timber is employed when the high that is placed between the floor beam and the tie beam is not sufficient enough. This happens in situations where the length of the building is restricted based on its location or government rules and regulations. The rafter joins it in place of the shortened beam. The interrupted beams can later be interconnected to braces. Understanding these 4 different yet important types of structural timber can aid a lot in designing a home of your choice and design.