Get our kit which includes a grid plan for sketching design ideas, example house plans, plus all the information you need to know about energy efficient design.Post & Beam Building Advantages
Post & Beam construction is a traditional building method that uses heavy timbers joined together to form a structural frame. This method offers a variety of advantages, both practical and aesthetic:
1. Open Floor Plans
- Advantage: Fewer load-bearing walls are needed.
- Why it matters: You get wide open interior spaces, which allows for more flexible layouts and modern, open-concept designs.
2. Aesthetic Appeal
- Advantage: Exposed wood beams create a warm, rustic, or elegant visual style.
- Why it matters: The natural beauty of timber can add character and architectural interest without needing extra finishes.
3. Strength and Durability
- Advantage: Large timbers are extremely strong and long-lasting.
- Why it matters: Post and beam structures can endure harsh climates, heavy snow loads, and even seismic activity better than some modern framing methods.
4. Sustainability
- Advantage: Timber is a renewable resource (especially if sustainably harvested).
- Why it matters: It's an environmentally friendly choice, and reclaimed wood can be used as well.
5. Faster Construction (in some cases)
- Advantage: Pre-cut and pre-fabricated beam packages can speed up assembly.
- Why it matters: Reduces on-site labor time, especially with modern CNC-cut timbers and joinery systems.
6. Minimal Use of Interior Stud Walls
- Advantage: Load is carried by the frame, not interior partitions.
- Why it matters: Easier to renovate, run utilities, and make layout changes over time.
7. Longevity and Low Maintenance
- Advantage: Properly maintained timber structures can last centuries.
- Why it matters: Reduced need for major repairs or structural replacements.
8. Fire Performance
- Advantage: Large timbers char on the outside, slowing fire spread.
- Why it matters: More time for evacuation and potentially less structural damage in case of a fire compared to lightweight framing.
If you're considering this method for a home or building, it combines traditional craftsmanship with modern flexibility — ideal for people who value both function and timeless design. Much more appealing than timber frame conventional stick framing.
What is Timbercrete
Timbercrete is a unique and innovative building material that combines the benefits of wood and concrete, creating a composite that offers several advantages in masonry. In particular Timbercrete masonry can be made to replicate traditional mud bricks. It looks the same. It can be rendered to look like normal mud bricks. But it doesn't have to be rendered so it is less costly and more durable with significant insulation benefits.
Here are some of the key benefits of Timbercrete masonry:
1. Lightweight
Timbercrete blocks are significantly lighter than traditional concrete blocks, making them easier to handle, transport, and install. This reduces labor costs and speeds up construction.
2. Eco-Friendly
Timbercrete is made from a combination of recycled timber waste, sand, cement, and other eco-friendly materials. By using timber waste, Timbercrete helps reduce the demand for fresh timber and decreases the amount of wood products being discarded. This makes it a more sustainable alternative to traditional masonry products.
3. Better Insulation
Timbercrete has excellent thermal insulation properties, which means it helps to regulate indoor temperatures by reducing heat loss in the winter and keeping interiors cool during the summer. This can contribute to energy savings over time.
4. Fire Resistance
Despite being made from wood waste, Timbercrete is highly fire-resistant. The inclusion of cement in the composite gives it a fire rating, making it safer and more durable compared to pure wood.
5. Sound Insulation
The material has good acoustic properties, helping to reduce noise transfer between rooms and from the outside environment. This makes it ideal for residential buildings or areas where sound insulation is important.
6. Durability
Timbercrete blocks are strong and durable, with the ability to withstand harsh weather conditions, including extreme temperatures and moisture. They are also resistant to rot, termites, and other pests, thanks to their composition.
7. Aesthetic Flexibility
Timbercrete can be molded into various shapes and sizes, and it can be finished to replicate the look of natural stone, mud brick or brick. This gives architects and designers more creative flexibility to meet aesthetic preferences.
8. Cost-Effective
Although the initial cost of Timbercrete might be slightly higher than traditional masonry materials, the long-term savings in energy bills (due to its insulating properties), reduced labor costs (due to its lighter weight), and the use of recycled materials can make it more cost-effective over time.
9. Low Maintenance
Timbercrete requires minimal maintenance once installed. It is resistant to moisture absorption and does not require regular treatments to prevent rot or decay, unlike wood-based materials.
10. Thermal Mass
Like traditional hign mass masonry, Timbercrete has a good thermal mass, meaning it absorbs and retains heat during the day and slowly releases it at night. This is beneficial in temperate climates, where it can help maintain a more consistent indoor temperature.
11. Reduced Carbon Footprint
By using recycled timber waste and other sustainable materials, Timbercrete helps reduce the carbon footprint of construction projects compared to traditional concrete or brick masonry. It also sequesters carbon from the wood waste used in its production.
These advantages make Timbercrete an excellent choice for a wide variety of building applications, from residential homes to commercial and industrial buildings. Its eco-friendly nature, combined with strength, insulation, and aesthetic flexibility, makes it a compelling alternative to traditional building materials.
6 Star Energy Efficient Custom Homes
From The Desk of David Baetge,
Principal Designer, Post and Beam
At Post & Beam we help people design and build a style of home that’s DEFINITELY NOT "run of the mill." Our customers come to us to build their dream home, a home as unique and individual as themselves…
Our homes are NOT the rectangular "soulless" boxes you so commonly see today.
These dream homes include beautiful, exposed timber that make a grand impact; creating a warm, natural feeling inside the home, and a striking statement about it’s owners and their values.
But while the aesthetic beauty of large exposed timber frames is a feature of our homes, these frames are not just beautiful, they’re also extremely practical, because they're load -bearing.
This means interior and exterior walls are non-load bearing, which creates incredible freedom in design, layout and the use of building materials. Virtually any building material can be used, in both interior and exterior walls. And internal design possibilities are pretty much infinite.
We are often asked to use Timbercrete masonry for external walls but virtually any material can be used because of the unique load-bearing properties of our framing system.
Some of the other common materials we build with include, Colorbond cladding, timber cladding, mudbrick, straw bale, blue stone and brick veneer.
So if you’re inspired by the romantic and practical concept of building with beautiful exposed timbers and other materials of your choice, congratulations, you’ve come to the right place.
I've Been Building Post & Beam Mud Brick Homes for over 40 Years!
In fact, I first got into Post and Beam building way back in the 70’s when I left my corporate job to build my own dream home with mud and timber. What a life changing experience that was… I enjoyed the process so much, I never went back to my job, I became a professional post and beam builder, and as they say in the classics, “the rest is history…”
So if your dream is to build your own special home, that’s something I truly understand, and as I said in the video on this page, one of the most satisfying aspects of my job is seeing the joy my clients get from having me help them make their dreams come true, it’s something special and I never tire of it.
Yes... We can Build 6 Star (or Higher) Energy Efficient Mud Brick Homes
In recent years 6 Star energy efficiency has become a mandatory requirement for all new homes, and in some places in Australia, people have been finding it difficult to meet the 6 Star energy efficient home rating when building with mud bricks. Not so at Post & Beam!
We build new homes with mud brick and a wide variety of other materials and have absolutely no problem soma online india reaching 6 star efficiency levels. In fact our homes often achieve between 7 & 8 Stars, which makes heating and cooling your home incredibly efficient.
We are Australia’s only Post and Beam Custom Kit Home Builder
Another thing you should know about Post & Beam is that we are the only company in Australia that designs and builds custom post and beam kit homes. We invented the system. We’ve been doing this successfully for 40+ years, and our unrivalled experience means we have no peer in custom built post and beam kit homes.
This means if you don’t mind getting involved in your building project, we can help you save 30% and upwards on your building costs, by supplying you with a custom designed kit home that you assemble for yourself. We deliver our custom designed kits Australia wide and we can also recommend a list of reputable builders right around the country that will assemble the home we design for you if you’d prefer to have professional help with building your dream home.
We pride ourselves on quality workmanship and we have a reputation for excellence, craftsmanship and satisfied customers. If you want references prior to building, we have scores of people you can talk too.
Free Starter House Design Kit and Information
You'll find a lot of information on our website about design principles, including 6 star plus design, passive solar design, thermal mass, insulation, site orientation and the like. We also have a series of "thought starter" post and beam design plans on our website as well as a free 'DIY House Design Kit' that you can download from our homepage.
Simply fill in the form on our homepage and you can download a 'DIY House Design Kit' straight away.
Our Promises to You
We understand how important your home is to you and we will treat the design and building of your home with complete integrity and attention to detail. We support you every step of the way in making your dream home a reality including:
• Helping to capture, develop and implementing your ideas
• Helping with financial applications.
• Helping you with council and town planners to gain appropriate permits
• Advice and assistance with builders & tradesmen
• Organising building works,
• Obtaining energy efficiency assessments,
• In fact pretty much anything you need to successfully build your home.
Your Questions are Welcomed
If after reading our website or receiving your free 'DIY House Design Kit' you have any questions, simply send a question on our forum or send me an email. You'll also benefit greatly from reading the questions others have asked us on our forum and we have a great FAQ section where we provide a lot of information on commonly asked questions about custom built Post & Beam homes.
