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Sharpsburg, Md
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Joined: Jun, 2009
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Plank Framing
[#27] Posted: 07/01/2009 - 09:40:48 AM |  |  |
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Sounds just like the housing you will find on any of the Caribbean islands after you get away from the tourist traps.
One day they are a shipping crate (normally 12'x12), next day they are someones fine abode.
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Waynesboro, PA
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 Plank Framing
[#28] Posted: 07/01/2009 - 1:58:02 PM | | |
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I believe I detect a note of condescension... :-)
While many a structural engineer would not endorse this construction methodology today, it was standard practice in the early 1900's. And I can personally attest that each and every company house built on my street (actually, my grandparent's street -- I recently inherited the property) is still standing today, well over a century later. That's pretty impressive considering that a multitude of structures that post-date them by decades (that is, those utilizing 2x4 framework) have long since fell to ruin. Nothing in the house is square, however, as the builders were not contractors, but rather, miners, and I can't explain why it worked as well as it did (admittedly, the logic truly evades me...), but clearly it does (provided, I suspect, that the corner nails don't rust away... :-).
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Treskow, Pa.
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Plank Framing
[#29] Posted: 08/01/2009 - 06:16:58 AM | | |
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Quote: Originally posted by Tom RaymondEmily, I am the guy that started the fire. My house was gutted at the time, and I was wiring the main bearing wall on the first floor. That wall was (and still is) a single layer of 2 1/2" thick planks with no gaps between them. I could have furred them out, but decided to cut a channel for the wiring instead. One of the planks was particularly hard, and instead of taking light cuts I tried to force the router through the plank. The bit overheated and the very dry shavings started to smolder. The only actual flames appeared when I raked the smoldering sawdust out of the channel, and were gone before the dust hit the floor. As for your wiring question, you will either need to remove the interior wall covering and make room for wires, or use a surface mounted raceway system. I would suggest the raceway unless you intend to gut the house. If you can wait a while; there is a flat, surface mount wire system currently going through UL and NEC approval process for line voltage applications. It's already available for low voltage, audio, and data. You can check it out here http://www.decorp.com/product/...ical.htmSo you know, it has been with UL for more than a year now, so I wouldn't hold your breath. Hope this helps, Tom
My grandparents first rented a plank farmhouse in 1937 here in northeastern Pa.- then bought it and the surrounding acreage in 1947. It remains in the family to this day, albeit vacant since 1993. This type of construction was not relegated to the country/boonies areas- being a coal mining/railroad industrial area, literally thousands of these homes were built by the coal companies and railroads to house workers in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton- and many survive to this day and have been totally remodeled. I spent many days of my childhood in that house (next door to my parents' house) and to this day, I've yet to sleep as well as I did as a child in that house. I believe that was due to no modern building materials/outgassing fumes in the old plank house (insulation/plastics/sealants/etc).
The typical remodel includes gutting back to the plank frame itself (removing all plaster, beaverboard, lath, weatherboard siding, etc.)- then stud to modern specs, insulate, wire, plumb, heat, then refinish with drywall. End result is modern appearance with slight loss of living space from walls being studded/sheeted inside. Then sheeting/vinyl siding outside.
The design is beginning to get a following for "restoration" as well.
The house we have, was rectangular floor plan, 2 rooms downstairs, 2 rooms upstairs, with stairway in middle. Later an addition was put on adding another bedroom and kitchen. The rooms were rather large and spacious- one original upstairs bedroom was divided into a bedroom-bath-walk in closet later on. The house now has 2 living rooms, kitchen, spare room, 3 bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, enclosed porch.
strength/longevity: the 2nd floor is what holds these homes together- when the 2nd floor beams start pulling loose from the sidewalls, the house will get a bulged "pregnant" appearance on that outside wall, as the planks begin to bow outwards/inwards. Ours has this condition on a few sidewall areas, but considering its age (100+ years), even platform construction will sag/bow eventually.
the "strongest" plank design had 2 layers of full length planks top to bottom, one offset over the other to cover the gaps between the planks- those are quite strong indeed. (my friend owns a double block built this way, it's like Fort Knox, he remodeled it)
these homes are stronger than you'd think, because this one should have fallen down a long time ago- I was in the house yesterday with a professional carpenter, he said it could still be remodeled economically, and is still a sound structure. At that time (1800-early 1900's) if 10 different builders each did a home, you'd have 10 different variations of the plank house- there are "hybrids" as some have corner posts and partial post/beam frames, etc. The building codes and standards of today didn't exist. This home has visible plumbing inside and and floor electrical sockets. It would be a great home for a restoration project.
Per previous poster from Waynesboro, Pa.- we're of the same mindset- there are platform homes built during the 1950's here that have already been demolished and torn down- yet this old plank home still stands- yes, my grandfathers were both coal miners too- although one then quit the mines and ran a bar business for 30 years following WWII. A hard life, but at the same time, they had more opportunities too. He was able to buy 52 acres and a house, for $3500, and raise 5 kids, on that miner's salary. Try that today on $3000/year. They were better off than us, in many important ways. Who here can afford to buy 50 acres and raised 5 kids ? I know people with PhD's that don't have that today- makes one wonder...
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State: PA & NJ
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Treskow, Pa.
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Joined: Aug, 2009
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Plank Framing
[#31] Posted: 08/02/2009 - 1:51:08 PM | | |
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yes, here's some pictures- keep in mind this house is 100+ years old, never remodeled except for the asphalt siding and rolled roofing back in the 1960's- sometime in the 1940's the interior was sheeted with beaverboard and wallpapered- it had a full width front porch at one time, like a traditional colonial usually has- that was was rotted and removed in the 1960's as well, and replaced with the small enclosed porch- it has been vacant since 1989 (I checked today with family members to be sure)- and has remained unheated and vacant for 20 years now. Today I went inside, found a few broken roof rafters, hence the roof sagging. This house has 2 layers of siding on it, the original 4" wide horizintal siding, and the wider asphalt over the top. The south side wall of the house (facing camera) is rotted completely out under the 2 first floor windows, I found a previous repair under one window, which appears to be a square piece of sheetmetal inserted behind the beaverboard.
On the inside, I removed a small section of beaverboard next to the rotted window area, you can plainly see the wide planks nailed into the sill plate, and the smaller 4" wide nailers covering the gaps in the wide planks on the inside- no insulation, the beaverboard was nailed directly to the small 4" nailers.
we are now contemplating a new roof/repair rafters to stop any further deterioration from water leakage. It appears the most damage is done from windowsills leaking.
this house has skeleton key locks, crystal outside doorknobs, inside is the large square lock assemblies with round doorknobs and skeleton key locks. The kitchen has original wanescoting on ceiling and walls.
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Treskow, Pa.
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Plank Framing
[#32] Posted: 08/02/2009 - 1:55:46 PM | | |
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I used this opportunity to remove 2 rows of siding below window and check sill plate- the bottom row practically fell off, the 2nd row required some effort, the 3rd row I could not remove and is still nailed on quite firmly. Notice how thick that sill plate is- it has begun to deteriorate on the outside, but due to it's large size, it took 100 years to deteriorate this far- yet still has not rotted far enough in to get under the floor boards- if you look closely you can see the edges of floor boards on top of sill plate. I dug out all the rotted wood with the crowbar until I hit solid sill plate. This is the "bad side" of the house, closest to the ground, and pretty much what I expected to see when I removed the siding
The damage appears to be from window sill area leaking inside wall cavity below window.
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Treskow, Pa.
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Plank Framing
[#33] Posted: 08/02/2009 - 2:04:04 PM | | |
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here is section of interior, I ripped open beaverboard with a crowbar for picture- notice wide planks, with small nailer over gaps- beaverboard was nailed to the small nailers- this was just adjacent to the window on southside behind the bush, below this window was rotted as well, you can see light coming through near the floor
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Treskow, Pa.
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Treskow, Pa.
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Plank Framing
[#35] Posted: 08/03/2009 - 04:14:57 AM | | |
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| Quote: Originally posted by ccperla
I recently inherited the property) is still standing today, well over a century later. That's pretty impressive considering that a multitude of structures that post-date them by decades (that is, those utilizing 2x4 framework) have long since fell to ruin. I can't explain why it worked as well as it did (admittedly, the logic truly evades me...), but clearly it does (provided, I suspect, that the corner nails don't rust away... :-).
My thoughts exactly- after doing some invasive exploratory surgery, I'd say the reason the plank homes still stand, is the sheer size of the lumber used. I returned late last night to measure the sill plate- 9-1/2" thick top to bottom. I measured (2) vertical side planks, they were
11-1/2" and 12" wide respectively. The planks that go all the way to the peak are 20' high- basically like telephone poles standing in a line- that's a lot of structural strength, even if only attached with a few nails. The 2nd story floor joists rest on the interior walls, and are nailed into the side wall rim joist- it's like a big umbrella, gaining support from the interior center walls. The interior beaverboard, and exterior horizontal siding (in this case 2 layers siding), also adds a lot of structural strength by tying it all together. This house survived Hurricane Hazel in the 1950's, those winds ripped out huge maple and cherry trees from the ground within only 60 feet from the home, with winds over 100 mph- yet this home stood. This design must be very strong indeed, much stronger than it looks.
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West Pittston, PA
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Plank Framing
[#36] Posted: 08/03/2009 - 06:25:20 AM | | |
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Jim,
I live in NEPA and most homes that I inspect in the "Wyoming Valley" are of this constructiona and still around. They are also on rubble stone foundations.
I have remodeled dozens of homes that are built like this and many had to be reframed from the interior as some start to bow out. Coal companies built these housed for the workers. The manager's houses were all regular construction, mostly balloon framing.
Remodeling these homes is a real treat because they are out of level, out of square and the integration of typical modern materials can be tricky.
As far as inspections are concerned, it is business as usual.
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Treskow, Pa.
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Plank Framing
[#37] Posted: 08/03/2009 - 2:52:02 PM | | |
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agreed...the plank homes are ok, until the 2nd floor rim joists begin to pull loose from the planks- then the wall will bow outward in that area, and get a noticeable "pregnant" look when viewed from the outside- if the roof plate pulls loose from the plank tops, the top edge of the wall will hang out like the rim of a teacup, and the roof will sag downward in that area- I've never repaired one with these conditions yet- my gut feeling is, the sidewall row of planks would have to be come-alonged inward in unison, then reattached to the rim joist or roof plate- considering the floor load those 2nd floor rim joists must take, looks like a good place for lag bolts or screws, rather than nails
regardless, the more I look at the plank frame design, the more I can't help but admire its crude simplicity- it was a stroke of genius for quick, economical housing.
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Treskow, Pa.
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Treskow, Pa.
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Plank Framing
[#39] Posted: 08/03/2009 - 6:21:45 PM | | |
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more on plank framed homes, this found on the net
http://plank-house.blogspot.com/
Remodeling Problems
Remodeling a plank house can be a big challenge. Wiring and plumbing can become a big problem because of the way the house is constructed. If you plan to keep the plaster walls intact wiring the outside walls can be very frustrating. If you go to your basement and look to see where the wires go up into the wall for the receptacle that you wish to replace. Once you have found the wires turn off the power to that receptacle.
Remove the receptacle and the box from the wall. Tie and tape a strong string to the existing wires. In the basement see if you can pull the wires from the wall. If they come out go back up to where the string is and tape your new wiring to the string and pull it to the basement. If they do not move try to drill a new hole close to the original hole up into the wall. Drop a weighted string into the wall at the receptacle and cut the hook part of a wire coat hangar off. Straighten out the wire hangar and bend a small hook on one end. Now from below try and fish the string out of the wall with the wire. Once done you must do this for all receptacles on the outside walls.
Inside walls are easier because you can drill up through the floor to run wires. If you do not know exactly where the wall is from underneath run a nail or screw down from the top alongside the wall. Now you should know where to drill your holes. Wiring the second floor is a little harder to accomplish. The easiest way to do this is to rip the ceilings on the first floor out. You can then run new wiring up an inside wall and run them along ceiling joist to the needed locations. If you prefer not to rip ceilings out you will be forced to cut up floor boards on the second floor to get at any wires.
If you are doing a total renovation and gutting all plaster in the home it will make your plumbing and wiring much easier. This is the method that I prefer. It is a dirty and messy job so make sure you have a dust mask. Once everything is removed I build a new wall alongside the outside wall and all plumbing and wiring can now be installed inside the wall. Make sure all plumbing on outside walls is well insulated against possible freezing. You do not want plumbing freezing after you have remodeled your home. For plumbing I prefer to use plastic tubing. There is also pex tubing which is quite flexible and you will have no joints inside of the walls. Whichever type of plumbing, pex tubing, plastic or copper it will all work the same. All of these products should be offered in your local builder supply. You should also check your local building codes to see what is acceptable.
Replacing windows and doors could be done by the home owner if they have some experience with renovation. Replacement windows are not complicated to install. They are installed into the existing window frame with no modification to the existing frame. If using replacement windows make sure to remove all inside mouldings and insulate around the frame. Replacing doors is a little more complicated. You can buy a wooden door and cut it to fit into the existing frame or you could buy a new unit with frame and door. If this is to big a job for you, hire a local contractor for this. Pella, Andersen and Jeld-Wen are all very good sources for doors and windows.
No matter what you do in your home any outside walls that you open up be sure to insulate before you close them in. For big gaps if possible use spray foam insulation. Spray foam is very good at stopping drafts. Small cans of spray foam can be obtained at your local builders supply. If you prefer to spray foam all your exterior walls you could also do this yourself. Foam It Green is a do it yourself spray foam supplier. They have everything needed to do this.
Plank House Construction
Plank houses were generally built in the late 1800's to early 1900's. This was a unique form of construction, also called box construction. Many of these homes were built by railroad and mining companies and called Company Homes. Most were small patch towns around a mining company or a railroad yard. All were owned by the company and you rented it from the owners.
Plank houses were built with planks of varying widths running vertically from the sill up to the eaves. Planks were generally spaced about a half inch to one inch apart. It is not uncommon to find planks up to twenty feet long and fourteen inches wide. The sill was usually a 6x8 or 8x8 timber. This was fastened on the inside of the planks with cut nails. The floor joist were then notched into this timber and fastened in the same fashion. Most homes had a stone foundation some up to thirty inches thick.
For the second floor a rim joist was nailed to the inside on the planks and the second floor joist were notched and nailed the same as the first floor. Many of these homes were double homes so the floor joist rested on the separating interior wall. These interior walls were generally built with two by fours or whatever was close. There was no set spacing on floor joist or wall studs. Some are set at eighteen inches and some wider at twenty one inches.
On the inside of the planks where they are spaced there were either one by three inch boards or another set of planks run vertically from the sill to the rim joist to cover the joints on the outside planks. This was done for two reasons. To cut down on drafts and it was a nailer for the lathe strips for plastering. There was no insulation in the walls and a lot were built without electricity. If you were lucky enough to get a home with electric there was usually one receptacle and one light per room.
Windows were usually the old sash type with ropes and weights inside the walls. The weight was put in to hold the window open without putting a prop under the window. These type of windows were very drafty and on a windy day it was not uncommon to see the drapes blowing. Storm windows were usually added to the exterior of windows in an effort to cut down on drafts and to save energy.
The exterior of the house most often had clapboard siding covering the planks. Sometimes black paper was put down and wood clapboards nailed over. This siding was prone to rot and had to be painted to seal the wood. It was not until the mid 1900's that other siding materials were added to the exterior to seal and enhance the look of the building.
Remodeling the interior of a plank house can become a nightmare for the home owner. It is practically impossible to run new wiring or plumbing inside of the walls. Most of these homes have plumbing and heating pipes ran outside the walls in the living area. This keeps the pipes from freezing in winter. Wiring is a little easier and with some determination and cutting up some floor boards it can be done.
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phoenix, az
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Plank Framing
[#40] Posted: 04/12/2010 - 2:47:36 PM | | |
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I live in a full 2-story house built this way in Phoenix AZ in 1920. I am planning (and have started) adding a standard 2x4 stud wall on the inside of the exterior upstairs walls so I can insulate. Living in a second floor room in Phoenix with no insulation is pretty awful. I am concerned about the weight of the new walls upstairs causing problems downstairs or in the floor/ceiling. Any advice, anyone? Thanks
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Victoria, British Columbia
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Plank Framing
[#41] Posted: 04/12/2010 - 4:31:17 PM | | |
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| Quote: Originally posted by deb24076
I live in a full 2-story house built this way in Phoenix AZ in 1920. I am planning (and have started) adding a standard 2x4 stud wall on the inside of the exterior upstairs walls so I can insulate. Living in a second floor room in Phoenix with no insulation is pretty awful. I am concerned about the weight of the new walls upstairs causing problems downstairs or in the floor/ceiling. Any advice, anyone? Thanks
You don't say building up the first floor first, but of course that needs to be done. In fact, I would recommend starting lower than that, at the foundation. A local carpenter can help, or have an engineer design a repair.
The new studwall below should carry the 2nd storey easily, and you should line the new studs up with the existing floor joists, so when you stand the new walls up, the studs are under the joists. Use Simpson ties to connect the new to the old, and use nails, not just screws.
The main thing is the foundation. If there is wood in contact with soil anywhere, that is the place to start the upgrade.
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Collins, NY
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Plank Framing
[#42] Posted: 04/13/2010 - 05:26:21 AM | | |
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Scroll back to post #10 to see a drawing of how many of these are framed. A 2x4 wall around the perimeter shouldn't cause any problems, although if you are looking for plumbing and wiring chases you might want to start on the first floor. It is very common for the large sill timbers to get smaller as you move up the wall, but there should be plenty of material to bear the weight of the wall, more so if you remove the plaster, lath and furring.
Correct placement of the vapor barrier is far more important than the added weight of framing.
Tom
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Life is tough enough as it is, it's tougher when your stupid. Don't do stupid things.
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McAdoo, Pa.
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Plank Framing
[#43] Posted: 04/18/2010 - 3:25:07 PM | | |
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Plank house construction was common in N.E.Pa. in the early 1900's. You can read more about this construction method at my site at: http://plank-house.blogspot.com
Dennis
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magnolia, nj
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Plank Framing
[#44] Posted: 05/07/2011 - 5:56:39 PM | | |
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Quote: Originally posted by lugwrench82Quote: Originally posted by Jim Katen
Is anyone familiar with the history of what I call plank frame construction, sometimes called box frame construction or board & batten construction?
In this framing method instead of using stud walls, as we do today, the walls were formed by placing vertical 1x12 planks next to one another. Smaller strips of wood called battens were applied over the spaces between the planks. From the outside, the walls looked like what we now call board & batten siding. From the inside, the boards were covered with very light fabric and, frequently, wallpaper. At the time, this was an economical construction style; it required less skill than timber framing and fewer materials than stud-wall framing. There was no cavity for insulation, wiring, plumbing or mice.
Whenever I see this framing method, it's on houses that were, in the day, out in the boonies and the houses were, to put it politely, modest. This framing method required less skill than timber framing and fewer materials than stud-wall framing. I'm supposing that it was well suited to the early 1900s version of Larry Darryl & Darryl who could knock it together with a couple of hammers and a dull handsaw.
The era seems to span about 1900-1930.
I'm looking for any more information that I can find on the method. Dates, techniques, interesting trivia, etc.
- Jim Katen, Oregon
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Ashland, VA
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Plank Framing
[#45] Posted: 05/07/2011 - 8:23:40 PM | | |
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This is an enlightening thread, which I regret I just now took the time to read. I've only seen "Board and Batten" as a "siding" and had no reason to ever understand it was actualy a form of structure. Ya learn something every day...
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South Williamsport, PA
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Plank Framing
[#46] Posted: 07/08/2011 - 07:17:40 AM | | |
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I became a member of this forum just to be able to read this thread and see the images attached. GLAD I DID. Here's my story:
I am an architectural project manager for a small firm and am fascinated by all things construction and design. About a month ago my wife and I bought an old tiny house in South Williamsport PA (home of Little League). Once we were moved in, I started to notice really interesting features of the home that I just couldn't explain. So I started to do some digging. I researched a TON of threads, articles, and images over the last few days and have discovered that my home is built VERY similarly to the one sketched earlier in this thread.
It's a two story home. Small rectangle. 800 square feet gross total. Two rooms downstairs and two rooms up, divided by a stairway. IT has an original stone foundation that has been poorly maintained. At some point the house was raised 24" and (3) courses of (true) cinder block (not CMU) were laid between the stone and the framing. There is the same perimeter timber as in the sketch, mine's approx 7"x7" and is noticeably reclaimed from another building because of the extra joist pockets that don't line up with anything and are not used. First floor joists are between 2.5"-3" wide by a true 8" deep at approximately 18"oc. Fairly consistent spacing actually which was surprising. The exterior primary vertical planks are true 1”x12” T&G from sill to eave. The secondary interior planks are also true 1”x12” with staggered joints from the exterior planks and run only from the top of the perimeter first floor timber to the bottom of the second floor perimeter timber. The second floor perimeter timber is a true 3”x8” with joist pockets holding 2.5”x7” joists at 18” oc. The roof is rafter framed but I haven’t been able to get up close enough to it yet to get a size and spacing. It is a steep slope though, an even 12:12. The second floor ceiling joists (scuttle attic floor) are the same as the second floor, 2.5”x7” at 18” oc and are about 12” HIGHER than the point of contact where the rafters meet the exterior plank. So I have one of those odd bits of slope where the inside of the exterior wall meets my finished ceiling.
Now on to the finishes… this part is a blast…
The first floor deck is comprised of a base layer of ¾”x5” T&G floor, then a row of true 1”x3” “furring” at 14”oc perpendicular, then a top layer of the same ¾”x5” T&G floor, and a final layer of ¼” modern wood luan board (glued and nailed no less) for an overall thickness of 2.75”. Crazy. NO CLUE why they did this (I mean… I get the luan… but the rest?). All I can figure is that it was an attempt to level the floor at some point and the “furring” is shaved in areas I don’t have access to. Who knows. I verified that this condition occurs in both of the first floor rooms. The second floor deck is just a simple single layer of ¾”x5” T&G floor with a ¼” fiberboard leveler also glued and nailed.
The exterior walls, in from the secondary planks, consist of: newspaper (more on this in a sec), wallpaper, ½” plaster board (with paper facing), and 70’s style vertical groove paneling on top. Awesome.
The first floor ceiling, coming down from the floor joists, consists of a 3/8” wood bead-board ceiling, ¾”x2” furring @ 12”oc, and ½” modern staple tile ceiling. I have not been able to verify the second floor ceiling but so far it appears to be the same with the exception of the ceiling in the stair area. The stair area is a hand textured (swept) plaster finish. It’s substrate is to be determined…
Back to the exterior… on the outside of the 1”x12” vertical primary planks is still the 1”x??” horizontal boards, most likely the original horizontal lap siding finish. On top of that someone installed a 1” thick modern blue-board rigid insulation, to which they attached a modern 4” lap vinyl siding and trim. Wonderful.
So that’s my house. Once I get more info on the second floor framing and the roof framing, I’m going to draw up a typical wall section on my CAD software at work and will post the result here for all to check out.
Now… to the dates… this is the fun part.
The only interior walls are those that line the stairs and separate the livingroom/kitchen and the two bedrooms upstairs. Going down this stairway into the crawlspace, I can tell that these walls are: 1”x8” vertical T&G plank with the finish side being: newspaper, wallpaper, ½” plaster board, and modern paneling while the unfinished (basement) side is JUST newspaper and wallpaper. Much of which is peeling.
So the investigation into the newspaper began. Last night actually.
After about 2 hours of peeling shards (most pieces were the size of a silver dollar or smaller. Soooo brittle), reading what we could, and puzzling ourselves to death, we were able to capture the following news stories / facts:
1. A reference to congressman Gray of Delaware (who we found was in office from 1885 to 1899).
2. A reference to congressman Greenleaf of Rochester (who we found was in office from 1891 to 1893).
3. A reference to President Harrison traveling on his way through [my town] on his way to Washington D.C. (The Harrison here would most likely be Benjamin who was in office from 1888-1892. Harrison beat out Cleveland in ’88 and then campaigned again against Cleveland in ’92 but lost. We suspect that this trip through my area could be while he was campaigning)
4. Several references to a print date of April 18th but without a year.
5. Several classified ads for business selling “Spring hats” and “Spring suits”. Not to mention ads for a quart of whiskey for just $1.25 at the Old Velvet. Ha.
6. Reference to a local politician who was preparing for the season opening of some local park including that the fence had been whitewashed and a new gate installed. Could be recreation, or baseball, hard to tell, but does indicate spring.
7. One article where nothing can be made out but the year of 1892. Could be current, might be a reference to some future or past date.
So with all of this, I would have to make the assumption that the newspaper lining my walls is from the spring of 1892. Makes the most sense to me. Under the assumption that my house was built around that time, I could guess that my home was built either in the spring or summer of 1892 as well.
COOL STUFF!!!
Anyway, yes, this home is still sturdy. No, nothing in the home is square or plumb. Yes, it has character. And lastly, no, I can’t explain why it has stood for 119 years.
I’ll post the pdf of the typical wall section once I firm things up a bit. Until then, I hope this post has been a pleasure to read for you.
Any questions, comments, suggestions, let me know.
Cheers!
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Lafayette, Louisiana
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Plank Framing
[#47] Posted: 07/08/2011 - 07:55:41 AM | | |
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Any pictures?
Marc
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"If Guam gets too overpopulated, it might tip over."
Congressman Hank Johnson (D) GA |
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South Williamsport, PA
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Plank Framing
[#48] Posted: 07/08/2011 - 09:17:30 AM | | |
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Unfortunately not yet. My camera was dead last night and I didn't have any spare AA's. Hopefully this weekend I'll snap a few and try to upload on Monday.
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South Williamsport, PA
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Plank Framing
[#49] Posted: 07/08/2011 - 10:28:31 AM | | |
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I'll give a shot uploading the pdf... it's in draft form now... still some things to figure out, mainly the floor-to-floors. But on that note I can say that the rough ceiling height on the first floor is about 7'2" or so, and the ceiling height upstairs is about 6'2".
Download Attachment:  WallSection.pdf
57.98 KB
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Plank Framing
[#50] Posted: 07/08/2011 - 1:27:29 PM | | |
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Isn't the internet wonderful?
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State: PA & NJ
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Plank Framing
[#51] Posted: 07/08/2011 - 4:10:00 PM | | |
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While South Williamsport is the home of Little League, Williamsport was the "Lumber Capitol of the World" from the mid to late 19th century. Huge rafts of timbers coming down the river were made into building parts at many large scale sawmills there. I wonder if your house might have been for a raftsman or millworker and his family.
Thanks for sharing the description and the section view. I've recently become interested in plank-built houses. It started when I agreed to travel out to Carbon County, PA for an inspection of a plank house in a coal mining town. There's also a preserved mining town undergoing restoration, where I was given access beyond the "velvet rope" to see some of the construction details.
Here's a little info, although all the technical stuff was stripped out to fit the niche: http://www.oldhouseweb.com/how...on.shtml
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| Bill Kibbel, Historic & Commercial Building Inspections - Old House Resources |
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