Hammerbeam Addition in Cape Breton

This new timber frame is connected to an existing, renovated house with a breezeway. 

It adds a new living area, dining room and a smaller sunroom to the dwelling.

We have done a lot of hammerbeams, and this frame showcases them well.

They are not only pleasing to the eye, but the engineering principles behind them are quite sophisticated.

Hammerbeams keep the outside posts (and the walls) from spreading apart without the use of a continuous tie. When a force, like a strong wind, is applied to one side, the large hammer brace on the opposite side goes into compression. Diagonal bracing is relatively weak in tension, relying only on the strength of the pegs, but very strong in compression.