Lees Farm

This new 5 bay oak frame replaces an existing barn destroyed by fire and forms a substantial living room extension to the farm house. The central bay is a copy of the original cantilevered porch roof which would have been the cart entrance, and is a typical detail of a traditional barn.

The trusses are a contemporary twist on the traditional hammer beam truss and here are tied with stainless steel tendons with vertical 'hangers' supported from the King post. Note the beautifully designed and executed cantilevered staircase with glass balustrade.

The hammer beams of the trusses and the tie rods are inclined at an angle of 5 degrees; an attractive detail and common in historic carpentry where tie beams were given a positive camber to counteract negative deflection under load.

The upper floor mezzanine and walkway is formed with a steel framed structure supported by the oak frame and is well designed and beautifully crafted.

The tie rods are inserted into the hammer beams and King post foot via a threaded 'barrel bolt' formed of 50mm diameter stainless steel bar. We think this is an attractive use of steel to strengthen what is otherwise a traditional timber truss.

Note the use of traditional chisel cut carpenters 'assembly marks'. Each beam has a unique number cut at the time of 'laying up' each frame during the pre-fabrication process, to ensure its correct location and orientation within the final assembly.