Structure with Soul
The Humble Abode is the home of TimberHomes’ founder Josh Jackson and his family. In this house in particular, Josh’s artistic, experimental nature shines. It is a beautiful house built with care, and cared about by many.
Timber framing has been a method of house framing in this country for a few hundred years, and this house, like all TimberHomes structures, bows to the wisdom of those buildings that have withstood centuries of harsh New England weather. It has a nice steep roof, the beam sizes were chosen to withstand expected snow and wind loads, and the joints were carefully calculated. After these important structural elements were determined though, mother nature, with all her whims and fancy, was invited in. Knots, wane, and other abberations that are usually considered “defects” were all included in the frame. The knee braces keep the building true, but they curve while doing so. The frame itself has markings on it from Josh’s handplanes, plus some funk from the natural world, and each of these things give the house some personality. Or some soul, if you will.
A tiny house grows with the family
The house you see in these photos is what this home grew into. The original building was the size of a small timber frame guest cabin, fitting most standards for tiny houses. It had a 12’x16′ footprint with a small shed roofed area off the side. An addition, cut in a Yestermorrow class, was added some years after the original house was built. The addition made a modest home out of tiny beginnings, in time for Josh’s growing family. Each corner and crevice was designed to be a useful space: an office tucked into a corner, cubbies and storage space under the steeply pitched roof, and the smallest half bathroom in the town of Middlesex.
Arriving at a functional design for small homes usually involves leaving out the rarely-used spaces, like extra bedrooms. When guests come to visit the humble abode, they stay in the even tinier cabin that stands on stilts over the outdoor kitchen.
One of the house’s distinguishing features is a spiral staircase, in which the hardwood treads are mortised directly into the central eastern white pine post. The staircase has a dynamic beauty, and a small footprint, which makes it a great fit for this space. This design has inspired many of our clients, and we have now built several copies or variations on this staircase, which you can see in our staircases gallery. This original staircase was featured on the cover of The Natural Building Companion.
