Encourage the right social dynamic in your house design — November 3, 2011

Open spaces look lovely at home. They encourage a good deal of sociability because they make it easier for people to interact regardless of what they are doing. Instead of dividing people according to the tasks they are undertaking indifferent parts of the house open spaces create more of a sociable dynamic that has a very positive influence on the atmosphere at home.

When building your own house, this is obviously the sort of thing you must think about. How the very structure of the house affects the social dynamic therein is a big part of the design process and it is important to use a construction method that is versatile enough to allow you a certain amount of creative licence in order to cater to this consideration.

Timber frame construction is a fine choice for self-builders for this very reason. Those whose designs focus on inclusiveness and sociability find that timber frame construction makes more allowances for open spaces. This is the case for the very simple reason that the frame of these houses acts as the weight-bearer, rather than the potentially obstructive walls on the inside.