Chantal Ross has no difficulty hefting a two-foot-long beam made of lumber cut from Douglas firs.
The interior designer easily swings the sample over her shoulder, hoisting it here and there as she shows that the beam is hollow.
“It’s heavy because it’s made of real wood, but compared to a solid-timber beam, it has almost no weight so there are no worries structurally about using them anywhere and no engineering is required,” Ross said.
The beams are purely decorative, so unlike the traditional beams found in timber-frame construction, they don’t support ceilings or walls. Depending upon its length, a real timber beam could weigh 300 to 400 pounds but a similarly sized hollow beam would weigh 60 pounds, Ross said.
Beams, such as the one Ross holds in her hands, can be used like a tube to hide electrical wiring and their relatively light weight means they can be used to span entire walls or as mantels over fireplaces.
The concept is relatively new and was brought to Canada by former St. Albert resident Gerd Fleissner when he wanted to build his retirement dream home at Alberta Beach.
“We wanted a timber-frame construction home. That was our dream, but the cost was prohibitive,” said Fleissner.
Fleissner found an American company that manufactured the box beams and after he installed them on the ceiling of his own home, he started his own business: Woodbeam Company Inc.
At first glance the beams on Fleissner’s home appear to be load-bearing, giving the illusion of real timber-frame construction. Black metal strapping appears to join three beams, but even that is just for show. Other beams appear to stretch across the length of the building but then surprisingly, they end partway across, so their decorative lines serve as a room divider.
“The timbers are split so the focus is on the design,” Ross said as she explained that the Fleissners have the warmth of the wood they wished for, but their rooms are roomier than they would be if they had gone with heavy timber construction.
“These beams don’t hide their view of the lake and the actual space is greater because they don’t have the supporting floor-to-ceiling posts,” she said.
In a true timber-frame home the beams would stand on the foundation and form the skeletal structure of the home. In this case the builders would close the house in around the skeleton.
“These box beams mimic the timber frame. They offer no support but because the wooden sides of the box are three-quarters-of-an-inch thick they are strong enough to support light fixtures,” Fleissner said.
The box beams are an add-on after construction is completed so like any decorative feature, they are installed after the drywalling is finished. They can also be used to renovate older homes without making structural changes.
“These beams were the last thing we added to our house. They are attached with butterfly screws and any handyman could put them up. If you can build a fence, you can work with these beams,” Fleissner said.
Box beams can be used like a sleeve to cover older supporting beams, such as those found in open-beam construction bungalows.
Ross used the beams in a redesign of a study in an older home in Edmonton’s Old Glenora district.
“It was a tiny space in a 1964 bungalow that the owner wanted to use as a private study. The lighting was complicated because she needed light over the entire length of the desk and she wanted the ambience of wood,” Ross said.
Ross suspended two horizontal beams across the width of the ceiling and a longer beam over the desk. The desk lighting was suspended from the beam over the desk.
In another newer home, Ross had the boxes designed so they curved into a series of arches to look as if they were supporting a high-angular ceiling. One massive-looking but hollow beam runs along the centre of the angled ceiling and the wood arches appear to form the supporting framework.
“They can be up to 27 feet in length,” Fleissner said.
Ross likes the wood beams because they are very flexible and can be made of different wood to provide different textures. They may also be stained any colour.
“From a design perspective they are exciting to work with and flexible,” she said. “They provide a timeless look, similar to the timber-frame construction that goes back centuries, yet they are an alternative to those heavy beams and there are more modern applications available.”
