Not long ago I worked on a home which had post and beam timber elements in the architecture. The exterior looked chalet/stretch bungalow on steroids; the interior chalet/barn. I think they were going more for the chalet look, less of the barn thing. Maybe I was the only one on the job who was reminded of barns, but the crew who delivered and installed the timbers came from Mennonite country where they told me they often were involved in barn restoration. Thankfully the contractor had the timber guys pre-stain everything the chosen colour, saving me the trouble. The pine did dry out quickly over the next few weeks, requiring yours truly the task of climbing up 4 stages of scaffolding to dab stain into the cracks overhead. That, and clear coat the acres of t&g spanning the space between timbers. Tremendous job satisfaction after tremendous discomfort. Lovely customers, but when they asked about maintenance I said they should just let it be, and go for the weathered naturally rustic look. I might've been reminded of barns again.
