Continuing our exposed structural elements essay, a little primer on post and beam terminology seems appropriate. Our friends at Timber Structures, builders of traditional post and beam structures on the other side of the pond, offer this illustrative drawing.
A study showed how homes with triple layered insulation removed almost all need for artificial heating, thus eliminating the heating bills, saving money in the long run. However, triple layered insulation works best with custom new homes because they offer a better applying of the technique from the design stage of the construction.