I’ve been building Reciprocal Frame Roundhouses for over 20 years. The following topics show the key techniques we’ve used over the last 20yrs. You might want to think about some of these when considering a roundhouse of your own. Even if you are not yet sure exactly what you want you can book a 1hr design/general Consultancy Session and I’ll guide you through the process and help assess what might be the best route forward for your build.
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Foundations
A Free-standing frame sitting on pad stones over hardcore footings is very common and durable. Ground screws also offer a good solution in a multitude of situations and similarly are reliable. Many people build roundhouses with their upright posts buried in the ground. This makes them susceptible to rot but is faster and easier. In some circumstances there may be an argument for this approach and there are some ways to extend longevity. With some insulated builds you may need a ring trench foundation to support wall materials.
Timber Frame
We have pioneered our own timber frame jointing and roofing system that is extremely robust, making our buildings suitable for schools and public spaces. We use timber in the round because it’s beautiful and strong. Make sure that durable species are used for the frame and that the bark is peeled off. It is sometimes possible to use your own timber if you have trees on-site. This depends on species and form etc but it will not likely save you money unless you are able to fell and extract the timber yourself for free.
Size
5-9 meters diameter are the most common roundhouse sizes. We can build them as big as 20 meters and there is no lower limit. This seems obvious but size is a trade off between your needs, budget and timescale which is critical to get right and very common to see sad examples of when this goes wrong. It’s easy to aim too high and run out of steam.
Reciprocal Roof Frame
This is the big question! We have built many of types of reciprocal roof over the years. They are spectacular and a complex bit of geometry which is difficult to understand without trying it first. I can not recommend enough volunteering first on someone else’s before you build or getting on a course to save a lot of anxiety. I have yet to see reliable on-line resources that would replace direct experience. Strength and carrying capacity are key. There are more approaches possible than I can do justice to here. The most critical thing is form, size and species of timber. Secondly is getting the geometry right so that it is easy to build. Finally there are lots of good variations a few of which can be seen on our Design Page.
Roof Type
The roundhouses we have built are most commonly turf covered although we can fit a canvas top, timber or tin roof. I personally love to have a living roof on a building and failing that one made from natural materials. However for some needs, budgets it simply is not achievable or appropriate and that’s ok.
Education
Our roundhouses and cruck frames are often used as educational or public spaces. We love involving people in the building process and have worked with school children, university students and volunteers of all ages. These guided sessions are facilitated by Adrian Leaman, lead craftsman and trained Forest School leader. Our team will of course build for you as a normal contractor if that is more appropriate.
Costs
Many educational venues ask us to build the frame only, going on to lay their own roof and walls with staff and/or volunteers. That work can be facilitated by anyone with good general building skills, following a day of training, and offers a significant cost saving. We often build the entire roundhouse, including roof and walls. Commonly staff/volunteers will get envolved in the work. This can also reduce the overall cost of construction. To get an idea of costs get in touch and we’ll work through an estimate for you.
Involving children, students, staff or volunteers in the building process is about more than just cost saving. There are as many good reasons for it as there are people keen to be involved. The smiles and satisfaction along the way say it all.
Floors
Roundhouses work well with a variety of flooring types including; natural Wood-chip, Suspended floor boards and Clay.
Walls
Again Reciprocal Roundhouses work well with a variety of walling types. Many educational buildings are open or semi-open sided. Full walling types offer wind and rain shelter or full insulation. Insulated walling options are Cob, Straw & Line, Hempcrete, Stud wall with Wool or Wood fibre and Cordwood. Wind brake walls are great with Woven timber, Weather boarding or Wattle and Daub.
Hazel or Willow Walls
Wattle and Daub Walls
Weatherboard Walls
We can also clad the roundhouse with weatherboarding which is a very attractive walling.
Please ⇒ get in touch to discuss your project so that we can talk through which option best suits your needs and budget.
Further information about Roundhouses
It’s always inspiring to spend time in a Roundhouse. Round buildings are a welcome departure from the square-ness of our normal built environment. They sit very naturally in the landscape and, being similar to the Roundhouses of the Celts, create a link to our past.
The Roundhouses we build feature a Reciprocal Frame roof, which requires no central support. This roof is usually turf covered and sits on 8 to 13 posts, depending on structure diameter. (Severn to eight meters is most common as this holds a normal class, but we can also build them bigger or smaller.)
These structures are elegant and mind-boggling spectacles of geometry in action. The Reciprocal Frame, also known as a Mandala roof, has been used since the 12th century in Chinese and Japanese architecture although little or no trace of these ancient methods remains. Leonardo da Vinci also designed a self-supporting bridge using this method in the 16th century
Adrian Leaman has over 20 years’ experience in Roundwood Timber Framing. He has worked throughout the UK and is considered one of the country’s experts in this construction method. Adrian was involved in Ben Law’s ‘Woodland House’ (featured on Grand Designs) and project managed the build of Kevin McCloud’s ‘Man Made Home’ for the Channel 4 series.