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Nord Pas de Calais Half-Timbered Properties

Traditional timberframe houses in Nord Pas de Calais are classic French Colombage houses. However, the very local material - bricks - are used to replace cob between the timber frames. Others have a specific timberframe system - with horizontal pieces of wood covering the outside walls - that produces an architecture style equivalent to wood framing.

There has been and there remains a strong Germanic influence on the architecture of the Nord Pas de Calais French region. Nord Pas de Calais house types and the materials used can be categorized in the wide German «pan de bois» (half-timbering) architectural family.

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The popularity of half-timbered properties in the traditional architecture of this region of France means that bricks are a primary product used in the structure of such a property in Nord Pas de Calais. Roof tiles are generally brown or red, and flat.

There are three types of half-timbering architectures seen in the Nord Pas de Calais region of France (Colombage or Pan de Bois in French).
  • The first type is the classic timberframe structure with the usual cob used to fill the walls, the base of the wall being made of the typical bricks (image above).
  • An alternative is the use of red bricks between the timber frames (image below).
  • Eventually the third option is to have horizontal timberframes covering all the wall (wood framed wall).

The timber frames used in Nord Pas de Calais are generally pretty thin and demand some maintenance.

Screws or nails are never used in the traditional Nord Pas de Calais half-timbering carpentry techniques. The timberframe structure is built over a wall of red bricks to insulate it from fire and humidity.
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