Minka Farmhouse
32' X 52' Footprint Plans, Section, & Elev. Available The building original stood in a small mountain valley near the coastal town of Itoigawa on the west coast of the main island of Honshu, 50 miles north of the town of Toyama. The majority of the columns are of the very desirable keyaki (zelkova) wood. Other smaller and outside columns and all beams out of pine/cedar type woods. How old is the wood house? The minka probably dates to the late 19th century, Meiji Period(1868-1912). Where is north in plan? The entrance faced south-east What foundations formed the base of the columns contacting earth? They sat on traditional rock foundations at each column. What was the make-up of the walls, are any doors or windows available? I don't think any doors were salvaged. The walls were lath and plaster, with the pictured horizontal wood siding. What was the entry made of, stone, earth, or gravel? It was traditionally compacted earth, but rebuilt minka generally use slate floors. Was there an out-house? Yes Any insulation, on the walls, on the ceilings? No What temperature range was it built for? Traditional Japanese minka, and all homes, are built for the hot summer, I guess thinking you can always put on more clothes in winter. In fact they don't do very well for either. How many inches rain? I don't know I'd imagine around 30" Were animals kept indoor next to the main room? The room just inside the entrance to the left is like rooms in other minka where animals were kept, but it appeared this room was more hay and general storage. How do contemporary farm houses solve the roof material problem? Generally they thatch, as there are still some people who know how to do that, or they use glazed ceramic tiles. I think metal is the way to go, fire resistant, less load, has rural architecture tradition, etc. Are walls, single-wall construction? Walls are generally non structural lath and plaster. Did owners sleep on the ground floor or the second? Yes Where is the package or container now, how many packages, does your price does not include shipping? Good point. The price does not include shipping or getting it down there. They are in two containers, in South Seattle. I don't think it would be that expensive to have them trucked to LA. How long did it take them to disassemble the building, how long would it take them to assemble again? It took about a week to disassemble, and I don't know how long to reassemble. I was thinking of a rectangular stem wall footing on the exterior and the interior grid would also be connected by grade beams. OK. We could enlarge the footing for the weight of the column loads, how did Arthur solve his, how many hours day, weeks did it take to rebuild his frame, etc. what kind of scaffolding did he use? I am not sure exactly how long it took to reassemble the frame, but I know he did a dry run on an open field where all the pieces could be laid out like a giant model. Because of the time and money of renting a small crane, I imagine it they got most of it done in a week or so. Exit to Furniture and Decor Page ........................................................... All Images and Content Copyright © David Ming-Li Lowe 1999 - up to present |
