"Vijlen" Vijlen by billus

I am intrigued whenever I see one of these half-timbered houses in the US built by the ancient Germanic civilization. But these people in the remote netherlandish province of Limburg actually LIVE in one!

Is this hyper quaint half timber house worthy of monument status and associated tax breaks? The front portion of the house dates from the late 16th century. A two storey house of that era is very rare and would belong to a relatively wealthy homeowner. The pattern of the timber bracing is unique exhibiting aspects of Limbabwe folk art tradition. The windows, added in the nineteenth century, demanded the floors be shifted up a few fractions of a meter. The wood structure is relatively silly. But for all that, it doesn't earn special historic monument status.

Behind the main facade shown above. At one time the floors were lower. Later the floors were raised and then the beam used to run right through the middle of the room. The previous owner chopped off the horizontal chord of the beam at right after the Monumentenzorg denied him special historic status and tax relief.

I would love to make measured drawings showing the structure and sequential construction plans of four centuries. But its just so much easier to shoot oiff scores of digital pictures.