All those medieval houses one seas with the upper floor overhanging the lower floor? Like this.
That building method/style is called Jettying. Cool huh? Here are he possible reasons for it;
To gain space.
The structural advantage of the jettied wall counteracting forces in the joists or tying a stone wall together
To shelter the lower walls of the house from the weather.
Uses shorter timbers, a benefit due to timber shortages and difficult handling of long timbers especially in city streets.
As a status symbol or "...symbol of wealth and status.
I would imagine there is a little bit of all in that.
Wki article.
Posted with Blogsy
1 comment:
There is also the fact that the owner was taxed on the square footage of land their home occupied, so the lower level was relatively smaller than the upper levels. That way they paid a smaller tax bill despite each floor being bigger than the one below it. In extreme cases, the houses would develop leans or block off sunlight to the street below. See images of the street known as the Shambles in York, England for an example of an extreme of this building style.
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