Ile de France Half-Timbered Properties

Ile de France does have some hidden treasures for lovers of half-timbered pan de bois properties. It is a dive in ancient times in the town centres throughout the French region, so you may be able to find a half-timbered house that fits your needs.

Ile de France’s typical half-timbered properties are distinctly beautiful. The use of wood forms the key element of these traditional properties. Wood is often used both inside and outside the Ile de France house for both decoration or protection. Ile de France’s half-timbering house type and the materials used can be categorized in the wide German «pan de bois» (timberframe) architectural family. Walls are filled using cob, only then are the floor and the roof structure built. The wooden framework is naturally strong and rigid once erected, the strength of the structure can be supplemented using wood plugs.

The heartland of Ile de France offers plenty of these half timbered houses, being above all urban homes. This half-timbered style is a legacy of the Middle Ages. Some exquisite examples of half timbering can surprisingly be found around Paris, having resisted superbly the rigours of WWII. In the Ile de France region these properties often boast many windows appearing on the front façade (see image below). Like in the Alsace, Lorraine and Burgundy French regions, the half-timbered structure is built over a stone structure protecting the first floor from potential fires and humidity.

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Walls are made up of a cob and stone mix producing a yellow material. Some Ile de France half timbered houses have a corbelling structure, giving more space to the upper floor’s rooms. A corbel is a piece of wood jutting out of a wall to carry the superincumbent weight of the floor above. This is a technique used since Neolithic times – late Stone Age (around 3,500 BC), and actually a traditional construction method used in the Ile de France region.

SEARCH FOR A PARIS ILE DE FRANCE PROPERTY:
Paris property	Essonne property
Hauts-de-Seine property	Seine-et-Marne property
Seine-Saint-Denis property	Val-de-Marne property
Val-d'Oise property	Yvelines property

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Summary of Paris Ile de France Traditional Houses & Architecture