What could be more appealing on your layout than some timber framed cottages, houses or barns? Often called half timbered, these buildings can be seen throughout England and Wales, many of them dating back over 600 years. The timber framing of these buildings forms the main load bearing part of the structure, the area between the timbers being filled with wattle and daub, brick noggin or lath and plaster. To realistically recreate these buildings in model form set me thinking. So many half timbered models look as though the timber beams have been stuck on or simply painted on in the mock Tudor fashion so prevalent now on many housing estates throughout the country.

What I propose to do is to take you through step-by-step the method I have devised and used. Like so many modelling projects it is obviously a compromise and an illusion that is being created. I have chosen a fairly simple house to demonstrate the technique. The original would have been built probably in the mid 14th century, but like so many old houses, has been much altered throughout the years and is, therefore, a hotchpotch of styles which, for the modeller, helps to make a more interesting model (Photo 1).

I don’t propose to relate in detail the construction of the building itself since this has been covered in other articles. It is my intention to concentrate on the timber framing of the structure. Having said that, it is important to follow a sequence of operations, which is listed below. For the carcass of the building, I used 2mm mount board as used by picture framers. This is readily obtained in large sheets from stationers and art shops. I would advise purchasing the acid free variety, whilst a little more expensive, cuts cleanly and does not degenerate as less expensive boards tend to. Whatever type of building you select to model the following basic construction details will be the same.

For the carcass of the building, use a sharp pencil and a steel rule and mark out the end gabled walls, interior dividing walls and floor.

These will all be to the same width, and therefore, it is easier to accurately cut a long strip of card to the width required and then simply mark out one end wall and use this as the cutting template for the other end and dividing walls. I cut plenty of interior dividing walls to give the strength required to make a robust building. All door and window apertures should now be marked out. If you are using proprietary frames carefully mark round these. Cut out all apertures. If making my own windows from thick cartridge paper, I mark out the size of the window/door by holding the cartridge paper behind the cut aperture and marking through with a sharp pencil.

This uses the openings as a template. Don’t be tempted to fit any windows or doors to the walls at this stage.

Measure the length of the side walls of the building. These should be exactly the same length of the floor on which the other walls are to be glued. The height of the side walls should be taken from the eaves dimension. Remember all end walls and dividing walls will be glued sitting on the floor (not you, the card floor!)

The next operation is to mark out the half timbering using the end walls as a template. Carefully draw round the end gable walls and apertures etc onto 2mm card then increase the size of these end walls on each side and base but not the roof gables by 2mm. Do the same for the side walls but make these exactly the same size as the originals. Do not increase the size of these walls. Take these card walls and mark out the desired timbering with a sharp pencil. As with so much modelling, it is easier to copy from a drawing or photograph of an original.

Next, using a sharp scalpel or craft knife, (sorry to hark on about pencils and knives always being sharp but it does make an enormous difference to the ease of working), cut out the infill panels between the timbers (Photo 2), discard these infill panels leaving a fret of timbering (Photo 3). Starting with the floor, glue the end walls and interior walls onto it using PVA. Note that all these walls sit on the floor. They should be glued at 90 degrees to the floor, but don’t worry if they are slightly out of vertical, since subsequent operations will correct any minor errors. Glue the side walls to the floor and wall assembly using masking tape to hold the whole thing square whilst it dries (Photos 4 & 5).

Glue the frets onto the exterior of the carcass (Photo 6). Note the gable end timbers will be flush to those of the side wall timbers because they were cut 2mm wider on either side. When dry the next pleasurable task is infilling the spaces between the timbers (Photo 7). For this you will need white DAS modelling clay and a small trowel or spatula plus a cup of water into which fingers and trowel may be dipped during this operation. Before starting brush neat PVA into the infill space and then taking a small piece of DAS press it into the space between the timbers. Smooth over with dampened finger or trowel until the surface of the DAS is flush with the surrounding timbers.

Remove any surplus from the timber as you go. Continue infilling spaces until they are all complete, and allow to dry (Photos 8 & 9). The DAS can then be smoothed over using a small piece of sandpaper, thus removing any lumps of DAS from the panels or timbers.

The next job is to remove the top surface of the card from the timbering. Why on earth do that, I hear you say? Well, this method gives the card timbers the textured look of timber. By removing the top layer, we expose the ‘core’ of the card. Carefully, lift an edge of the card (just the top surface) and peel it off (Photo 10).

It’s a good idea to practise this on a scrap piece of card. Peeling away this layer is a very satisfying job, not only to expose the timber, but also to give the DAS panels some relief. When complete, fix all the windows and doors to the inner faces of the walls. Remember to add any curtains or interior fittings at this stage as the next operation is to glue the card roof into place and add slates and tiles as appropriate. I have not detailed any of the above tasks as they are covered frequently in articles and publications.

The building is now ready for painting. One of the advantages of making any building in card is being able to paint it with watercolours, which I believe are generally more appropriate for buildings. I realise I may be preaching to the converted but a word of warning. Watercolours are very easy to use but beware, always mix the colours as a wash rather than as a dense colour. In other words, very dilute mixes. It can always be darkened, but it is almost impossible to lighten a finished painted surface. Also, test the selected colour on a piece of scrap card, and finally always mix too much, as it is very difficult to replicate a chosen colour. For most of my buildings that are cement rendered or panelled with wattle and daub, I choose either ‘dirty white’ or light cream as the base colour (Photo 11).

Having mixed your chosen ‘wash’, apply using a watercolour brush to all the appropriate infill panels between the timbering. Although it doesn’t matter too much if you get paint on the timbering, it is always worth remembering to paint lighter colours before darker. Allow the painted panels to dry thoroughly. If you start painting the timbering too soon, it will bleed into the panels and be very difficult to remove. Old beams were never painted black. This is a modern phenomenon. Old timber, particularly oak turns to a light grey over a period of time. Again, when mixing this colour make it dilute, mix plenty and test on a piece of scrap card that has had the top layer removed, since the card becomes more absorbent and can change colours quite dramatically. I use a No. 2 flat watercolour brush for this purpose. Too small a brush and you will be spending more time dipping it into the mix than painting. Take great care when painting the timbering, but it is rather easier than would first appear.

The building is then completed by adding the detailing you require, the gutters, downpipes, sills, etc. (Photo 12). I would, however, just mention the importance of weathering. As the name implies it gives it the sense of being lived in and being an integral part of its surroundings. I use Carrs weathering powders and talcum powder (Photos 13 & 14). I use three colours of powder. The predominant is black, followed by grey and brown. Don’t be tempted to use other colours as they can look awful unless handled with great care.

I use a half inch flat No. 6 watercolour brush for this job, not because it is designed for this role, but it is sufficiently stiff to allow the powder to be scrubbed into the surface. Like so many aspects of modelling, I cannot claim to be an expert, but I find starting at the bottom of a building and working up is easiest. Don’t put too much pressure onto the brush to start with. Scrub it round gently with a liberal amount of powder and see initially ‘how it takes’ to the surface. Again, it is easier to darken the surface than lighten it. Think carefully, as you are weathering the building, where in real life it is likely to be discoloured. For example, where the wall meets the ground and has been splashed with rain, is an obvious area, as are parts of doors that have been opened and closed by grubby hands. The other purpose of weathering is to break up solid surfaces of colour giving a slightly mottled effect. This is particularly appropriate on roofs where years of rain and soot have stained slates and tiles. Don’t however be tempted to overdo it. To finish the whole job dust the whole building with talcum powder, brushing the powder into the surfaces with a large soft makeup brush. The talcum powder completes the overall weathered effect.

As you can see from the photographs, the finished half timbered building is quite convincing. If you haven’t tried making a half timbered building for your layout - have a go - you will find it a lot easier than you thought.

This article first appeared in Narrow Lines, the magazine of the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association