Façade: Timber Frame, Great Door, Klöndör @museum.de

F: The most important façade elements of an Ammerland house are found on all the houses: the great door with its two large oak panels, the vertical centre post, the horizontal sill and the two buffers and spacers that prevent the door frame being damaged by accident. The pebble paving in the entrance area, the timber frame with panels that are either filled with mud and straw or bricked up, depending on the residents' status.

M: Having said that, the façade of the Single Room House does have a small peculiarity. The vertical struts on either side of the door started life as a forked tree-trunk that was split down the middle. The fork, which has been preserved and integrated into the timber frame, significantly improves the structure's stability.

F: The entire framework is held together solely by solid wooden pegs – which is customary in this traditional type of construction. And we can assure you, it's all nice and solid!