What to do with beams and woodwork?

[Switchd]

What would you do with a house like this that has reasonably dark wooden beams, along with woodwork in a reddish brown colour? I don't like the look at all but don't know if I just need more time to get used to it. In addition, the window frames are dark grey and altogether it's just a lot of dark. My preferred go to style would be wooden floors with white woodwork and fairly neutral walls.

This as grey window frames are going to date very quickly. White beams would be dreadful.

We had over bearing beas in our sitting room - it is an old house but someone had added the beams later.

In any case, I painted them a warm white with an eggshell finish. It really "lifted" everything and took the heaviness out of the room.

They look great now - they have kind of disappeared but also bring a little unusual texture to the ceiling.

Paint is an easy fix too.

@Denim4ever They really are not awful. They lighten the whole room and it is far more modern. They will be great. I’d not suggest a bright white, but a muted white is perfect.

Here are some ideas, ranging from a lime wash effect to soft white via a contrast “white”. The effect in these rooms is less oppressive than pine beams. It reminds the stark difference between the wood in its natural state and the surroundings.

If 80s build they might not be supporting beams, so you could remove. Or you could try plasterboarding over in one room to see how that feels?

I agree @Denim4ever
it’s the fake add ons to try to look old that I hate
If they are structural it’s different.

Those won’t be structural beams. Even in an old house, that’s a lot. They were put there for design effect. They are also pine. The effort of getting rid of them is huge! Probably not worth the effort as other solutions are effective.

Check out the other houses in your street, if they have removed them then you can do the same.

Or paint them a soft white (NOT brilliant white). It’s also possible to paint the window frames, just use the correct paint for the wood or UPVC.

As others have said they are bound to be decorative in an 80s house. I would paint them white in the first instance, live with them for a year or so and if you still dislike, have them removed.

If they are real wood I’d have them sandblasted back to the original pale wood.

I have beams but my house is really old and listed. If the house is 80s these won’t be a structural part I wouldn’t think but you can get a structural engineer in for a consultation (150 quid) to be sure. Then you can remove if you want. If not then just paint them honestly they are brutally dark.

@jeaux90 Most structural engineers would not get out of bed for £150. Dh is one. However no 80s house would have a load bearing construction needing that many beams unless designed by dn idiot. Beams in modern houses are there to replace load bearing walls. Those pieces of wood are decoration and the survey the op had would describe the actual construction of the house. Even if timber frame, that’s a lot of beans. If Potton, the op could check the construction method. However if a modern wood frame house, she will absolutely know this for insurance purposes.

@MeetMeOnTheCornerfor a consultation it’s exactly what my local one charges.

I agree with you the beams make it appear darker as 80s probably not structural so would get a quote for removing..
If too dear for now would definitely just paint the colour of the ceiling so they disappear a bit ..and then equally would clash less with windows and door

The lime wash one looks nice

It isn't a Potton or timber framed house.

I'm still not completely sure if they are structural or not, but they are in every single place downstairs, including the loo, the utility room etc.

I don't mind beams, but these look big and very close together, so I can see why you don't love them.

We lived in a house with beams for a while, that seemed to eat up the light at night. When we renovated it, we put in lights that lit up the beams, but it doesn't look like there's enough space between yours and it was an expensive option.

I'd paint them white.

These look like modern softwood joists in knotty-pine. Youll be able to work out if they’re structural by taking measurements by the stairs.

Measure from the ground floor up to first floor level. Measure from ground floor up to underside of the ceiling between the joists. Take the latter from the former. If it’s only a very small amount then the exposed beams are structural so cant be removed.

Another way is to take the beam span in feet, divide it by 2 and add 1 - this gives you the approx depth of floor joists at 16” spacing that you’d need to carry the floor above. How does that match up with the depth of the exposed beams? Or the floor depth you measured above?

My guess is that they are structural but that the wood itself isnt particularly nice/valuable in itself. So I’d paint the ceiling and joists white to lighten the room but leave the “texture” of up/down on the ceiling. I wouldn’t paint them a different colour as they’re too close together.

My old boss had a cottage that he’d rebuilt and he had “limed” joists exposed on the ground floor ceilings - all modern like yours - and it looked great

@Switchd It would be bizarre if they are all load bearing! In houses, load bearing walls, or replacement beams, are there to deflect the loading of upper walls, roof etc down the walls, via the beam, and into the foundations. You do not need that number of beams.

Most joists are much slimmer. What gap do you have between the floor and the ceiling for electrics? Exposed joists would mean a tiny gap. They could be oversized joists for a design statement I guess. But that’s design not need. It’s a big job to get rid of them and, as I’ve posted, you can hide them pretty well.

When you insure a house, you should know how it’s constructed. Traditional or something else. What did your survey say?

I would paint them, but as @fairislecable says, don’t use brilliant white. In your shoes I’d choose a nice neutral off white and paint absolutely everything the same shade. If you’re not a skilled painter yourself, get a pro to do the window frames, or alternatively choose a neutral that goes with them and see if you can live with them for a year or so before deciding. Once you have curtains up you may find they are okay. I would also put some fairy lights on the beams here and there but I know that wouldn’t be everyone’s choice!

We have painted beams and roof structure in our loft accommodation above our garage and we painted them a stronger white than the soft white in the overall space. Similar to the pictures I posted. Brown in a cheaper wood doesn’t enhance many decor schemes I find, but old beams can. It depends on light, size of room and the vibe you want.

I'd live with them for 6 months and then re-assess.
However, if you really want to do something now, I'd paint them a lighter colour/off white like a a few posters above.

I’d paint or lime wash the beams and the door frame off white and leave the nice light wood door. Wouldn’t be a horrible job and would make a huge difference.