is it unusual or not that too unusual to have non-square beams such as 12x13 for example? of course I can wonder if its simply a website typo but..just in case it wasn't
and just curious for being new myself but generally when through holes were made on both axis of a barn beam are these perhaps not the best choice for to reclaim for exterior house walls or is there actually a general agreement on regarding 'weatherproofing' the weather-facing hole?
and finally please don't mind my naiveness if thats the case but for reclaimed hewn logs thats simply been stored in loose heaps just about off the ground outdoor - how should I handle these if I had wanted to build a house in the same year?
this is one particular example I meant about (http://circlerockinc.com/HandhewntimberElmBeechAshHemlockPineandTamarack.htm)
(some web browsers seem to error on that webhost's http-vs-https redirects for some reason just as a friendly warning)
There used to be some pretty amazing builders posting here but it's been quiet lately.
I guess it depends on what you have in mind to do? Structurally as long as the beams are solid with no rot at all, they may be fine. Holes in the degrade the strength but that also depends on placement of the holes.
How would you use these?
i've noticed the slight slowdown on forum too but I suspect it might partially be to do with this weird winter itself too who knows? won't think too much about it nevertheless :-)
and i'll see what might eventually happen to that when the weather actually warms up some more I might try visit at least one of these few with-a-website log beams yards as to see what the real quality looks like for when I'll want to later cherry pick that particular yard for my pending plans (to put it this way in my viewpoint: i'm not fussy about reclaimed beams but at same time anything thats feeling soft on any particular long side or has a long big crack running across it I may rather want to leave these behind for someone else instead etc)
anyhow as for your last question, nearly all beams i'll be looking at getting would be facing the weather on a single-floor forest house affair, beside a small number of smaller beams for the roof rafters (at least these beams being 'indoor facing' I won't have to weatherproof them holes-and-whatsnot). and I still have to think about my subfloor (more specifically as base for possible earth floor? this is still to-be-determined yet mind you) as well
Like a log house? Stacked beams style? If so I think I'd just seal them well and chink the gaps.