Building traditions on Osterøy

Since there were an abundance of rocks
in the area, beautiful houses made from
rocks were constructed. These houses
had roofs covered by turf. The most well-
known and attractive rock house is the
"Mosevoll" turf house. Another special
turf house is the "Hogatorv" house at
"Hosanger". Here the girders made from
stone is installed longitudinally. Another
well known turf house is "Veiten" turf
house located in the "Hamre" area which has a special location in the surrounding terrain. The turf house shown on the picture on the right, is located at "Smaaland" which is situated only a few kilometers from "Valestrand".

                                             One of the most unique building traditions
                                             on Osteroey is the way the barns are
                                             constructed utilizing juniper as building
                                             material for the walls of the barn. This
                                             material was chosen because of its
                                             abundance on the island, its long life (did
                                             not rot), and the design's unique ability to
                                             allow the air through and at the same time
                                             limiting the penetration of driving rain. The
                                             ability to allow air through was important to further dry the hay stored in the barn to feed the life stock during the long winter months. It is difficult to establish when this building tradition got started. The farmers had plenty of building material (juniper), which grows in the wild on the island. The juniper bush may reach 5 - 6 meters in height. It was therefore a cheap and good protection against wind and rain. Today these walls made from juniper are still in very good condition after being in existence for more than 100 years. The juniper material did not always reach all the way to the ground level. The lower part of the wall was often covered by large slate to prevent entrance of moisture and water splashes from the ground.