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Fäbod - Fäboden (= def. form): the Summer farm. The place where all or most of the farmers in the village had their vall. The name could come from the name of the village or be a descriptive nature's name, or something else.

Gård - Gården (= def. form): the Farm (also the estate). The farms in the village, byn, often had their name after a former male owner.

By - Byn (= def. form): the Village. The village consists of many farms.

Socken - Socknen (= def. form): the Parish. Ecclesiastical community of several villages. The farmers in the villages within one parish built one church.

Example: Backanils-vallen is situated at Loftsbo fäbod and belongs to the farmer at Backanils gård in Västra Rotebergs by.

How the construction parts are notified.
The walls are named A, B, C, D clockwise around the building starting at the wall with the door/entrance. Partition walls are named E, F… from wall B to D. The logs are numbered 1, 2, 3 starting from the bottom. In some cases in this programme the expressions Front side (door/entrance wall = A) and Backside (opposite the entrance side = C) are used.

Backanils farm in the village.

Description and history
Backanils-vallen is a part of Loftsbo fäbod consisting of seven vallar. These are divided in two groups with three vallar in each group and Backanils-vallen a little to the side from the others. On the broken ground one has cultivated the soil and also been fishing in the nearby lake. The traditional summer farm system (the milk processed at the summer farm) was in use at Loftsbo fäbod until the 1930-ies but the grazing of the land has continued since then and is still ongoing. Today it is cattle from another farm grazing at Backanils-vallen since the farmer no longer has any cattle at the farm. The distance from the village, Västra Roteberg, is 17 km.

Backanils gård consists of 15 ha arable land and 240 ha forest. At the time of the Laga skifte (agricultural reform) in the 1860-ies, Backanils-vallen was moved about 300 metres to the Northeast. Backanils-vallen is very unusual because of the many big buildings. The dwelling house is connected to the stable, which is not unusual, but one has utilised the difference in height on the broken ground and built a log-house construction under the house connected to the earth cellar. The interior is arranged in the same simple way as many other dwelling houses at the summer farms. The cow stable is big and has room for 16 cows. Since the land has been cultivated for seed there is also a treshing barn. "The rough kitchen", stösset, which may have belonged to this place is missing, but otherwise all the other functions are represented at Backanils-vallen.

The dwelling house with stable in the upper floor and the "rough kitchen"/cooking house with earth cellar in the first floor. The privy to the left.

1. Dwelling house - bostuga,
stable - stall,
stone cellar - stenkällare

Survey
The building has a very special design and is adapted to the broken ground at the place for the building. The upper floor has the dwelling house/bostuga and stable/stall. The stable has open places for the horses but is unusual spacious to be at a fäbod. The men working in the forest during wintertime, burning wood for coal, used to have their horses there. But the men lived in a hut close to the place where they burnt the coal. The privy (toilet) is hanging on the outside of the stable. The interior of the bostuga is simple with an open fireplace, unpainted walls, older doors and framings. In the bottom floor is a kitchen with soot in the ceiling and at the walls. Here is a door into the stone cellar/earth cellar that is placed in the little hill under the stable. The cellar has in some parts fallen down in the last years. Beside the cellar is an open space for the dung from the stable. Close to the kitchen there is a little chamber. Also the interior of the bottom floor is simple. The roof is covered with tiles of brick. The chimney was made new some years ago with the previous chimney as model. Repair with new logs in the bottom of the house was made 6-7 years ago.

Proposal for measures
The open space for the dung has pillars of wood that has been placed on a frame of beams. The frame is almost gone and the pillars are slanting. In the frame new pieces of beams should be jointed. The beams shall be of the same dimension and surface treatment as the original beams, that is: made by a broad axe. New pillars of wood are made in the same way as the original pillars. Probably have the pillars not been jointed with plugs into the frame. Instead there may have been a groove in the frame beams to keep the pillars fixed. The bottom of the pillars shall be examined to see if there are any traces of the jointing to the frame beams. Not damaged but slanting pillars shall be straightened.

The cow stable with round logs and originally place for 16 cows. The sheep stable(no 3) in the background.

2. Cow stable - fäx (dialect), ladugård (Swe)

Survey
Traditional summer farm cow stable in log-house construction were the logs are round. The entrance is in one of the gables. The entrance should earlier have had another, higher placing. Now, the middle part of the floor in the stable is taken away so that the cattle from the ground level could walk into the stable. Now there are only 11 places for the cows (16 before) since one has opened for "the small cattle" (sheep and goats) in the entrance part. On the roof there is sheet metal covering the "under roof" of thin stems and beach bark. The changes in the building were made while the building was still in use.

Proposal for measures
The cow stable shall be lifted up and straightened. Since the threshold log is cut when the new door was installed has the gable wall been drawn apart. The gable wall shall be lifted to the right place again but no new threshold log should be installed since the building has been in use in the way it is constructed/rebuilt as we can look at it today.

3. Sheep stable - fårhus

Survey
One of the oldest buildings at vallen. It is a simple building without floor. On the roof there is sheet metal over the remains of a roof covered with birch bark.

Proposals for measures
The building shall be lifted up on a better stone foundation. New logs prepared by a broad axe and jointed together in the same way as before shall replace all the old sills (bottom logs).

No 4. under the sheet metal there is an old roof of wooden shingles.

4. The old dwelling house
/hay-barn - hölada

Survey
One part of the building could have been a former dwelling house at Backanils-vallen. Inscriptions and former openings (now rebuilt) indicate this. Now the building is connected with a small hay-barn. The roof is covered with sheet metal over wooden shingles.

Proposals for measures
In the entrance wall the sill (bottom log) and the log over that (not the full length) should be replaced by new logs. The building shall be lifted in the corner closest to cow stable. Adjustments of the floor in the former dwelling house. Complete the board at the end of the roof at the gable.

The granary on the temporary foundation. Two of the pillars are seen at the entrance.

4. Granary - härbre

Survey
A two-storey granary in log-house construction, the upper floor a little bit bigger than the bottom floor. The roof is covered with sheet metal over wooden shingles. There are also traces of an old roof covered with birch bark. The floorboards in the bottom floor are made of cracked logs. "Drip noses" (=functional decorations)/droppnäsor in the ends of the logs in both the bottom and the upper floor.

Proposals for measures
Two pillars and the frame for the pillars under the granary are missing. The granary has now a temporary substructure. A new frame of wooden beams shall be made, jointed "half-in-half" with "heads" on the outside of the joints. The pillars just stood on the frame without any special jointing or groves. The gable at the back of the building has damages due to moisture and shall be covered with a panel. The type of panel should be a lockpanel (="lid panel") and the boards sawn "not to full dimension". The panel shall be painted with Falu rödfärg (= traditional Swedish paint with red colour).

5. Threshing barn - kornlada/tröskloge

Survey
The threshing barn is made six logs higher at some time. New big doors are made in two of the walls and have made it possible to drive through the barn with horse and wagon. The roof is covered with sheet metal over wooden shingles.

Proposals for measures
Adjustment of the sill in one of the gable-walls.

29 May 2001

The new cow stable at the Backa farm in the village.

Description and history
Backa-vallen is a part of Loftsbo fäbod and was moved to a higher place about 800 metres to the north after the Laga skifte (agricultural reform) in the 1860-ies. Big mound of stones shows the intensive work to get arable land. Probably many of the buildings were moved from the former place and at the same time it is likely one tried to improve and modernise the buildings. The traditional summer farm system (the milk processed at the summer farm) was in use until about 1915 and after that vallen was used for grazing in summertime and for work in the forest during wintertime. The distance from the village, Västra Roteberg, is 17 km.

Backa gård consists of 11 ha arable land and 230 ha forest. Today the farmer has changed from milk production into cattle for meat production. At the farm there is a newly built, modern and "open" cow stable. Backa-vallen is not overgrown since the cattle have been grazing every year. There is a traditional wooden fence around vallen. The buildings have, except the change to sheet metal on the roofs, not been changed very much since the 1920-ies. Remarkable are the old roof constructions under the sheet metal at the two stables (no 8 and 9).

The dwelling house at Backa-vallen. In the background the granary.

1. Dwelling house - bostuga,

Survey
The dwelling house is rebuilt during the 1920-ies. The bottom floor is an enkelstuga (= "single house", house with hall, chamber and kitchen/sleeping room) in a log house construction and the upper floor is a timber-framed construction. The outdoor panels at the walls differ in the both floors. Earlier the stable was standing tight together with the dwelling house. The plan of the house and some carpentry shows that the bottom floor is original but has been modernised with new panels and new stoves. The stoves are made by concrete stones and the chimney is made by a mix of concrete and stones and brick. The interior was repainted in the 1970-ies. The roof is covered with Eternit (plates of asbestos-cement) over an older roof of wooden shingles.

The building is moving due to the ground. The chimney is leaning outwards on the backside and the partition wall is becoming crooked and the doors are difficult to close. The chimney has big cracks inside and also on the outside it is in bad condition. On the roof there is moss and the material is becoming fragile.

Proposals for measures
The stoves and the chimneys shall be pulled down. The documentation is important to make the rebuilding possible.

The building shall be straightened. The foundation shall be complemented with stones alike the stones in the existing foundation.

A new roof of brick tiles (with "two waves") instead of the latest roof covering of Eternit. Second hand brick tiles is desirable. The new construction of thin boards under the brick tiles shall be nailed up on the old roof of wooden shingles. New wooden shingles made by a mechanic plane shall complement damages in the old roof.

One board in the roof construction, on the backside of the building (C), should be changed.

A new chimney shall be made. Probably is it easier to find bricks than concrete stones of the right size. The chimney should therefore be made of brick stones with a traditional mounting of sheet metal.

The stoves shall be built up again in the same form as the existing stoves.

2. Dish house - diskhus,

Survey
Timber frame construction covered with boards. The boards are of mixed ages and are painted with red, traditional Swedish paint (= Falu rödfärg). Under the roof of sheet metal there is a roof of wooden shingles. It is not known when the dish house was built.

3. Stable and cellar shed - stall och källarbod,

Survey
The stable was moved to its present place during the 1920-ies and was used during wintertime for the horses while one was logging the forest. The cellar shed was put in its existing place at the Laga skifte. The cellar shed is made of a hay barn but also parts with soot traces as in an Eldhus (= old form of Cooking house). The logs in the house is left with the round, natural form at the outside but is planed with an axe on the inside. (….????…) There are a lot of inscriptions and signatures at the inside of the walls. The stable and the cellar shed are connected to each other through another shed, were there is a grindstone. Together with the cellar shed there is an open shed for the firewood. Upon the older roof of wooden shingles there is black sheet metal.

The pillars at the backside are a bit slanting. The cellar shed has damages due to rot in the bottom logs at the backside. The floor in the cellar shed is bad but will not be repaired.

Proposals for measures
Straighten the pillars under the shed with the grindstone.

Exchange of the three bottom logs on the backside of the cellar shed. Stones shall be put under the logs so the will not be in direct contact with the earth.

In the corner above these logs there shall be a new vertical beam at the inside to straighten this corner.

The grass and earth against the bottom logs shall be removed on the front side of the two buildings.

4. Cooking house - stöss (dialect), kokhus

Survey
The cooking house has two chambers. From here one can go into the earth cellar in the slope (under 3. Cellar shed). In the two cambers the stoves are demolished. The walls in the interior have unpainted panels. The doors are of an old form with blue and red painting from about 1800.

The roof ridges have severe damages caused by insects and also soot from some fire in the building. They will not be repaired in this restoration. Moisture has made the källarsvamp grow in the hall.

Proposals for measures
The grass and the earth shall be removed along the backside, C.

5. Granary - härbre

Survey
Granary in two stores. The floorboards in the bottom floor are from logs cracked in two pieces. The frame for the pillars under the granary are from round logs under the gable walls and from logs cracked in two pieces under the other two walls. In the corners they are jointed together "half-in-half" with heads on the logs outside the joints.

The frame has damages due to rot.

Proposals for measures
Exchange of the logs under wall A, B and C. The new frame shall be made in the same way as the existing frame.

6. Threshing barn - loge, trösklada (both names are used)

Survey
Threshing barn that has been used as a hay barn. Double doors in one of the "long side" walls (A), and a smaller door on the backside (C). The form of the round logs is kept at the inside of the walls, but the upper part of the gable walls (B and D) is hewn by broadaxe. There are traces of a roof covered with birch bark, but now there is a roof of black sheet metal covering the former roof of wooden shingles. The sills (= bottom logs are laying on a frame of round logs that are placed on the foundation of stones.

Damages
The building's level is a bit low. One of the logs in the frame under the barn is broken close to the door. Sill A1 has damages due to rot behind the ramp of stones at the door. The gable in wall D is leaning outwards. Gable D has "rot pockets" (= cracks in the logs that has smaller damages due to rot) but will not be mended.

Proposals for measures
A new log in the frame under wall A.

A new log shall replace A1, which is also the "threshold-log".

The building shall be raised to a higher level, especially the corner BC with stones under the frame.

Exchange of sill D1.

At the corner DA the gable wall shall be pushed back and corrected.

The old threshing barn is of a "double threshing barn"type - barns at both sides of the threshing floor in the middle.

7. Former threshing barn/hay barn -
f d trösklada/hölada

Survey
A former threshing barn that has been used as hay barn and other storage. The building has had the round shape of the logs at the inside of the walls but that has been hewn away by a broad axe later. Inside there are holes in the walls for the middle beam joists. The door on the front side, A, is old. The small door at the backside, C, has been enlarged. Under the roof of sheet metal there is a roof of wooden shingles, the shingles are made by hand.

Damages
The threshing barn has damages in the threshold-log due to rot. Wall D has damages due to moisture, probably due to bad ventilation, insects and rainwater from the roof on the sheep stable. The level of the building is a little too low.

Proposals for measures
The building shall be raised to a higher level and complemented by stones under the corners of the building.

The grass and the earth along wall C and in front of the door in wall A shall be removed.

At the damage in the threshold-log there shall be a new piece of wood added, jointed to the sill. It is just the part under the door that is damaged.

Wall D shall be covered with a panel. The panel will have the function of a cover for some decades instead of adding a drainpipe on the sheep stable. The type of panel should be a lockpanel (="lid panel") and the boards sawn "not to full dimension".

The sheep stable with the old preserved roof construction.

8. Former cow stable/sheep stable - f d fäx, fårhus

Survey
This is a stable has been used for sheep and now as a shelter for the grazing cattle (cows). Inside there is holes direct in the logs in the wall were the cattle were tied during the night. Under the sheet metal that is now covering the roof, there is a roof of beech bark. Probably is one new log added under each wall to make the building higher. The building has an "earth floor" and a new door has been made in gable-wall A. This wall also has holes for the light to come into the stable.

Damages
Damages due to rot in a corner have made the joints very weak. The load from the roof has broken a log in gable wall, A, that carries a part of the roof construction. Due to that the threshold log is missing there is a settlement at the opening in gable-wall C and the wall is crocked in the part at corner AD. In wall D, the log under the upper log is completely damaged by rot. The support for the roof construction has failed and some parts of the old roof covering have fallen down.

Proposals for measures
Lift the building close to the opening in C and put under stones so that the gap between the logs in the wall will tighten.

Add with new pieces of logs in the corner DA so the opening will be closed.

Add with new pieces of wood in the log in gable A that carries parts of the roof construction in the corner AB and AD. The "heads" of the log shall be given the exactly same shape as the previous log with joint connections for the roof construction.

A vertical beam shall be placed between the door and the corner AD since the wall is very weak.

Exchange of the upper log in wall D (?). Complement the support for the roof construction in the same way as the previous construction. Push back the wood in the old roof construction.

NOTICE! While working with this building the old roof construction must be handled with care!

9. Cow stable - fäx (dialect), ladugård

Survey
The cow stable is standing on a high level on pillars. The entrance door is reached through a ramp of stones. Under the roof of sheet metal is an old roof of beech bark. Inside there have been place for many cows, but at some time the stable has been reduced in size. Then the interior was changed and the walls were covered with unpainted panel. There are almost no traces of usage in the new interior so this change must have been done just before the traditional summer farm system was ended. In wall B there is a vertical joint at the same place in all the logs in the wall. Why is uncertain. The other walls have "move-marks" (= often marks like I, II, III … from the bottom log and upwards in each wall) and maybe the stable has been moved to this place to replace the building that is the sheep stable.

Damages
The pillars are a bit slanting. The window is damaged. Damages due to rot are behind the ramp of stones.

Proposals for measures
The sills are bending down in walls B and C. Lift the building and straighten the pillars and place them on good foundation stones.

Exchange of A1 and A2 with new logs. A new piece of wood shall be added at the damage in A3, which is the threshold log. The ramp of stones shall be moved a bit so that air can circulate between the wall and the ramp.

Repair of the window in wall C.

Mimmi Göllas, Propus AB
14 October 2001

The dwelling houses at the farm Olars in the village Knåda.

Description and history
Andtjärnabo is a fäbod with several vallar spread over a pretty big area. Today the forest has grown up between vallarna. Olars-vallen was used traditionally until the 1920-ies and then it was used while one was hewing timber in the forest in wintertime. Today vallen is used for leisure and the grass is cut down each year.

The owner is planning for "predatory-proof" fences so he can bring his sheep up to vallen. He has begun to cut down trees and brushwood around vallen and the objective is to open vallen again for grazing sheep.

The dwelling house at Olars-vallen.

1. Dwelling house - bostuga

Survey (only exterior)
An enkelstuga (= "single house", house with hall, chamber and kitchen/sleeping room) in log-house construction that partly has been covered with panel and painted with Falu rödfärg (= traditional Swedish paint with red colour). The roof is covered with Eternit (plates of asbestos-cement). On the backside a window has been changed in an insensitive way, but except that the exterior is preserved with a nice entrance. The chimney is rebuilt.

Proposals for measures
The grass and the earth shall be removed around the building so it will not be in contact with the panel and the logs in the walls.

The sill on the backside (C) has damages due to moisture and the outer side of the sill shall be removed and replaced with new wood.

Metal sheets shall replace the Eternit at the roof.

Control and adjustments of the mounting on the chimney.

The cooking house to the right and the shed upon the earth cellar to the left.

2. Cooking house with cellar shed - stöss (dialect) med källarbod

Survey
The cooking house of log-house construction is built together with the earth cellar and upon the cellar there is a shed also in log-house construction. The roof is covered with painted sheet metal. The facades are unpainted. The windows are of an older, simple type. The chimney is rebuilt.

Proposals for measures
The sills in the cellar part shall be exchanged with new logs because of rot damages and the grass and earth close to the wall shall be removed.

The cow stable. The upper log in this wall (D) is badly damaged by rot.

3. Cow stable - fäx (dialect), ladugård

Survey
The roof is covered with brick tiles ("double-wave" type). The interior of the cow stable is rebuilt to horse stable and the door is enlarged. "Under-roof" of thin stems cracked in two halves carrying the layer of birch bark and over that a roof covering of wooden shingles.

Damages
The cow stable has damages due to rot in one of the walls.

Proposals for measures
Spruces close to the building shall be removed.

Sill A1 shall be replaced by a new log or repaired with a new piece of a log behind the ramp of stones. The damage can only be estimated when the stones are removed.

The ramp of stones shall be replaced but the wall behind the ramp shall be covered with beech bark and a distance between the wall and the ramp.

Damages due to rot in wall B, where a beam goes through the wall, shall be repaired by new pieces of wood added in the wall. The damages can be estimated first after the damaged logs have been removed, but several logs are damaged.

Exchange of the upper log in wall D.

The granary with the characteristic shape of the pillars very common in this area of Hälsingland..

4. Ganary - härbre
The granary is in good condition.

5. Horse stable and firewood shed - stall och vedbod

Survey
The horse stable is built in later times and has a log-house construction and a timber frame construction covered with panel. The facades are painted with Falu rödfärg (= traditional Swedish paint with red colour).

Damages
The roof is leaking.

Proposals for measures
The trees close to the building shall be removed.

A roof of sheet metal shall replace the roof of brick tiles.

The grass and earth against the wall A shall be removed.

In wall A a new piece of wood shall be added at the damage at the door to the stable.

Näs-Jonases farm in the village knåda.

Description and history
Andtjärnabo is a fäbod with several vallar spread over a pretty big area. Today the forest has grown up between vallarna. Näs-Jonases is the highest located of these vallar. Earlier the vall of the farm Östergrens i Knåda also was situated here. After Laga skifte 1865 one could see that Näs-Jonases vall was on the estate of Östergrens and vice verse. Näs-Jonases farm bought Östergrens vall about 1900. At that time several buildings was missing. Today the threshing barn and a demolished earth cellar shows where that vall was located.

The traditional summer farm system only lasted to 1904, but until the 1970-ies it has been used for grazing for horses. Näs-Jonases vall has also been used wintertime while one was hewing timber in the forest. The land around vallen has been cultivated, sown and the seed have been cut by hand. Hay has been harvested here during almost the whole 20th century. Today the vall is sparsely used but the grass is cut every year. The granary was dated 1995 by dendrochronology and showed that the trees were cut down 1541-42.

1. Dwelling house - bostuga

Survey (exterior)
The house has bee used by forest workers and therefore is a bit modernised to make it warmer. A big staircase of concrete ahs been made in front of the entrance. There is an earth cellar under the building.

Damages
The building is in good condition. The level of the grass around the building is a little too high.

Proposals for measures
The grass around the whole building shall be removed.

2. Horse stable - stall
The stable is in good condition.

3. Cow stable - fäx (dialect), ladugård

Survey
The interior is preserved with remains of the old roof construction. The roof is covered with brick tiles.

Proposals for measures
Remove the earth at the entrance side, A, and at the corners AB and AD.

Lift the building in the corner CD and adjust the foundation.

Turn back the sill B1.

The granary dated 1541-42. The backside wall (C) have bad damages due to rot.

4. Granary - härbre

Survey
The granary is very old looking and the "heads" of the logs outside the corners have "six- side" shape. (Note! In the village Knåda at the farm Olars there is a granary of almost the same age!). The door placed to the side in the entrance wall is unusual. The floorboards are sawn and of much younger age than the rest of the granary. No interior survey was made. The big stone outside the entrance is used as staircase.

Note! A deeper survey is needed before any decisions about restoration measures are taken.

Proposals for measures
Lift the wall D and adjust the foundation under the frame.

Sill B1 is out of position almost 10 cm. Damages due to rot makes it necessary to change this log.

The corner CD is in very bad condition. A new beam inside the corner will strengthen this corner.

Deep "rot-pockets" (= cracks in the logs that has damages due to rot) on the gable wall C. The wall should be covered with a panel.

Proposals for measures
Remove the earth at the entrance side, A, and at the corners AB and AD.

The granary in the village Knåda at Olars farm, dated to the 1550-ies.

5. Cooking house - stöss (dialect), kokhus

Survey
The cooking house is located over a pit, as many other buildings at the summer farms. The pit is very much alike a "cellar pit" but no stones indicates that.

Proposals for measures
No proposals for measures.

6. Threshing barn - loge, trösklada

Proposals for measures
The spruce close to wall C shall be cut down.

17 October 2001

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