The roof is covered with wooden shingles, styled in the same fashion as those found on stave churches. Adorning the gables are carved animal heads, also providing associations to stave churches, which are the oldest wooden buildings found in Norway. The robust wall ramparts made of sod help insulate the building, but elsewhere the support system of the roof is made of wood - this is an example of stave line construction (see the text below the plan and cross-section).