beam ceiling

In our old workers cottage, we've got a beam in the living room with cutouts that have been filled with wooden blocks. On the same side of the beam under the floor upstairs, cutouts are present but have not been filled with blocks. Has this beam had a previous life in another building...

Hi everyone. We are looking to buy a new-build house that has beamed ceilings in many of the rooms. The beams are softwood, pine I guess. I don't think they are structural. We have the choice as have them painted or not. I assume that unpainted means no finish at all, just bare wood. They look...