The frame is done!

OK, so there's a porch and an entry to add, and I forgot to mention those two little floor joists that go in the loft, and a few pegs need driven, but we're ready to box this frame in, so we're calling it DONE! I'll type a proper blog entry later, but for now here's a picture! YEEESSSS. Time to schedule the pig roast and the bluegrass band.

We did it - literally, we did it. Every stick of wood in this frame is off of our farm. There are over 500 individual timbers in this house, and they were all notched here without ever leaving the farm. 98% of the trees used in this frame fell as a result of an ice storm and would have otherwise rotted in the woods. The remaining 2% were comprised of standing dead white oaks and three red oaks cleared for the house site. There are at least a dozen species of wood in this frame, including red oak (northern red oak, scarlet oak, and black oak), white oak (true white oak and chestnut oak), basswood, yellow poplar, hard maple, soft maple, ash, hickory, walnut, locust (pegs), beech, sweet gum, and black birch.

BTW, we're just getting started... Even though the timber frame is done, I'll be updating the blog with pictures of the house as we add the slate roof, photovoltaic panels, SIPs, stone exterior, porch, tongue and groove ceilings, fireplace, etc. Lots of work left to do, but the timber frame has been raised!