Timberframe has started!

Today was an exciting day, as we were able to visit the site as Brian and 2 other carpenters were assembling the first wall of the timberframe. It was amazing to see how they use a few machines to manipulate these very large and heavy timbers. The first picture is an overview of the site, the second shows a closer view of the process. The next picture shows how each timber has been precut at Timberpeg, and numbered for assembly. The final picture shows Deb sitting on one of the "keyed beams" that will be in the highest part of the great room. 12x24 inches, 2 beams, kept from moving against each other by the small wood key insets. A technique of timberframing that is very old and seldom used nowadays, but appealed to us. These are really skilled carpenters who have obviously done this before. When I arrived on the scene, my first thought was "some assembly required...."

Retaining Walls

Because of the steep hill, the landscaper and excavation team have had to design a number of retaining walls around the house. We like the large, natural boulder look, so the pictures below show "machine laid walls." Until today, I couldn't quite imagine how this is done, because these boulders are BIG! The first picture shows the machine, with Gary at the controls, selecting boulders for the wall. Gary is a very experienced operator, as you can see by the quality of the walls below. He uses the jaws of the machine to set the boulders in place, aided by an assistant who uses a laser based leveling system to tell him exactly what thickness boulder is needed. He places the boulder and manipulates it so precisely with the machine, that it looks like an extension of his hand. The bottom 2 photos show some already completed walls. Click on the video at bottom to see how fast he does this in real time.

Timberframe cutting

The past few weeks were slow on the job site because the heavy equipment could not get onsite because of road weight limits. However, the Douglas Fir arrived from the Pacific Northwest to Timberpeg, the local company that is cutting the timberframe. We visited the company to see timberframes being cut on the day our fir arrived. The whole operation is computerized. The pictures below show a pine frame being cut, drilled, routed, planed - all automated. Jack was fascinated. Meanwhile, at the site, the large steel I-beam could finally be installed to eliminate any posts in Jack's shop area (24 inches thick). And the excavators are filling in around the foundation and starting to build large boulder retaining walls to handle the grades around the house. Next week the timberframe will be erected, which will be very exciting.