Erection Day

Today was by far the best day of the entire timber frame build!  

Words are hard to come by to express all the feelings I experienced as we raised the timber frame. As a creator, I have completed a number of large projects that I have been proud of.  This is by far my biggest DIY success. The finished frame is better than I could have ever imagined.  I am in a daze of disbelief with the finished result.   The real gem of the day was all the friends, family and neighbors that came out and helped raise our little timber frame. It was a true act of community.  I feel blessed! 

Jack and I spent yesterday prepping for erection day.  I am very impressed the young man he is becoming.  We worked an exhausting day hauling timbers, drilling out the peg holes, assembling bents and prepping the build site.

We created piles of wood shavings.  It is sort of a timber frame building theme.

No one helping nor myself had ever raised a timber frame.  I had received instructions at North House Folk School where I built the frame, read a couple books and watched a few short YouTube videos.  I knew it was going to take much longer than a four minute online video; but how much more?  I was excited and nervous to get started.  

The frame went together surprisingly easy.  It was not light weight work.  Heavy lifting, heights and plenty of sweat was definitely on the menu.  But, all the pieces fit with extreme accuracy and minimal need for physical persuasion.  

After six and a half hours (including a lunch break), the frame is up. 

Thank you Nikki and Kate for capturing the awesome images from today's build!