Even more photos

My friend Annie Photographed the house raising on Sunday. She took some great photos (including the group shot in the post from Oct. 18th) which are on her blog. Check it out! http://acohn.blogspot.com/

I will be away for the next three weeks so don't expect any new posts. Check back next month though for a flurry of activity as I finish and move into the house!

More Photos

Thank you Stephen for this sequence.

Raising Day

The raising was successful! A good group of almost twenty people showed up to help out on this cold snowy October day. After a hearty breakfast we all  jumped right into the project and before I knew it, the frame was standing! Disregarding the occasional fat tenon, everything fit together correctly and the raising went smoothly. I was worried that having this many people would be hard to manage, but everyone seemed to find a place to help out and we weren't bumping into each other too much: I am continually amazed at how much space 100 square feet actually is. Having this many people made quick work of what would have taken me forever by myself.

It is a huge relief for me to see this standing. Now I can relax a bit and move onto stage two: pegging and rough framing of the walls.

Thank you Seah, Theressa, CJ, Anna, Tom, James, Allison, Frank, Stephen, Kirk, Patricia, Pat, Annie, Bryan, Drew, Dillon, Jon and Dave for helping me out! Check back soon for more pictures.

House raising party- this Sunday, October 18th!

Rain or shine, ready or not, it's going to stand! Come by for a potluck brunch at 10, and then stick around to put the frame together at noon. Pound a peg, tote a timber or just come watch. Everyone is welcome. Please RSVP if you can make it.

Folding spiral staircase/bookshelf/bureau

It is a given that I will need some sort of way up to the loft. Since it has to take up little space, I am basically limited to a ladder or a spiral staircase. Spiral staircases are nice and relatively space efficient, but one would still take up too much space in my house. Ladders are efficient, but boring. Here is a quick sketch of what I came up with to solve the problem.

The left hand picture shows what it might look like folded up. Some of the slots could have drawers for storage of clothes, while others can be left open for books.

The right hand picture shows how it will extend into a stair case. Each step is mounted on a pivot on its right side, and will interlock with the next step so that it can be opened and closed by moving only the top step. I will need to work out some sort of rope or gear mechanism to operate it.

The state of things.

The sill is together. The lower joists are in place (and they fit perfectly!). Knee braces are finished. As soon as I plane and re-cut the four plates, the frame will go up!