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Originally Posted by fordy
I guess this sounds like 20 questions but your work and attitude is infectious and makes me want to investigate further.....this has GOT to be a fairly pricey project even with all of your labor.......thanks if you decide to reply......fordy.....  |
Fordy, et al, see my responses to the italicized below. FWIW, I priced this frame with several builders prior to tackling it myself. The lowest price that I got was $32K. The highest was over $50K. With wood, tools, building, etc., I have my frame built for less than $12K. It could be done for less, and I could easily recoup $2K if I choose to resell my tools. That is the frame ONLY. You still have to enclose it, finish it, etc. This was not about the cheapest possible living space. It was about doing it myself, doing it right, and creating a home that my great grandchildren can live in some day. Unless, of course, the DOT needs my place for a four lane someday! :no:
1. Do\did you have previous experience that would enable you to feel comfortable tackling this type of construction?
I have built “stuff” since I was a kid. I am now 34, and have constructed several smaller buildings, including the one pictured in the post above. I also have done a fair amount of furniture building, which I feel helped me in this undertaking. However, I did sign up for a week long timber framing workshop two years ago. The time spent there was invaluable. The cost was $150 and that covered five days of instruction. There were people of all abilities and backgrounds there and all were doing well by week’s end. I would highly recommend that anyone wanting to build a timber frame spend some time working with someone who has done it before. I took a week of vacation to attend this workshop. It was one the best vacation weeks I ever took.
2. Basic size and cost of enclosed shop to facilitate adequate tools and machinery to make the cuts in the beams and did you also live on site?
The size of my shop is 14’ X 36’. Odd size? Yes, without a doubt. It fit the space I had on my lot. I could have managed with a smaller space, but wanted to be able to work on my longest piece with the end doors closed. You wouldn’t need an enclosed space, but in PA the weather just plain sucks so much of the time that it was a necessity. The place that I went to for the workshop used old chicken coops with chicken wire sides. Of course, that was in NC, not PA.
Price for the building? That can be variable. Mine is just a simple pole building with pre built trusses and metal roofing. Everything cost me about $2K, plus or minus a few hundred. I did all of the work myself and scrounged bargain for whatever I could. That price included that woodstove, wiring, lights, garage doors, etc.
I DO live on the site. Very desirable to do so. If you were far from the site, your would have a much harder time doing this.
3. Did you have timber on your home site that you cut and had milled to supply your logs?
Yes, I have 60 acres of timber to cut, but I did NOT use it. The price to have it hauled from my site, milled and then hauled back was more than purchasing timber from a local Amish mill. My timber bill was $3500. That was for 10000 bf of white pine timbers cut to my dimensions.
4. I saw lots of plans on the wall so I’ll assume that this was a "designed" home for which you purchased the plans!
Yes. I purchased these plans. Best $900 spent. They include full blueprints and cut sheets for each and every piece to be cut. You can buy stock plans for less. Mine had to be modified to fit my existing foundation.
5. Can an "average Joe" start and finish a project such as this one if he has the dedication and necessary timber??
Yes. Without a doubt.
6. Given the present cost of lumber and building materials in general do you have adequate timber to finish the interior of your home?
My lumber all comes from a local mill. Prices there are still very reasonable compared to what you would pay at a HD and Lowes.
7. I would love to build a project such as this one but I wouldn't want to start unless I thought I could finish....
You can do this if you have the time, patience, and proper tools. At a minimum, the tools required are:
•Timber framing chisels. A 1.5” and a 2” are all you need. $100 - $200 for both. Shop EBay for bargains and sharpen them to like new.
•Good wooden or rawhide mallet.
•A few good handsaws.
•A good circular saw. My personal preference is a solid 8 1/4" worm drive saw, but that is just personal preference.
•A good heavy duty 1/2" drill.
In addition, I purchased the following specialty tools on the used market:
•A Makita Chain mortiser. This was a $1000 dollar item (used!) and has been worth every penny. It makes cutting an individual mortise a 3 to 5 minute job as opposed to a half hour job.
•A 16” Makita circular saw. This makes cutting beams a breeze compared to a handsaw. I picked one up on EBay for $125 that had bad bearings. For a few bucks and some time, I have a saw that retails for $700+.
Both of these specialty tools could easily be sold after the project is complete to recoup your investment. If you take care of them, you will get almost all of your money back. I, however, have no intention of ever selling mine. They are too useful to consider getting rid of them.
8. And finally, what is the approximate sq. footage of your home and what type of foundation will you build the structure upon?
My house will be 32’ X 48’ for approximately 1500 sq feet per floor. My first floor has 9’ wall height. My second floor will have 5’ wall height and only covers 5/8 of the first floor. The other 3/8 of the space is open from the first floor to the roof. That gets me about 2500 sq ft of space on floor one and two, plus a 1500 sq ft completely finished foundation that I currently live in. In retrospect I would have gone smaller. 28’ X 44’ or even 24’ X 40’. It would have made the beam sizes that I had to work much smaller and consequently much easier to handle. My main beams are 16” x 8” in cross section and 30’ long (two pieces with a central scarf joint). They are back breakers at about 500 – 600 pounds each piece. Ouch!
It is being built on a concrete block foundation. If you used concrete block, fill the block where posts will sit with concrete to provide additional strength.
Enclosing the frame has many options. I am going with precut SIPs. You can use a variety of methods ranging from strawbale to traditional framing.
9. Parapharsed: Did you cut this all by hand?
Yes. With the help of the two power tools mentioned above. A CNC machine can cut a post like mine in about 7 minutes. It takes me about 4 hours per post.
:waa: 
