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Slideshow (395 photos)

The Hut (map)
 

Back porch, no roof, floor, or framing

 

Back porch timbers and ceiling (2x6 T&G white cedar)

 

Back porch floor, made from 2x4 T&G white cedar harvested in Pompey

 

Framing on the bay window

 

framing on the bay window, looking into the beginnings of the chimney

 

Framing on bay window as it interfaces with the timber frame

 

Bay window area with the windows installed

 

Bay window area with scaffolding

 

Framing on the interior of the bedroom

 

Ceiling of the first floor is finished with maple harvested from our home in Pompey

First floor with completed chimney and Lucie on the mezzanine

 

Front door is finally installed with the Emtek latch kit

 

The emtek front door latch

 

The siding begins to creep around the house and onto the porch

 

Another shot of the front porch; the large crate left of the door is the boiler

 

The Hut enclosed in plywood; the building finally begins to take form

 

The Hut enclosed in plywood, seen from the front

 

Jack tries a mockup of the stairs that Steve built

 

Jim standing on the back porch before the floor was installed

 

We set up a temporary camp in the meadow dubbed "Mosquito Camp" for obvious reasons

The Hut is stained dark brown (as required by our APA permit)

 

The large boulders are to receive the porch posts

 

One of the boulders that will act as a support for a porch post

 

The timber frame of the roof system

 

Two types of siding are used -- red cedar shingles and red cedar clapboard

View of the dix range from the bay window

 

Looking out the bay window from within the great room

 

Looking at the bay window area from the second floor prior to the chimney

 

Looking into the bedroom from the outside

 

The completed drainage system for the outdoor shower

 

Head on view of the Hut; the trim and flooring are stored under blue tarps on the porch

 

Another view of the Hut from the side

 

The first snow on the Hut

  Chimney
 

Air intake of the chimney

 

Wood support for the fireplace opening archway

 

The arch of the fireplace opening, with the wood support in place

 

Stonework on the left side of the fireplace arch

 

Keystone in the fireplace arch

 

Fireplace arch with firebrick in the back

 

Completed fireplace opening; Mark in the background

 

Completed fireplace opening; Mark and Lucie in the background

 

Chimney with scaffolding, just before breaking through the roof

 

Chimney with scaffolding, just before breaking through the roof

 

Chimney from the mezzanine with the fan airspace and wood stove flue

 

Completed chimney

 

Another shot of the completed chimney

 

Another shot of the completed chimney

 

Chimney from the mezzanine with the temporary ridge pole support still in place

 

Chimney from the mezzanine with the fan airspace and wood stove flue

 

Closeup of the rocks in the chimney at the mezzanine level

 

Stones gathered from the property for the chimney

 

More stones gathered from the property for the chimney

 

Staging area for stones gathered from the property for the chimney

 

Closeup of a few stones

 

Staging area for the chimney stones as seen from the roof

 

Exterior scaffolding for building the chimney above the roof

 

Closeup of the stonework around the cubby in the kitchen

 

Closeup of the stonework below the hearth

 

Chimney in the kitchen galley

 

Chimney at about the 6' level

 

Stonework around the cubby in the kitchen

 

Stonework around the air intake

 

Stonework around the wood storage cubby

 

Stonework around the air intake and wood storage cubby

 

Closeup of embedded river stones

 

Another closeup of embedded river stones

 

Stonework on the left side of the wood storage cubby

 

Stonework on the right side of the wood storage cubby

 

Carefully fit stones in the chimney

 

Stonework in the kitchen galley near the floor

 

Taking a rest after collecting chimney stones from the property

 

Metal air intake vents in the fireplace box

 

Fireplace box from above

 

The timber frame is supported at 5 positions by the chinney. To do so, the chimney had to be built around the free-floating members, then the temporary supports removed.

 

The hole has been cut into the ceiling to allow for the chimney

 

Jim and Jack load equipment onto the flatbed for transport to the Hut; this equipment was used to collect stones for the chimney from the property

 

Mark cleans out the joints between the stones

 

Mark's diamond saw

 

Mark grinds the edge off a stone to achieve a proper fit

 

Mark begins the chimney

 

Round stones from the Boquet gathered for use in the chimney

 

The collection of round stones gathered from the river for use in the chimney

 

The crew that did the initial gathering of stones for the chimney

 

Staging area for the chimney stones

  Interior
 

Bales of cellulose await loading into the hopper

 

The bay window with all the surrounding maple paneling completed

 

The bedroom has two closets, each paneled with maple. We used the maple with the most defects for this job.

 

The completed paneling in the bedroom

 

Another view of the completed paneling in the bedroom

 

The cherry paneling had to be scribed where it met with the maple ceiling, since the maple ceiling was warped and cupped due to moisture damage

 

A view of the bedroom closet with the new canister lights installed on the ceiling above

 

The first flooring was laid near the chimney in the kitchen

 

Leslie inspects the hickory flooring

 

New canister lights in the great room

 

New canister lights in the bedroom

 

The toilet closet was paneled with cherry scraps down low and maple up higher

 

The cherry paneling in the bedroom was scribed around each oak rafter

 

Up close and personel with the cherry paneling in the bedroom

 

The completed insulation job in the bathroom. Cellulose was blown into the various cavities in the exterior wall.

 

Careful work by Skip the electrician

 

The first window extension jamb and sill installation in the bathroom

 

Another window with a completed extension jamb

 

The extension jamb on the triangular window

 

The hickory floor was carefully scribed around the stonework of the chimney

 

The chumney hearth showing the careful scribe work on the flooring

 

Closeup of the floor around the hearth

 

I installed cherry flooring on the ceiling above the bedroom closet; this flooring was extra from our house construction 15 years ago

 

More flooring around the side of the chimney

 

More flooring around the side of the chimney

 

More flooring around the side of the chimney

 

Side of the great room from the loft

 

The great room and chimney with the scaffolding

 

Green board installed in the shower

 

The interior bedroom wall was insulated, both for sound proofing and to shut off part of the house in the winter

 

Johnny finishes the final corner of flooring in the bedroom

 

Katey helps break up the cellulose bales as they enter the hopper

 

The bathroom wall prominently displays a natural knot in the maple

 

The maple flooring in the loft, partially completed

 

Lucie sands the front door; for some reason, the door was delivered with black mold on the lower half

 

The paneling (maple) and trip (cedar) in the dressing room, all from scraps left over from our basement project

 

The wall paneling was carefully installed around the braces of the frame

 

Paneling in the bathroom, partially complete

 

Paneling in the hallway and utility area

 

Completed paneling in the bathroom, wide angle view

 

Paneling in-progress in the great room

 

Paneling in-progress in the great room

 

Paneling in the loft just after it was completed

 

Paneling in the loft just after it was completed

 

The panels in the peak of the roof needed to be assembled in advance, then slide up behind the post-and-beam structure using a sledge hammer

 

Schelly emerges from the Hut just after a session with the insulation blower

 

Schelly cuts flooring on the chop saw

 

A nasty job, Schelly blows insulation into the bathroom wall

 

The bedroom before the closet was paneled

 

The wood stove prior to installation

 

The wood stove with its first fire

 

The wood stove and pipe, just after installation

 

Fisheye view of the toilet closet

 

The first window to be completed with its trim, in this case, walnut wood

 

Fisheye view of the bedroom and closets

 

Fisheye view of the bedroom, ready for the floor sander

 

Fisheye view of the bedroom, ready for the floor sander

 

Great room cleared of tools and ready for the floor sander

 

Great room cleared of tools and ready for the floor sander

 

The great room with the doors stacked against the wall

 

Looking at the bay window from the loft

 

Bathroom hallway

The chimney and gear room

  Plumbing
 

Countertop made of Adirondack granite (in the Cold Springs Granite showroom)

 

An outdoor shower is installed on the west side of the Hut, providing us early access to water

 

The outdoor shower is made of rough copper piping, well suited to the look-and-feel of the Hut

 

Pressure tank in the utility room

 

A temporary toilet is installed for the crew

 

There is a dug well with a concrete top. This has since been raised another 4 feet.

 

In the spring, there was 9' of water in the well

 

A model of the underfloor heating system used under the wood floor

 

The floor of the outdoor shower is a pit, lined with plastic and filled with river stones

 

The outdoor shower is drained to the hillside using PVC pipe left over from the septic installation

 

The floor of the outdoor shower is drained via PVC pipe to the hillside

 

The drain pipe is covered with mesh to prevent animals from taking up shop

 

Plumbing a la Mike Morris and Sons

  Roof
 

Bob on the roof, preparing it for the roof panels

 

A large crew is required to lift the 10" stress skin panels onto the roof

 

The roof is finally installed -- 24 guage standing seam, double lock, Hartford green

 

The new roof

 

The new roof from the northwest with cutouts for the kitchen exhaust, boiler, and septic vent

 

The pile of 10" stress skin for use on the roof

  Site Work
 

Adam trims the "Adirondack Palm Tree"

 

Adam saws off his lanyard (not)

 

Large bucket on the excavator

 

Forms for the footer

 

South side of the foundation -- forms for the footer

 

Excavation crew dumping sand, then moving it into the foundation

 

Sheehan's excavator with its enormous bucket

 

Back filling the foundation with sand

 

Back filling the foundation with sand

 

Foundation as seen from the front of the hut as the excavation crew pack sand into the interior

 

View of the foundation from the west. The large concrete box in the center is the foundation for the chimney; the smaller free-standing piers are for posts in the timber frame.

 

Jim digs the trench for the phone cable on a hot, sweaty day

 

Jim measures the Hut site

 

Jim chips branches cleared from the view

 

John consults with the representative from the power company

 

The new driveway; the box on the right is the transformer

 

The excavation crew packs the sand with a tamping machine

 

A man from the power company repairs the transformer

 

The building site for the Hut before any work

 

Crane at the site before the raising

 

Looking south from the virgin site; stakes and ropes mark the locations of the building

 

The site layout occurred when the site was still snow covered; a sled was used to transport equipment to the site

 

The beginning of work on the concrete footers

 

Overview of the hole before the foundation

 

Another overview of the hole before the foundation

 

The view from the bay window

  Stone Floor
 

Mark and his brother Phil cement the floor stones into position

 

The stone floor is laid out dry; the joints between the floor stones are filled with small river pebbles

 

The stone floor after everything has been leveled and cemented into place; several of the pebble fillers are done as well

 

The completed stone floor before the sealer is applied

 

The stone floor after sealing: one of the pebble sections

 

The stone floor as seen from the bathroom door

 

Another pebble section in the floor; the pebbles were collected by hand from the Boquet River

 

Several more pebble sections in the stone floor

 

Pebble sections in the stone floor

 

The finished (and sealed) stone floor

 

The finished (and sealed) stone floor as seen from the bathroom door

 

The stone flooring, still in its palletes

  Timber Frame
 

Jim holds the temporary brace as the others lower the ridge pole into position

 

Steve's timber framing shop

 

Closeup of timbers on the back porch

 

Bag of webbing uses by the Amstutz crew in assembling the frame

 

The bottom of the posts are sealed before placing them on the metal brackets

 

Up close and personal with the braces

 

Bucket of dowels used hold the joints together

 

Calvin prepares a mortise in the shop

 

Calvin drills a hole for a dowel

 

Calvin uses giant orange hammer to wack something into place

 

Calvin working in the shop on the timbers

 

Carpenter butt

 

Clamping the floor section to the door section

 

Mike climbs the door section

 

Colin pushes scaffolding onto the second floor

 

Colin messing around with the giant hammer, Kevin in the background

 

Comealongs used to hold up sections of the frame during the raising

 

Another comealong

 

Nifty joinery in the timber frame

 

More cool joinery in the timber frame

 

Cool spline holds together a complex joint in the timber frame

 

Boom of the crane during the raising

 

Crane hook flies through the air

 

Hook of the crane

 

Crane moves a load of timbers off the delivery truck

 

Calvin cuts a dowel to make room for the ridge pole

 

Dennis can't resist climbing onto the ridge pole after the raising

 

Skethcy traversing on the ridge pole

 

Doug and Nancy locate the metal brackets on which the posts rest

 

Doug and Nancy locate the metal brackets on which the posts rest

 

Doug and Nancy prep the floor section before it is raised into position

 

Doug working with a clamp during the raising

 

Doug cuts a dowel to length

 

The crane operator directing traffic

 

Doug preps beams for the crane

 

Practiced hands perform the delicate work of moving timbers into place

 

Practiced hands perform the delicate work of moving timbers into place

 

Cutting dowels to length

 

More trimming of dowels

 

Drills sit idle

 

Preparing a large section of the timber frame for lifting by the crane

 

The timber frame without the rafters and ridge pole

 

Framing on the mezzanine floor

 

Section of the mezzanine floor before it was moved into place with the crane

 

The crew prepares to receive the ridge pole

 

Various bents ready to be raised

 

The timber frame, about 1/3 completed

 

The first large bents has just been moved into position

 

The completed timber frame is surrounded by stick-built 2x6 walls

 

Steve and Doug preparing for the first large bent

 

Porch posts partially completed

 

Front porch framing as seen from the front door

 

The completed front porch -- 2x4 T&G white cedar floor, 2x6 T&G white cedar ceiling, cedar posts, and pine timber framing

 

Completed front porch, seen from the west

 

Completed front porch; the yellow wire is for a hanging lantern

 

Completed front porch, seen from the east

 

Front porch posts temporarily held in place

 

Front porch, incomplete, left side

 

Completed front porch seen from the north with the large columns resting on boulders moved from elsewhere on the property

 

Front porch seen from the front (north)

 

Front porch seen from the west; there is a hole where the chinney will soon appear through the roof

 

Another view of the front porch from the west

 

View showing the ceiling of the front porch

 

Front porch posts demonstrating the careful scribing where the posts meet the rock

 

Crew members prepare the floor section to be raised into position

 

Amstutz's shop with Jack making a phone call while Calvin works

 

Jim and Lucie during the raising

 

Jim and Tommy watch the frame raising

 

Jim holds up a brace -- one of the few jobs I could do

 

Jim does nothing, waiting orders

 

Jim connects the strapping to the crane

 

Jim spots the post as it's moved across the site

 

Jim positions a post onto a metal plate on the foundation

 

A post is positioned, making sure that the brace and horizontal member are fit at the same time

 

Jim prepares the straps for lifting a member

 

Jim helping out from the heights

 

Moving about the timber frame is easy for climbers

 

Jim tries to be helpful, but probably is getting in the way

 

Trimming a dowel to the correct length

 

Pounding a dowel into place to hold a joint together

 

Joe and Tommy climb around on the completed frame

 

The "climbers" help position the scaffolding

 

Kevin holds a brace in position while a post is slid into position

 

Kevin clamps a strongback onto a joint to provide lateral strength during lifting

 

The crew getting started with the raising; Steve is dealing with an issue where the iron rods in the foundation are mispositioned

 

Carpenter's level

 

Four strong backs are required to move a rafter subsection

 

Continuing to move the rafter subsection, Doug comes to help

 

Continuing to move the rafter subsection, Doug helps, Jou and Doug watch

 

The very first frame subsection raised into postion -- the king posts around the front door

 

A bucket of comealongs

 

A bucket of tension straps

 

Lucie and Jim on raising day -- all done

 

Lunch on raising day

 

A mallet

 

A mallet and chisel

 

Tools lay about on the site

 

Killer drills

 

Mike positions a post with a spline

 

Mike measures something

 

Mike installs a temporary shim

 

A minor ridge pole is lowers into position

 

Mike gets aggressive with the orange mallet

 

The tenon slides into position in its mortise

 

Steve and Jim move rafters around

 

Nancy planes the end of a post

 

Doug guides a horizontal member into place onto a spline

 

A large subsection of rafters is lifted by crane and positioned around the chimney opening

 

Richard and Tom guide the rafters into position

 

The first ridge pole is moved into position

 

The first bent is moved into position

 

A post flies through space

 

Bits of the timber frame are assembled on the ground before being raised

 

Setting up the straps and comealong in order to pull together the two bents

 

Doug coats the end grain of a post with preservative

 

Raising the final bent

 

The final bent, a little higher

 

The final bent now flies through the air

 

The final bent is lowered into position

 

The finished frame

 

A closeup of the raising crew

 

Another view of the finished frame and crew

 

The red oak used in our timber frame, just after delivery from Rhode Island

 

Raw material in the Amstutz shop

 

Richard attaches a comealong to pull sections of the frame together

 

Pile of sawdust generated during the raising

 

Amstutz's heavy-duty sawhorses

 

Closeup of the scribe work of the left porch post

 

Scribe work of the left porch post

 

The front ridge pole is positioned in place

 

Another view of the front ridge pole being installed

 

All hands on deck for the second ridge pole

 

Securing the second bent

 

The stairwell; no stairs yet, as this is one of the last things to be installed

 

Steve cleans the debris from a mortise

 

Monir adjustments are made to a tenon to ensure a proper fit

 

Steve uses a small tractor to move timbers around his yard and shop

 

Joe and Steve prepare the rafter subsections that surround the chimney

 

Steve and Mike oversee the movement of member

 

Steve and Mike slide the roof truss together

 

Steve inspects a mortise before fitting together the mating members

 

The crane ball is moved into position by Steve

 

Steve uses superhuman strength to casually move a 300 pound post; Kevin looks on in awe

 

Steve does his thing

 

Steve positions a brace as a complicated joint comes together

 

Just before the joint comes together

 

Steve hands something up to Jim

 

Steve straps and Kevin clamps -- preparing to move a section of timber frame with the crane

 

Steve applies straps to a frame section to move with the crane

 

Straps on frame bits

 

Timber frame bits in Steve's shop

 

Braces in Amstutz's shop

 

Lots of timber frame bits await installation

 

More timber frame bits

 

More timber frame bits

 

The entire Hut frame, sitting in storage awaiting installation

 

The timber frame is partially built on the ground prior to the raising

 

The timber frame is partially built on the ground prior to the raising; Lucie sits in the middle

 

Tommy working during the raising

 

Taking a break from the action

 

Working during the raising

 

A small hand-made toolbox

 

Signaling the crane operator to lift using non-standard signals

 

Giant mallets

  Wood Harvest
 

Cherry log, just after being dropped; a fine specimen

 

Beginning a cut on a virgin maple log

 

Partway through a cut on a virgin maple log

Once the log is squared, many planks can be quickly cut

 

Beginning a cut on a cherry log

 

Closeup of the band saw blade cutting a maple log

 

Another view of Dan on his portable band mill, Doug in the background

 

Erin and Zack watch the band mill

 

Erin and Zack skid an enormous cherry log

 

Erin and Dan discuss the ongoing milling operation

 

Arty shot of a stack of maple with the stickers running horizontally

 

The staging area for milling operations -- the barn. Snow is removed to make way for more skidding

 

Frozen maple logs waiting to be milled

 

Maple logs look good -- no rot in the middle

 

Lots of maple logs in the skidding area

 

Maple board drying in the barn; drying racks are built from ropes run across the width of the barn

 

Hundreds of boards are dried at a time

 

Lucie working hard on preparing the maple

 

The finished maple ceiling; we're very excited to see our maple in use

 

The finished maple ceiling; the strings are to locate the chimney

 

Another shot of the maple ceiling and red oak timber frame

 

A pile of rough-sawn maple stacked in the barn during milling

 

A pile of 12 foot rough-sawn maple

 

Erin and his son Zack move a large maple log onto the portable band mill

 

A large tarp was erected to allow spraying of the maple board in the rain

 

Another view of the spraying tent

 

Zack skids a beautiful cherry log down the road