Timber Frame Cottage Ridge Beam & RaftersGMonday, April 28th, 2014 After everyone left yesterday, I had a panicky feeling in my stomach about all that we had left to do. The king posts needed to be installed, as did the ridge beam and the rafters. How on earth would we be able to do this by ourselves? I was re-li...
Timber Frame Cottage Frame Raising: The Big Day, Part ThreeGSunday, April 27th, 2014 After lunch, we finish raising the last bent and place the two wall plates. Next up, we check to see if the assembly is square. Our first measurement shows we're out by a whopping five inches from corner to corner. At this point, Rick and Charlie...
Timber Frame Cottage Raising: The Big Day, Part TwoGSunday, April 27th, 2014 Shortly after raising the first bent, our dear friend Jenna arrives bearing a gorgeous loaf of wood-fired-oven-baked bread, and her tiny, bleating lamb, Brianna. We pause to greet her, and to hold the lamb, cooing at its perfect adorableness, buryi...
Timber Frame Cottage Raising: The Big Day, Part OneGSunday, April 27th, 2014 As I arrange bananas, a water jug, and several containers of snacks on a makeshift plywood table this morning, I do so with a feeling of peace. With the stress of non-stop preparation and the uncertainty of assembling the first bent of our home be...
Timber Frame Cottage Raising: The Dress RehearsalGSaturday, April 26th, 2014 It's a clammy, dark afternoon. I just picked up Tyler from the airport after his week in California, and we've been home for less than an hour. Already we're at the house site, going over final preparations for the frame raising of our little cotta...
Timber Frame Cottage Raising: PreparationGFriday, April 25th, 2014 While Tyler spent the week working in sunny California, I held down the fort and got us ready for the long awaited frame raising of our little timber frame cottage! I set a date, invited some friends, and then proceeded to obsess about the weather ...
Tar Paper on Workshop Roof DeckingGSunday, April 20th, 2014 This evening, Bocoup is flying me to Santa Monica to kick off a project with a new client. While planning for this, I asked our office manager to book the flight as late as possible this Sunday—I wanted to take full advantage of the sunny weekend....
Finish Work on the Solar ShedGSaturday, April 19th, 2014 It's amazing what we can get done when there isn't a foot of snow on the ground! This weekend was full-on spring, with glorious warm weather and sunny skies. To celebrate and make the most of it, we spent every single hour of daylight tying up the ...
Straw Bale WorkshopGTuesday, April 15th, 2014 For the past week, we've had the privilege of attending a straw bale workshop run by Andrew Morrison at The Healing Co-op in Middletown, Rhode Island. We've come away from the experience feeling changed and blessed. The hands-on lessons Andrew ga...
The Cottage Windows Are HereGMonday, April 14th, 2014 As the general contractor for our little house build, it's immensely satisfying to watch the pieces of this giant puzzle fall into place. Today, the windows I spent ages selecting arrived. They're stored in the workshop now, awaiting their install...
Fleeing Mud Season to BostonGSunday, April 6th, 2014 Tyler and I have just finished a fantastic week in Boston! He was in the city to work and teach a class on Javascript at the Bocoup Loft, and I was lucky enough to tag along. The mini break could not have come at a better time. After months of snow...