The first order of business was to design, lay out, and install the 1st floor joist system (as seen here with Dusk and Mike at work) and then to deck it in such a way that 8 X 8 posts could be lowered into precisely located tight "pockets" within the framing.
Next, the aforementioned 8 X 8 posts were raised at the four house corners (and at a dozen other, intermediate points), with each timber then being dropped into precisely framed pockets. In this photo, Dusk, volunteer Tom McMillan, and The Quillens have begun to raise a corner post.
As the post rises, it moves out of reach of the person furthest back, but that person can then step to the front for a renewed, lower grasp...
... so that in only a few moments the beam is raised into position and is ready to be braced...
... and in a short while all the posts are standing cross-braced, ready to be joined by beams.
On this day, several additional volunteers joined the crew to raise the tripled rafters that rest directly over the timber frame posts. From left to right are: homeowners Mike and Aimee Quillen, Dr. Colin Goggin, Caroline (knealing), The Quillen's brother-in-law Mike, Dusk, and Tree.
Dusk hails the photographer from his perch on high.
Dusk and Mike Quillen at the ready to hoist one of the triple beams aloft.
"Now, just how did you say we're getting this 25' monster on top of the house?"
"Well, the first step in getting it up there is to pick it up like this."
"Then all we have to do is heave each of the triple beams up top and fasten the hound out of 'em!"
"Like so."
Here, we've begun adding the 25' single rafters to the Quillen home.
Caroline and Mike secure rafters at the peak, and Dusk works them at the "bird's mouths" below.
Dusk double-checks his rafter layout for the two, opposing bump outs.
Co-owner Mike Quillen pulls up one of the single rafters.
Dusk delights in having securely nailed off the most difficult of the "sleeper" rafters.
Miike Quillen rests a few minutes with his brother Dave who came all the way from Florida to help raise some of the rafters.
Caroline pulls up the ridge end of one of the final rafters. At this point, the whole crew was well-past weary, because 25' 2X10 yellow pine rafters are remarkably heavy.
With all the rafters nailed accurately in place, it was a relative "breeze" to add plywood decking and prepare the structure for stacking the hundreds of straw bales that will form energy-efficient walls in the Quillen's new home.
And it's an easy breeze to get those straw bales hauled to the site if you can count on lots of wonderful volunteer community help. Here are some of the Union Acres community folk who were stationed at the "load up" end of the hay moving operation.
And here are some of the community volunteers at the "off load" end of things on the deck of The Quillen home. In the front row, Caroline and Dusk are 3rd and 4th from left
