Don’t try this at home! Luckily we were homeless and building a home so this gets a pass. These are some LARGE Douglas Fir timbers with some moisture left in them, so moving them up and around was a challenge. Fortunately nothing a little redneck ingenuity, a come-along hoist and some scaffold couldn’t handle! This is the eventual living room, the larger beam on the left is 14″ tall x 8″ wide x 22′ long, and the posts are 10×10″.

The knee braces are 6×6 fir posts that we curved with a chainsaw. Not the most romantic way of sculpting these big logs, but in the end they turned out pretty well! As they stand today the timbers are still quite rough; eventually we’ll probably sand and stain them but for now they do hold a certain charm. Most guests like the look and encourage us to leave them, but they do have a habit of collecting hair and dust, and dishing out a few slivers when a little one runs by too closely!

Big thanks to cousin Jonny who stopped by for a couple of these important days; doing this solo was a little risky so I’m glad he was able to lend a hand and a hoist!