Working on a big canvas: 40 acres on Lookout Mountain, Alabama.


Purchase and Location

I bought this property in 2005 and named it Richmond Woods for my father who taught me about nature and respect for the wild. It's located in Alabama near the Alabama/Georgia state line. The small nearby village of Mentone, AL has been a mountain retreat for 150 years for people escaping the summer heat of Birmingham and Atlanta. My companion, Carolyn, has helped me every step of the way.

A Cottage in the Woods
When you were little, did someone read fairy tales to you? Invariably, there was mention of a cottage in the woods. Our plan is to build such a place: handmade, no architect plans, buying local materials or using salvaged materials. The purpose of this blog is to document our progress.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Begin Porch Framing


The weekend of Dec 6-7, I started work on framing the porch. I picked up a load of lumber from Storey Lumber Co. and started laying out the "timber framing".

After cutting the 4x4s to correct length, I set up the miter saw to mill out a 3/4 inch deep notch for the headers.







Then I set up a jig to cut the bottom jacks and cripples.


I managed to get the floor sills nailed down and one wall laid out and mostly nailed together before I ran out of weekend.

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