Richmond Woods: Workshop

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.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Workshop

I was going to build the roof structure first to get my tools under cover as quickly as possible but then decided that building and handling the 28' trusses would be much easier from a smooth level platform. So, today I started framing the floor.

The plan is simple...doubled 2x10s sandwiching the sets of posts fastened with 5/16 lag screws. Bridging blocks are nailed between these on 16" centers. To each 2x10 is nailed a 2x4 ledger strip on which the 2x6 joists will rest. Blocks of 2x2 are nailed to each side of each end of each joist to prevent rolling. Here is the basic structure...

Four bays of 19 joists each plus a closing band at each end to accommodate walls between the posts (I still have to add extra joists and blocks down the sides for the same purpose). Sometimes the wood is a little crooked and you have to use gentle force to get it straight.