For the love of timber frames…
A Broke College Student and Her Boyfriend Start Building A House…
It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it’s how this whole thing started. My journey into home construction began (unbeknownst to me) when my husband purchased a piece of land during his college days, before we met. I was still living in Maryland at the time, and he was in Vermont, but he had plans for his future home and family. Little did we know, this would kickstart an adventure filled with challenges and triumphs. In 2014, he had meticulously dismantled two separate timberframes – a feat accomplished just a month before our paths crossed for the first time.
About a year into our relationship, we embarked on the ambitious task of re-notching and preparing the beams and boards for the first timberframe. Juggling my roles as a full-time student, working two jobs, and planning our wedding, and my husband navigating his own full-time job, we spent over a year on this intricate preparation. Finally, in 2016, we were ready to begin constructing the first timberframe, converting it into a garage with an apartment above. My husband has been immersed in the construction industry for his entire adult life. With a wealth of experience under his tool belt, he brought our project to fruition and transformed our dreams into tangible structures. His skills, honed over countless projects, laid the foundation – both literally and figuratively – for the labor of love that is our house.
So much to learn, so little time
As for myself, I entered this adventure with a less conventional background. While not formally trained in construction, my learning curve was steep and swift. I took on the role of his apprentice, absorbing knowledge with every beam we placed and every nail we drove. While juggling academic pursuits and work obligations, I found myself suddenly immersed in the intricacies of both planning and building. The challenges were many, but so were the lessons. I spent many hours on the phone with vendors and contractors. Every spare moment was spent reading blogs and forums online about the process, and what my next step was.
Nights and weekends became our building hours. There were countless nights where we’d get home from school or work and go pick up a hammer to keep the project moving forward until the late hours of the night. The constant stress and hard work put a strain on our young relationship, but we learned so much about each other and how to communicate through the challenges.
The First Project Completed
After exactly one year, we stepped back, marveling at our first completed building project. It was a feeling of satisfaction I had never known before. Not only did I help create this permanent structure, I lived in it day in and day out, knowing all the little details and quirks of the building, where things were located, and how the inner workings of the house were set up.
The Itch to Start Something New
For the next four years, that apartment was our home. But as our family expanded with the arrival of two little ones, the need for more space became undeniable. And so, prompted by the pitter-patter of tiny feet, we decided to undertake the construction of our main house, this time using the second timberframe (twice the size of the first) connected to the garage/apartment we started with.
Now, with a toddler and an infant in tow, we find ourselves once again in the midst of construction chaos. Nights and weekends remain our building hours, and we’re navigating the delicate balance of parenthood and home construction, while working our full-time jobs. It’s a journey that’s far from conventional, filled with laughter, exhaustion, tears (so many tears, and not just from the babies!) and the satisfaction that comes with creating a home from the ground up – one beam at a time.
Now I Want to Help YOU
My journey from novice to someone who could hold their own on a construction site was not just a personal transformation but also an opportunity to share insights that could benefit others navigating the often complex path of home planning. It’s my hope that our experiences and the lessons learned along the way can serve as a guiding light for those embarking on their own unique home planning journeys. My guide is the culmination of those lessons learned and will hopefully help you as you delve into your own home-building endeavor.