Ira before placing the final piece of sheathing

Ira trimming the edge

The roof sheathing

Fall view from Avens Springs

The micro-mansion comes to life

Ira and the view of the East wall.

Raise the Roof!!!

I bought rough-sawn lumber from Sunrise Sawmill in Asheville. The owner told me all the trees they mill are cut from privately owned land (none from Forest Service land). We precut all the wood to size at Ira's shop in town.

Cedar deck is laid & walls are up!

I bought some South Carolina cedar from a guy in Rutherfordton who harvested it from his land. It was milled into 1" thick rough-sawn boards and smells incredible. We used it for the decking on the chalet & the rest will be used to line the walls of the shower. Ira & I put up all four walls in 8 hours. We barely noticed the drizzling rain & finished with a hammer in one hand and a lantern in the other.

Workshop conception

Six posts 4 black locust & 2 oaks (felled on site), moved by hand, set in gravel (dug on site). Ira & Quetzal standing proud.