We cut studs, 6 x 6 floor joists, 10 x 10 beams – some of
them up to 20 feet long, 19 foot roof trusses and 12 inch wide
roof boards, all with the chain saw mill. Granted it was
smelly, hot and dirty work. But the chainsaw mill proved
indispensable to this ‘cheap Scotsman’ as my wife (and
father) called me.
We only cut mature trees, and we used dead and damaged
trees whenever possible. Because we cut the lumber right
where the trees fell, all the waste was left to break down and
fertilize the forest. In a healthy forest, there is no need to
replant; simply let natural regeneration take place.
Building the house turned out to be a slow process. Soon
October was closing in on us and we only had the second
floor done. A roof was two months’ work away. What should
we do?
After working for nearly five months without a day off, we
took a trip to visit our parents’ home in Southern Ontario.
While we were there, my dad mentioned a large greenhouse
tomato grower who had suffered hail damage to half of his
plastic greenhouses.
His insurance was replacing all his greenhouses and he lots
of 20 x 200 foot rolls of used plastic to give away. After we
visited the site, the owner loaded two rather unwieldy rolls of
plastic into our full-sized van.
The kids sat on the plastic for the five-hour trip home. The
next day we installed two layers of plastic over the second
floor as a makeshift roof, said a prayer thanking God for all
He had given us, and we moved in. It was September 25,
1994.