Everywhere I looked I discovered marvels of days gone by… from old mill stones… to massive wood cranes used to lift these stones into place, and to remove them, when they had worn down.
Originally posted 2015-04-22 15:17:13.
Stepping inside I was overwhelmed with what I saw…
Originally posted 2015-04-22 14:08:27.
As you can see, “the chase” (where the water once flowed to power this Mill), had long ago filled in with soil and had partially buried the waterwheel. (We would later find that the bottom half of this wheel had rusted away).
Pre-Civil War barns and mills are rare in Virginia.
The Northern armies were ordered to burn all these structures as that War neared it’s end. The story goes that a team of Northern men were sent to burn this mill, but when they found that the Southern men who were guarding the Mill were also members of the Masons, they agreed to let the Mill stand.
Originally posted 2015-04-22 13:56:23.
Towns and cities often grew up around Mills… which were the economic engines of many communities. These Mills turned the crops of an agricultural nation into products that could be bartered or sold. Stores, services, bars, and banks, popped up nearby to absorb the money that farmers made.
They were gorgeous to look upon and their workings were a wonder to behold. I imagine the front porch of this Mill was once the community’s main source of news and information as wheat was loaded onto wagons.
The Shenandoah Valley was once known as the breadbasket of this nation. It was a different time. I would have loved to have seen it.
This Mill started out it’s life grinding flour on millstones, but later was converted to a roller mill system that could better refine the floor.
For reasons unknown to me this Mill began experiencing dramatic flooding. The Mill was closed, the roller milling equipment was removed, and parts of the Mill began to decay.
Originally posted 2015-04-22 13:19:23.
The Mill… part 1
Let me share with you this week the story of this Mill… now known as the Shenandoah Mill, formerly known as Custers Mill, and then as the Muddy Creek Mill.
Without my involvement this Mill would have been lost. The firm decision had been made for it’s destruction. It was up to me to find some way to preserve her.
Put yourself in my shoes, you have two months to move this building. Your resources are what you have in your wallet. What are you going to do?
Originally posted 2015-04-21 14:31:53.
This photo is easy to pass over… after all it’s just another construction shot. There is little design to be found here… but, there is a lot of detail.
Any construction firm can throw an old cabin up. But, will they do it justice?
Keep this photo handy and when it comes time for you to build your cabin, let this be your standard, or if you hire a builder, hand him this photo, and insist that his work be of this quality… or better.
Originally posted 2015-04-21 13:20:46.
The copper roof is being installed… one sheet at time.
I like copper.
It looks good. In fact, it looks gorgeous.
And, it needs zero maintenance. That’s nice.
It also lasts for a very long time (longer than people)… which means that when viewed from a long term perspective it is often the cheapest form of roofing.
And, if the homeowner does decide to sell the home, the extra cost of copper is recovered due to a higher home value of having a high quality roof.
Originally posted 2015-04-21 13:05:04.
I made a mistake years ago when I placed a ‘Help Wanted” ad in the local newspaper.
At the time I didn’t give it much thought… I needed another person to fill a vacancy on my crew.
I had spoken with a friend earlier in the day who was also an area builder. He told me of the difficult time that he was having finding help in the improving economy and that a recent ad that he had placed resulted in no responses.
This was a problem that I had not considered and I grew concerned the more I thought about it.
I looked at the paper to see his offering and this is what I found… “Wanted: Carpenter’s helper, must have three years experience, have all necessary tools and a truck. All candidates must submit to regular drug testing. We offer health insurance, a 401 retirement package, and two weeks paid vacation per year. “
My ad was different…
“Apprenticeship opportunity… our firm specializes in the restoration and construction of antique log cabins, timber frames, barns, and stone homes.
We work in scenic locations often with mountain or river views.
We are looking for just the right person to join our team… perhaps you are the right one?
Experience and tools are a real plus, but what we are really seeking is someone with a lot of enthusiasm,… someone who sees this offering as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’d also like someone who has experienced some higher learning classes such as history, or art, or literature… to keep the jobsite conversations entertaining and enlightening.
We are just a small company so we don’t offer a lot of perks that the bigger firms can. But, we can offer you tremendous team camaraderie, work that you will enjoy going to every day, and, if you stay with us for a year or two, you will have the knowledge and skills to build a home of your own, from the foundation to the finish work.”
I called the ad in to the local newspaper and the young lady there offered me a special price if I ran the ad for a full week.
I accepted.
Five hours later I was back on the phone begging for her to retract the ad. At that point I had received over a hundred phone calls from people seeking the one position that I had available.
I even had several people offer to work for free.
And believe it or not, I had one person offer to pay me to work for me. Imagine that.
I had people with doctorate degrees. People that had traveled the world. Craftsmen who had worked at Colonial Williamsburg.
I ended up hiring the guy who showed up singing a Bob Dylan song… you can’t go wrong hiring someone that likes Dylan. lol
Originally posted 2015-04-20 16:16:42.
I know what you are thinking… “where are the floaters?”
Well… we haven’t gotten to them yet. 🙂
When we are building a log cabin all attention is given to the corners. That is where the height of a log cabin comes from.
And, the corners is where all the weight of a log cabin is transferred to. They deserve all of our attention.
When we are building a cabin we get to set some nice short logs in the corner, then we get to set some spanners which tie everything together. Eventually, we will get the top log set in place and then it will be time to turn our attention to the floaters.
You can see in this photo that there is a huge opening on the front of the house. This is where the front door and windows will soon be.
The little logs that will soon fill in between the door and the windows are the “floaters”, they have no notching, they bear no weight, they just fill in an empty space, they are held up by nails and sometimes pegs, but there is no notching here, so in a way… they just “float”.
Originally posted 2015-04-20 15:54:34.
There is no finer way to spend your day than to be working outside with your friends… building a log cabin… a cabin with gorgeous logs… a cabin that you believe will last for centuries to come.
We have it easier than the original builders did when we set these logs by hand. Most of the logs that make up vintage cabins are no longer full length. We call those massive logs, the one’s that run the full length or width of the cabin, “spanners”.
Spanners are only found on a log wall where there is no door, window, or fireplace opening. So, the average log wall of a cabin only has three or four spanners… which are generally to be found above the doors and on the top course or two of logs that make up a cabin.
Spanners lock a house together and are SO important and valued. Spanners are long and heavy, and so they require “all hands” to lift them into place. Spanners are revered and treasured by us… because they are few in number… and because of the fact that you can always make a long log short.. but the opposite is very difficult.
Most old cabins were built using full length logs and after the cabin was fully assembled then door and window openings were cut into place.
The men of old lifted a lot of spanners. God bless them.
Originally posted 2015-04-20 13:38:45.
