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I maintained a crew of seven men on this project… it took that many just to handle the heavy timbers that made up this house.

Four of these men were very talented carpenters who would pair off and work together on a shared goal.

And then two of the men were the stone masons… I would later add a helper to their efforts once the chimney would start to rise and additional labor was needed to get the stone and mortar ever higher.

And then, I had my lead man who would orchestrate the entire process. That role being the most taxing, both mentally and physically, but if you have the talent for it, it’s the best job in the world.

I did have another project going on at the same time. The crew on that job was busy converting an old barn into a museum for a private art collection. When it came time to erect this vintage timber-frame I would combine both crews to get this old home once again “up in the air”.

That week, the week that the crews merged, the week that we put up this frame, was a celebratory time. I dare say that each of those men to this day reflect upon that week with great fondness. I doubt if the same can be said of that week on any other construction site in this county.

Originally posted 2015-04-09 15:29:02.