I am happy to say that the house is coming together just as envisioned.  This is a result of Ben Taylor's careful rendering of plans and illustrations and familiarization with the building site prior to construction. 06-25 Pano Once the framing got started the transformation from foundation to enclosed walls and roof seemed very fast.  It went from what looked like a set of "Hollywood Squares" to house in no time.
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Here the massive Glu-Lam beam that will support the roof over the loft is put in place with Matt Dolan operating the tele-handler and Ben guiding it into place.  Glu-Lam is a product made of laminated strips of wood which makes for a strong material that is less costly; does not require the use of a large tree; is more stable in that it is less prone to twisting, warping and cracking.

untitled shoot-0515 Next week is predicted to have a stretch of 105+ degree weather so there is some urgency in getting the roof sheeting in place to provide shade to work on the interior wall framing. untitled shoot-0542

Interior framing seems to be going quickly too.  Here is a view of loft from the great room.

Loft and Kitchen

The great room with the chimney box installed.  The wall sheeting is not all in yet, but the windows will be in the corner and located under the headers. untitled shoot-2857edited

Here are the stairs leading up to the loft with temporary treads in place while under construction. Stairway to Loft

And finally a view of the mountains from the loft corner.

South View from Loft

I hope you enjoyed this entry.  I will be writing about some plants and animals in the area next.