Introduction

[soneill]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Shawn, I have been coming to this web site every day for the last year. I think you have the absolute best website there is. I have been building a small log cabin (700sq ft) on Cumberland Lake in southern Kentucky for, well, lets just say its been afew years. A few things happened along the way that has slowed progress. I hope to show some pictures (with a little help) in the near future. I have learned a lot from this site and your forums and would like to thank you, all of you. I plan to use some of your information for a small timber framed addition on my cabin, once the interior is finished out. I have to get the cabin finished as soon as possible so my dad can have a more comfortable place to hang out with me. He's 86 and loves to go with my brother and brothers inlaws and me to hang out for the week ends. I've made almost everything myself from flooring to cabinets to stairs etc.  
Thanks again, I will have a lot of questions in the near future if that's ok.

[John Raabe]

Welcome to the forum Shawn!

We're looking forward to seeing your photos (see the tips on image posting in the forum header). It sounds like an interesting project. My dad is just turning 90 and while his body and mind are starting to give out, he taught me lots about building and planning.

http://www.countryplans.com/thought-ex.html

John

[glenn kangiser]

Welcome to the forum. Shawn.  Looking forward to seeing your project.

We want to try to help people be self sufficient and to have the skills it takes to be able to build affordable shelter for their family.  It has been the custom in the past that tradesmen jealously guard their secrets as a matter of job security.  We feel that it is more important for people to be able to have and build their own home within their means if they want to better themselves, therefore we share the knowledge.

Kind of a little volunteer self help project.

[MountainDon]

Hey John, I never ran across that link on the main site before. Very interesting. Quite a project to start on for a sixty year old... only as old as your attitude I say.  Hmmm, that # clicked by a while back for me...   :-/   I hope your Dad's hip is doing fine.

I've got Carroll's "Working Alone" book and agree it's a good one. Learned some and had some of my own thinking affirmed.

[John Raabe]

Mountain Don:

Thanks for your thoughts. My dad is healed (as much as one does at 90) but will be using a walker for the rest of his life. It is tough on a project based guy who is used to doing things on his own.

The "Working Alone" book is a classic! 75 years from now people will still be buying that one. (Like the 1947 classic, "The Have-More Plan" on postwar homesteading.)