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Frenchy’s House!

frenchy | Posted in Photo Gallery on February 17, 2007 10:44am

Let’s see if this works.

 

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Replies

  1. MikeSmith | Feb 17, 2007 10:49pm | #1

    well, that oughta wet their appetites !

    View Image

    more !........ more !   ...... more !

    Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
    1. frenchy | Feb 17, 2007 11:36pm | #4

      Mike Smith,

       Coming.. Stuart just left..

      1. Stuart | Feb 18, 2007 12:25am | #5

        I stopped out to Frenchy's house today and we figured out the whole posting picture deal.  It was mainly a combination of a slow dialup connection and photos that were too large; once we got the pictures reduced everything seems to work now (since he doesn't have Irfanview or some other similar program installed, we used the method of having him mail the photos to himself and the mail program automatically downsized them.)

        I'm here to tell you, folks, that Frenchy is a man possessed.... ;-)  He showed me around, and that house is really something.  I could maybe do something similar if I had twenty or thirty years to complete the work.

        He hasn't been kidding about the amount of wood he has on hand, either - his basement and driveway look like a well stocked lumber yard.

        Here's a photo I snapped today:

        View Image

        Edited 2/17/2007 4:26 pm by Stuart

        1. MikeSmith | Feb 18, 2007 12:30am | #7

          good work , stuart....Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

        2. kate | Feb 18, 2007 12:31am | #8

          Very nice!

          1. MikeSmith | Feb 18, 2007 12:34am | #9

            Frenchy... post your pics in this thread 

             

            View ImageMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          2. RalphWicklund | Feb 18, 2007 12:40am | #10

            No wonder you had so many problems with zoning...

            Their jealous...

             and still can't decide if that's going to be your home or a church.

          3. etherhuffer | Feb 18, 2007 01:34am | #11

            Yeah, where are the photos of the pipe organ!http://www.etherhuffer.typepad.com

          4. brownbagg | Feb 18, 2007 02:02am | #14

            i can see why frenchy think hes god. he living in a church

          5. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 01:25pm | #37

            Brownbagg,

             I  am not a god! But I'm his close buddy,now don't pizz me off <G>!

          6. andybuildz | Feb 18, 2007 03:14am | #22

            not sure if its ether yer huffing or what but etherhuffer, yer blog or website or whatever it is..is a panic and a half dude...LOL"etherhuffer"...LOLOLOL

             

             

            "As I was walkin' - I saw a sign thereAnd that sign said - no tress passin'But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!Now that side was made for you and me!" Woody Guthrie 1956

             

            http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM                                   

             

          7. MikeSmith | Feb 18, 2007 03:52am | #24

            nice.. here's your cupola

            View Image

            and what is this  a picture of ?

            View Image

            Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

            Edited 2/17/2007 8:01 pm ET by MikeSmith

          8. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 04:07am | #26

            Mike,

                The inside of the same cupula looking up (18 feet to ceiling, another 5 feet to roof of cupula) the butcher block on the left is the walkway that goes around the tower and into the attic..  (the couple of plnks are temp. scaffolding)

             The walls of the tower will be done in raised panel hard maple like the guest bathroom..

          9. User avater
            dieselpig | Feb 18, 2007 04:45am | #28

            And all this time I was wondering if you were FOS or something.  That's some fine looking cribbage homie.  Now I see what's taking so long!  LOL... just kidding man... that's obviously a labor of love.  But where's the RTFL dude?View Image

          10. Stuart | Feb 18, 2007 05:02am | #29

            Here's another picture of Frenchy's house, this one from outer space.  :-)

            (Actually, it's from a website called http://www.local.live.com; they have similar pictures available for many other parts of the country, check it out.)

            View Image

            Edited 2/17/2007 9:03 pm by Stuart

          11. andybuildz | Feb 18, 2007 05:26am | #30

            Frenchy can put a house together like that and not post a picture???
            I wanna see a picture of Frency bsides the house.
            How bout' FrenchyFest?

             

             

            "As I was walkin' - I saw a sign thereAnd that sign said - no tress passin'But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!Now that side was made for you and me!" Woody Guthrie 1956

             

            http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM                                   

             

          12. Stuart | Feb 18, 2007 05:31am | #31

            You know, it occured to me after I'd left that I should have had him pose in the front yard for a picture.

          13. andybuildz | Feb 18, 2007 05:58am | #34

            next time...cause it looks like there should be a next time

             

             

            "As I was walkin' - I saw a sign thereAnd that sign said - no tress passin'But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!Now that side was made for you and me!" Woody Guthrie 1956

             

            http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM                                   

             

          14. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 01:35pm | #38

            stuart,

             The only reason you escaped my clutches with your camera intact is because you didn't take a picture of me.. A shock like that can bust the finest camera.   besides maybe this way some honey might want me for my wood working ability and without a picture to discourage her I stand a chance!   ;-)

             Here's a couple mre pictures to see If I can still do it!

          15. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 01:38pm | #39

            Picture 017 is the house in the spring with the apple trees in blooom and the picture 026 s the old fashion pull chain toilet in the guest bathroom..  can you say

            WHOOOOOSH!!!

          16. Piffin | Feb 18, 2007 04:50pm | #45

            I had saved one from when somebody helped him post a couple of years ago. He was standing in the front drive flanked by piles of lumber with the house in the background. He is a big wide germanic looking fellah, but I can't find the photo in my pc. Just ran a search but I must have labeled it under something other than frenchie or frenchy 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          17. DougU | Feb 19, 2007 08:08am | #56

            but I can't find the photo in my pc. Just ran a search but I must have labeled it under something other than frenchie or frenchy

            You probably filed it under "vapor barrier" or "ventilation" - something along that line!

            Doug

          18. andybuildz | Feb 18, 2007 05:31am | #32

            Whtacha think Brian...FrenchyFest? I'll meet you at yer house and ride up with you...

             

             

            "As I was walkin' - I saw a sign thereAnd that sign said - no tress passin'But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!Now that side was made for you and me!" Woody Guthrie 1956

             

            http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM                                   

             

          19. Hazlett | Feb 18, 2007 03:49pm | #42

             Very nice frenchy!

             stephen

          20. stevent1 | Feb 18, 2007 03:56pm | #43

            frenchy,

            Great looking work. I love the mix of woods you use.

            Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood

          21. User avater
            dieselpig | Feb 18, 2007 04:42am | #27

            Just spent about a 1/2 hour reading through that blog too dude.  Captivating, to say the least.  Like William S. Burroughs meets Dean Koontz or something.

            And I thought 'etherhuffer' was a play on words or something.  LOL... nope.....

            Blessed are the creative ones.View Image

          22. dustinf | Feb 18, 2007 02:38pm | #40

            Mixing some Hersey's syrup into my soy milk is about as creative as I get.  He's off having a "wing ding" with some Ethiopians, god bless him.I wish I had a reason; my flaws are open season

          23. CAGIV | Feb 18, 2007 09:13pm | #52

            soy milk?  man, gunners eating tofu, you're drinking soy milk....

            I knew this place was softening up, but this is starting to go over the top

          24. etherhuffer | Feb 18, 2007 05:56am | #33

            Please come visit my website if you wish. Its an outlet for thoughts people may or may not wish to hear. I have broad taste.......http://www.etherhuffer.typepad.com

          25. andybuildz | Feb 18, 2007 07:18am | #35

            I already read your entire site...you're probably more
            insane than me : )

             

             

            "As I was walkin' - I saw a sign thereAnd that sign said - no tress passin'But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!Now that side was made for you and me!" Woody Guthrie 1956

             

            http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM                                   

             

          26. etherhuffer | Feb 18, 2007 07:25am | #36

            I take that as a compliment!http://www.etherhuffer.typepad.com

          27. Piffin | Feb 18, 2007 04:53pm | #46

            now how is it that frenchies thread brings out insanity? LOL 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          28. andybuildz | Feb 18, 2007 06:09pm | #47

            now how is it that frenchies thread brings out insanity? LOL<<True!! Funny too to see what a person does after reading all their "passionate" posts. Never mind seeing people face to face at these fests but seeing what they do is even more interesting.
            sometimes you think its going to be less..sometimes more. For some reason I didn't expect to see that amount of "physical work" from Frenchy. I thought he would be more of a cerebral kinda guy...I never realized he was "that" crazy too...lol. Guess his passion works from every side of him...good on him !!! Love that in a person. They can even be a Republican and I'd love them...LOL.

             

             

            "As I was walkin' - I saw a sign thereAnd that sign said - no tress passin'But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!Now that side was made for you and me!" Woody Guthrie 1956

             

            http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM                                   

             

          29. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 06:34pm | #48

            Andybuildz,

             I think those are the kindest things anybodies ever said about me! Thanks  blush blush,   

             It's my intention to wear out rather than rust out.  I pretty much approach all of life that way.  I wish you could see my car collection.  Once you realize I never paid more than $300.00 for any of them (well except the Ford Model A)  and how far I brought them, you can see I don't just sit on my duff and dream.  Hard work never hurt me, I tend to get in much worse shape when I'm just loafing Hence the er wide germanic body shape,

              Hey! I'm in great shape!

              Round is a shape isn't it?  

          30. andybuildz | Feb 18, 2007 06:51pm | #49

            Odd but I JUST read your post after responding to a post that Bob Kovaks had in JLC about working when you get older and not thinking about the future and retirement...hmmmm...lemmie see if I can go retrieve it for you.OK...here ya go
            _______________________________________________
            >> Re: How do you charge? Linear Ft/Hourly. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Quote:
            Originally Posted by Bob Kovacs
            You're right- your dad is one of a dying breed- and nothing against your dad, but it's a breed that needs to die off. If you're happy with the thought of being out there swinging a hammer at 57, go for it- you'll likely die with a bad back, blown out knees, and very little to leave to your kids (other than a company that's only worth whatever the owner puts into it). Bob disagree! Say that to Scott Nearing and his wife Helen Nearing(I know they died but died happy) or to James Krenov and a slew of other hardworking passionate people that will do whats their passion till the day they die. I once told my wife that if I knew I was going to die next week she'd find meall week in my shop building my own coffin with new and improved ideas.
            I've brought my kids up to do for themselves because thats the best way IMHO. I'm there to love them not hold their hands when they're working through a problem..just there to love them and that in of itself takes care of a whole lot of lifes quandries. Of course I'd never let them starve or the such but they have to find their own path andd blaze their own trails as tough as it might seem..
            What I find "the most" important thing to leave my kids is a strong work ethic and a strong moral compass. To learn how to work smart.
            For me...I don't ever think about retiring...whats that? Do what you love to do and there's no need to ever have that word in your vocabulary.
            If your body won't allow you to do what you did when you were 20 or 30 or 40 then do all that you've learned in all those years that brings you to 60 and 70.
            Reconfigure your work and passions to fit the present times in your life. If you haven't learned anything in all those years than ..........Work hard, work smart and be passioante about all that you do~~
            Be well
            Namaste'
            andy<<<
            ______________________________________And to be fair to Bob so it's not taken out of context because a lot of what he says I do agree with (although obviously not all from my response) here's his post in its entirety besides the quote I highlighted in my post.
            ____________________________
            >>You're right- your dad is one of a dying breed- and nothing against your dad, but it's a breed that needs to die off. If you're happy with the thought of being out there swinging a hammer at 57, go for it- you'll likely die with a bad back, blown out knees, and very little to leave to your kids (other than a company that's only worth whatever the owner puts into it). If, on the other hand, you'd like to work smarter, make more money, and be able to actually enjoy the latter years of your life, you've got to maximize what you charge. To do even better, you need to "profit from the labor of others" as someone famous once said. That's not to say that you need to run a Kathie Lee Gifford sweatshop in Cambodia, but having others working for/with you will only increase your profitability if properly managed.Not to belittle anyone here on the boards, but I'd be willing to bet that less than 25% of all of the guys here have really given any serious thought to how they plan to retire on something other than Social Security, and probably less than 10% are actually doing anything beyond thinking about it. Start now, while you're still young, because trust me- the years start slipping by really fast (I've realized this, and I haven't even hit 40 yet....lol). You need to start thinking about the future, and charging accordingly for what you do, rather than thinking along the 1950's era mentality of "a day's work for a day's pay".Bob<<
            ______________________
            Am I allow to copy and paste from another site??? Oh well...guess I'll find out if I'm not <shrug>
            Be well
            andy...

             

             

            "As I was walkin' - I saw a sign thereAnd that sign said - no tress passin'But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!Now that side was made for you and me!" Woody Guthrie 1956

             

            http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM                                   

             

          31. Piffin | Feb 18, 2007 07:40pm | #50

            " I wish you could see my car collection. "Don't forget - that camera ain't rusted out yet! You're just getting it broken in. You gotta keep practicing and drilling so you don't forget how to post those fine pictures here. 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          32. JAlden | Feb 19, 2007 04:07am | #55

            Looks great Frenchy. Keep the pictures coming.

            J- Fan of E Types

            Edited 2/18/2007 8:07 pm ET by JAlden

          33. DougU | Feb 19, 2007 08:11am | #57

            Frenchy

            I'd seen the pictures that were posted a few years ago of your place so I knew it was real but man, I didnt know it was THAT REAL!

            Thats very impressive, of course I'm talking about your ability to post a picture, the house aint all that bad either!

            Keep the pic's comming.

            Stuart beat me to it cause I dont know if I could have standed it much longer, I was wondering how to incorporate a visit to Min. with something else that I need to do.

            Doug

          34. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 02:22am | #17

            here's some more pictures, I hope!

          35. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 02:52am | #18

            OK

             Picture #1

             is the guest bathroom, as you can see it's raised panel done with fiddleback hard maple.  The sink you are looking at is a French cistern sink conversion Kohler only made a handful off because the porclean was too fragile.

             If you look at the left edge of the door frame you'll notice a brass chain, that's attached to the old fashioned pull chain toilet.  ( a real power flusher!)  Whooosh!!!!!!    <G>

            Picture #2

             Interior view early in the construction of bridge over kitchen to billard room, The balck walnut stacked up on right side eventually went down on the flor for the billard room and the bridge..

              Picture #3

             

             Exterior view of one of a pair of Gothic arch stained glass windows (there are two more stained glass windows in the tower all have black walnut frames) all stained glass windows have double paned windows on the outside of them for energy savings. 

             #4 is a duplicate, (sorry)

            #5

             Is the view of the south side of the house from the outside.. if you notice that wall doesn't have the usual balck walnut timbers and stone work.. the city wouldn't let me go the required 5 inches to put timbers and stone in place. instead I have 1 inch thick boards with cedar shakes as infills.

             

              

          36. MSA1 | Feb 18, 2007 09:57pm | #53

            Frenchy, glad you mentioned the toilet. How high is the tank from the bowl. My next project has a toilet w/ seperate tank and bowl but the tank is not elevated. My intention was to lift the tank to about head level. When I went to the plumbing supplier he said the only one he had access to needed a ten foot ceiling.

            He said he tried to put on in with only an 8' ceiling and cut a foot off the downtube and the toilet wouldnt flush right. I seem to remember my dad installing one in the 80's that wasnt ten ft in the air so there must be some way to do it.

            What kit did you use?

          37. RalphWicklund | Feb 18, 2007 10:08pm | #54

            Put the tank in the attic. That ought to get you a good flush.

            Could even get the whole room washed out, too.<G>

          38. frenchy | Feb 19, 2007 06:06pm | #58

            MSA1

              66 inches from the floor, 46 inches from the entry at the back of the stool for one of them, the other is a reproduction and it's 61 inches from the floor and 42 inches from the entry to the stool.. Height shouldn't make any differance!

             The first is a real old fashioned pull chain toilet the second I got from Renovators supply. My claw foot slipper tub also came from there but they screwed that up big time. Actually the toilet too was screwed up in that I had to get real clever and make a dozen trips to the hardware store to get it to work and stop leaking..

          39. MGMAN | Feb 20, 2007 01:43am | #59

            Hey frenchy, I thought I caught an MG mention in a previous post, lets see 'em! Here's one of mine.

          40. frenchy | Feb 20, 2007 02:05am | #60

            MGMAN,

              Well I'd guess that's a 68?

              Chrome bumbers, safety knock offs Well it could be thru a 72 couldn't it?

             can't see the engine Or I could be more exact..

              Nice shape by the way.. Black is hard to keep looking so nice and staright..

              Mine is a 1953 MGTD and the other is a MGUAR

              (very rare. It's a 1950 MGTD with a JAGUAR XKE Engine and suspension.  (look it up, tread on a MGTD is 50 inches same as the six cylinder XKE's)   The engine is a V12, engine and trans.. one of the later HE models.. with webers,  a full set of  48 IDA's.  Tight fit (no hood sides) 

             The wheels are the real story.    Made by Troutman and Barnes for the Chapperal MK 1 cast by Halibrand  real magnesum pin drive knock offs.. they weigh maybe three onces.  I mean with Dunlop racing tires on them  they weigh just enough to hold air!  <G>   The knock offs are a real point of machining pride since they are three eared aluminum that normally would appear on an older  sprint car.  However they've been machined to fit on Jaguar hubs instead..

              A very proper British hotrod..

             The later is in pieces awaiting assembly..  

          41. MGMAN | Feb 20, 2007 02:17am | #61

            Wow! I'd love to see that Mguar! I'll definitely do a little search. Mine isn't quite the 'proper' british hotrod, as it originally started as a 76, was converted to chrome, and is powered by a 3.4 fuel injected V6 (GM). The purist hate me, but its a blast to drive!

          42. MikeSmith | Feb 20, 2007 02:20am | #62

            hey, my 2d car was an MGTD  ( english taxicab, right ? ).. i think it was a '53..

            just before i got drafted.. anyways, one of my sisters used it as an off-road vehicle and caved in the oilpan on a rock

            it had some wonderful woodwork on the dashMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

          43. WNYguy | Jun 06, 2007 04:34pm | #64

            Dang, Frenchy, I was without a computer back in February, and missed this thread.

            Absolutely amazing.  I hadn't imagined your neighbors being quite so close ... how did you get along with them during the years of construction?

            My buddy and I have considered ICF construction, clad in coursed cobbles to create a Federal-style "cobblestone" house here in New York State.  We also experimented with aerated concrete in custom forms.  Also considered fly-ash as an aggregate.

            Thanks for mentioning this thread again!

            Allen

            (Is your prized crab-apple tree visible in that aerial photo posted earlier in the thread?)

          44. frenchy | Jun 06, 2007 07:45pm | #65

            WNYguy,

             Well, I kept the yard as neat and tidy as possible, everything stacked up and organized.. I also respected the noise ordinances and planned the noisy operations for the middle of the day, most neighbors were great and eager to see the progress I made.  (it helped that I would stop whatever, whenever somebody came by and I'd give them a tour). It also helped that I sort of finished each section before I went on to the next.  That way they could see during the first year what I was doing and use their imagination to concieve the rest.  The following year another section would go up and be sorta finished and they clearly saw that I intended to maintian that standard throughout the process.

             I did have one neighbor who complained about anything and everything she could, but since she had been doing that for nearly a decade before any construction started the city didn't take her too seriously. 

             My major impediament was the city, not because I intended to do it myself, but rather because I had bought the property out from under a city offical who made it his career to obstruct me any way possible..

             Just to give you an idea of some of the impediments he put in  the way, early on he agreed to allow me to remove the lakeside deck and replace it with a smaller bowed lakeside addition.  I got it in black and white on the citires copy of the record.   For years he fought me on that agreement.. Only when a new person came to work and found a copy of the agreement in the record did he finally allow me to build..  (That was the tinest and easiest little bit to explain)..  basically he fought me for 21 years and put ever single obstruction in my way.. (including making up rules as he went along) 

             Yes,  the Chestnut crab apple tree is the sceond closest to my house. 

              You might consider using timbers in that home.  You can buy virtually any              9"X7" x 8 1/2 ft  Timber for around $20.00. That's the price sawmills get for railroad ties before they are treated.. railroad ties are any solid hardwood such as white oak, maple, cherry, hickory, whatever!  My sawmill used railroad tie prices as the basis for selling me all of those timbers and total sawmill expense is well under $25,000 and that includes all the wood to do wide plank hardwood floors.  Enough wood to double timberframe a 5500 sq.ft. house including all the joists flooring, trim and everything! I' saved so much on the wood that I was able to buy all the machinery to make my own hardwood flooring for peanuts (Part of that $25,000.00)  That included shapers, planners, jointers, etc..   (there is some great stuff out there at modest prices (or you can wait"til I finish my place and I'll sell all my machinery for 1/2 what I paid for it..)  (I'll also sell all my timberframing tools for 1/2 cost as well) 

             I like the idea of a coursed cobblestone house, the ICF's will be great doing just that since they offer a brick ledge option which makes what you want to do extremely easy..  I used reward forms and they sell a brick ledge form which includes the required rebar bent into the proper shap, it's a matter of setting the form in place, foaming it and dropping the rebar bit in place.. about two minutes per form total!  Insanely easy! 

             If I had it all to do over again I wouldn't double timberframe the house, I'd simple stone the whole exterior. Fitting stone into each square is extremely time consuming and laborous.. Stacking stone on the other hand is fun, fast, and very easy to do.  The only care is around windows and doors plus the corners and the simple way is to do those first and work your way around to them..

              Part of that is disappointment that the black walnut fades after 5 or 6 years exposed to weather and will shortly need to be either painted or sanded back and revarnished..  

          45. JJV | Jun 06, 2007 09:40pm | #66

            Wow dude...you always sounded like a person half-off his rocker when you wrote about your labors.  Now I can see why.  You've obviously invested a great deal of your soul into that place. 

            Very, very nice work. 

            Estimated completion?  3 days after never?  ;-)

            Seriously, very impressive. 

            Maybe someday I'll know a little something.

          46. frenchy | Jun 07, 2007 05:20pm | #69

            jjv

             Actually I'm about a year ahead of the schedule I set for myself.  This year the exterior will be done (that is is the sawmills around here can come up with enough black walnut beams for the north wall of my house) 

              One more year after that the interior will be all done except for the two really difficult areas.  1st.  the floor of the tower which starts on the second floor and I'm thinking of doing a compass rose in hardwood using bloodwood and white hard maple with a brass inlay between them.  and second the floor of the great room which I'll use these 20 foot long hard maple wide planking with a "picture frame"  of Burled white oak 22 inches wide in the middle. Those two projects I expect will take me at least another full year to do..  

          47. WNYguy | Jun 06, 2007 10:04pm | #67

            Frenchy, I've been reading and enjoying your enthusiastic and informative posts for a few years now.  It's fantastic to finally see the results of your labors; sorry I missed it back in February.

            Twelve years ago I tried to find a wooded parcel with perhaps a cabin or mobile home, thinking I could do my own logging, hewing and timberframing.  At the same time, my stonemason friend and I bought some wooded acreage overlooking Cayuga Lake (north of Ithaca, NY), with plans to construct a stone house (to sell for profit).

            The wooded acreage still sits vacant, as we've pursued other endeavors (careers, kids, wives, etc.) and I ended up buying (and restoring) an existing historic house.

            My sincerest respect goes to you, sir, for having a dream and pursuing it to completion!  BTW, what was the overall timetable, from purchase until now?

            Allen

          48. stevent1 | Jun 07, 2007 12:37pm | #68

            Frenchy,

            Nice work. Now I see what you did with all of 140M saw mill stock. Do you have a dry-kiln? I have read about folks making their own. I have some Black Walnut that was .09 cents BF back in 77. Should be dry by now.  ;-)

            Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood

          49. frenchy | Jun 07, 2007 05:38pm | #70

            WNYguy,

             I bought this home back in 1985 thinking I could flip it  (long before that term became popular) 

              I actaully started construction labor day of 2001 and have worked steady since.. nights and weekends. I expect to be done about three years from now. (a year ahead of schedule)  Mostly I worked alone, except whenever I needed someone I would find them, teach them to help me timberframe or whatever and pay them real well.

             I've taught a theatre arts major how to timberframe, a minister,  a math teacher, and a die caster.  They've all seemed to enjoy the work and were worth what I paid them once they figured out how to do stuff..  (another words they worked hard). I worked right along side of them and they felt that if they couldn't outwork this fat old salesman they weren't worth much.  ;-)

             Now before you credit me with great knowledge, you should know this is the first house I've ever built.. In fact other than replacing a few rafters on a bad roof at my old house and remodeling it I've not done much in the way of carpentry..

              I figured out to timberframe myself,  Buying the timberframing tools was the major turning point for me.  I was well into my home before I got a chance to watch anyone do any timberframing and I'm pleased that I managed to achieve what I did.. No real mystery to it, experiance has only taught me how to be more efficent not how to do a better job. 

             I've watched loggers and samill operators and for the money they get for wood they are worth ever single penny they get.. using quarried stone  made doing the stone work fast and fun,, the actaul quarring looks ugly in comparison.. They don't make enough as far as I'm concerned!   `

          50. WNYguy | Jun 08, 2007 04:03pm | #71

            You've accomplished an astounding feat in only five-plus years.  And you started the project while overweight and in your 50s?  You give me hope, sir!

            You bought a pre-existing house on the property in 1985?  Did you live in that while you built the new house around it?  Or did you raze the original house in 2001 and start from scratch?

            Did you have complete drawings before you started, or just a basic plan with significant modifications and final design decisions along the way?

            Sorry for all the questions, but your accomplishment fascinates and inspires me.  Have you and the house been profiled in any publications yet?

            Thanks.

            Allen

             

            Edited 6/8/2007 9:05 am ET by WNYguy

          51. frenchy | Jun 09, 2007 04:09am | #72

            WNYguy,

               Yes I bought it in 1985 and had planned on flipping it.. I've explained how a certain offical has stopped that plan. I've  lived in it ever since.   What I did was tear down a bit of the house, do that, tear down some more do that etc. 

              Kind of fun getting up in the  morning, shove  aside one of those blue tarps,  climb down a ladder to go to the bathroom, cross over onto the new section and grab something from the refrigerator, look up to see what the weather is like (no roof)   climb back up the ladder and get dressed and go to work..  (real produce an income type of work not the fun stuff that I do working on the house) Luckily I only had to climb down that ladder once and step into snow in my slippers..

             As fun as that sounds my sister has me beat,  she went thru a whole winter sleeping in a tent set up in her old living room with nothing but a blue tarp between her and the sky.  40 below plus 40+MPH winds and she's in a tent!   To heat the tent they had a garage heater ducted into the tent.  My sister and her husband bought a house for $245,000.00, tore it down and built a new one without any extra help..  The bank appraised their house at 1.3 million So for their efforts they made about $250,000 per year for a part time job..

             Plans!?!?!?  I don' need no stinkin' plans.. Well not true, I submitted a set of plans to the city, sometimes nothing more than a sketch of what I intended to do on a sheet of note paper.. Building inspector looked at the building as I was building it and noted the obvious strength and care I used in building it and decided that I could be trusted..

             So far on Fine homebuilding's web site has been exposed to my insanity. I'm kinda loyal to this site so if they choose to do a piece on the place I'd be very honored.  I'm not sure any magazine should promote my kind of insanity though <G>  .

          52. DougU | Jun 09, 2007 04:42am | #73

            Frenchy

            I went through the House on the Rocks when it was still just a home for some guy. My dad took my brother and I there way back in the early 60's.

            Your house is probably the next House on the Lake! People will come from all over to see the eccentric who built the place.

            Doug

          53. MSA1 | Feb 20, 2007 06:25am | #63

            Thanks. I didnt think you needed 10' ceilings for that kind of toilet.

          54. andybuildz | Feb 18, 2007 02:55am | #19

            Yikes...Michelangelo see that house yet? I hear he needs another good canvas.
            Way to go Frenchmiester!!! That some REAL classy craftsmanship.
            You live near Bob Dylans old hood right?

             

             

            "As I was walkin' - I saw a sign thereAnd that sign said - no tress passin'But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!Now that side was made for you and me!" Woody Guthrie 1956

             

            http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM                                   

             

          55. rez | Feb 18, 2007 03:12am | #21

            Brightened up a few of those that were a bit dark to increase clarity. View Image

             

             

            hey, it's Saturday!

          56. Piffin | Feb 18, 2007 04:18pm | #44

            OK, It's plain to see that I had to create a new folder named "Frenchies House" in my pictures on my hard drive!
            This is going to be fun! 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

        3. reinvent | Feb 18, 2007 09:05pm | #51

          So where do you park the tele handler?

      2. TomT226 | Feb 18, 2007 12:29am | #6

        Great job. However, you need to tell yer butler to keep the trash can out back near the servants quarters... 

        1. Shoeman | Feb 18, 2007 01:38am | #12

          That is    out back

        2. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 03:50am | #23

          TomT226

              No room for the trash, basements filled to ceiling with wood and tools (oh and a few cars Jags and MG's as well)  (oops forgot the Ford Model A)   as wood is used up trash will go back into basement..

    2. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 03:00am | #20

      let's see if these get posted!

      1. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 04:03am | #25

        I suppose you might be wondering a bit about some of them..

               010 is a view of the cupula on top of the tower the weathervane is a sail boat (I know boring but I'll deal with it later,  Think I should put something more church like <G>?

         014 is inside the tower looking at two of the four stained glass windows.

         028 is the living room looking towards the lake.   SWMBO is in front of the picture window..

         011 is the ridge of the roof over the billard room , yep, 27/12 pitch!

         024  is the ceiling of the bathroom, yes that's real leaded crystal one of sveral crystal pieces that will be in the house..

         031  inside the tower looking up thru the cupula 18 feet away that butcherblock walkway on the left goes around the tower and into the attic.

         

         

        Edited 2/18/2007 5:27 am ET by frenchy

  2. CAGIV | Feb 17, 2007 10:50pm | #2

    I'll be damned, after 16 years you finally figured it out!

    congrats

    Team Logo

  3. FNbenthayer | Feb 17, 2007 10:50pm | #3

    Looks great! More please.

     

     

     

     

    The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
    - Fyodor Dostoyevski

    1. frenchy | Feb 18, 2007 02:14am | #15

      let's see if I succeeded,

      1. calvin | Feb 18, 2007 02:19am | #16

        Frenchy, now that you've got a handle on posting pics, how but expounding on what they are of?

        You never have a problem with verbiage.

        thanks.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.

        Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

        http://www.quittintime.com/

         

  4. User avater
    JDRHI | Feb 18, 2007 01:58am | #13

    Sound the trumpets!!!!

    Atta boy French! Nice work. Keep em comin' before you forget how. LOL

    J. D. Reynolds

    Home Improvements

     

     

     


  5. Reyesuela | Feb 18, 2007 02:42pm | #41

    *drool*

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