 Here is the cabin as it was when Dad got the property. They had wood sided it at one time and he took what was left of it off.
|  It was sitting on rocks on the corners and had slipped off on the one end. Slowly rotting back into the ground. Looks like it is in quicksand doesn't it?
|  We have deeds back to 1830 but don't know how much further back it was. This was the original house for a rather large tract of ground. My grandfather got the place in 1937. It was a settlement with money lost in the 1929 stock market crash. Bank repaid 10 cents on the dollar in land value back to him.
|  Dad wanted to pull the logs out and keep the whole roof structure as one piece. Everyone tried to convince him not to but he had his mind set. We knew we'd have to get some new timbers for the ones rotted away but the farm has 40 acres of woods.
|
 His plan was to jack the roof structure up and take each layer of logs out, one level at a time and slowly lower it down onto a trailer. Then move the roof back and jack it up in reverse order.
|  He started by cleaning out between the logs. They used small pieces of wood and a mud /mortar to fill it all in. Some call the wood daubing and the filler material chinking.
|  Log were number and set in order for reassembly. Chains and cables used to tie the roof together and bottle jack and such used for raising and lowering. here it is almost ready to back the trailer under.
|  On the trailer and using a tractor to slowly pull it back to the woods.
|
 Here you can see how the newer home was built in front of the old. We worked about 2 years prior to starting this to get the woods cleared out for the cabin. Dad and I sawed the unwanted trees and brush and dug the small stuff out by hand. We burned all the brush as we went.
|  Heading down the lane for it's new home.
|  A guy Dad graduated with, Ray Neitman, came over for another set of eyes while he took it back.
|  Hard to see everything with this wide load!
|
 Made it to the woods. Dad, me and our former pastor, Jim Whorton, had poured a slab in the meantime for it's foundation and floor. No more slipping of the rocks or dirt floor now.
|  With the floor poured we started hand hewning the logs that needed replaced. Got some logs from the trees in the woods and started doing them. We did cheat some as we ran 2 strings on opposite side of the log. Nailed the laths on and stretch the strings. Then used a chainsaw to make relief cut close to the strings. Then popped the 4 to 6 inch chunks out with a mattock or adz. Then finished with an adz or broad axe.
|  Here's the original puzzle pieces waiting their turn.
|  Dad's in the backhoe and I'm setting the new bottom timbers.
|
 They had a get together once we started and people are "inspecting" here.
|  That's my grandmother there in red, Dorothy House. You can see one of the logs that will be whittled down, behind her.If you look close you can see the chip pile around it.
|  Slowly but surely.
|  Starting to come up here. Camera stayed in Dad's truck too long and messed up the film so these pics are kind of low quality. Can't go back though!
|
 We got one level of logs in place then backed the trailer in. Then started the jacking up and placing them in. This is the original Raisin' the roof!
|  Slowly getting there and another Winter has come.
|  Just a few more to go.
|  Dad wanted 2 doors in it and wants a laid chimney in the back for a fireplace and cook stove.
|
 Finished height here and He found some old windows with wavy glass to keep with the period look. He is making the doors himself.
|  This is the backside and the chimney will go in this opening.
|  Greening up in Spring and the Head inspector, Mom, is on the scene. she deserves a lot of credit as she helps by feeding and doing the girl "stuff" . Allowing the work to get done quicker on the project.
|  She fits in the door so we're good to go!
|
 Dad and our neighbor, Billy Joe Preston. He spent many a day with Dad cleaning bricks and working on the filling in.
|  Putting the end boards back on here. Beginning to look like something now.
|  Lots of nice trees here and it's a great setting for a cabin.
|  Starting the process of filling in here. Chinking. Dad reused all the original stuff he could and made up a bunch of new as well.
|
 It takes a good bit of time to get it all in place.
|  He will add upper windows in the peaks for the loft so there would be natural light up there.
|  Original spacing on these had some pretty big gaps. Kind of stuck there with what he had.
|  Pretty much all ready to start now.
|
 |  |  When putting the mortar in you slope it out so the water drains away. You don't want it flush on the top side as the water would wick inside and freeze in the winter, busting it up.
|  Another phase is done.
|
