With the timber framing course wrapped up and the beams transported back home it was time to prepare the site. What a change it was from building in the breezy workshop to sweating in the buggy Wisconsin forest!
Moving Dirt
My friend Gary generously brought his tractor and compactor to help move a dump truck load of gravel. I'm so grateful; I was planning on doing it with a shovel and wheelbarrow.
Every bucket load was power compacted to help it settle faster.
Once the soil was compacted and given time to settle we lugged in three 24' treated 6"x6" timbers to act as the skids for the cabin.
They started as 12' but I used a double-tenon scarf joint to nearly double their length.
Once the rails were leveled we built the deck in two sections. The bottom needed treated plywood to keep mice and critters out, so I framed them upside down, attached the plywood, then flipped them over. We put in insulation batts and topped the deck with 3/4 floor panels.
Next Steps
At this point we began preparing to raise the timber frame! I'll have a post coming soon showing what that was like!