When Paul first envisioned his family's future homestead, he didn't know it was going to be timber frame construction, and he also didn't know it would be made of milled lumber.

He also didn't know how much his family and friends would help out with the project, and together create a lasting legacy for his children and future grandchildren.

"It's a great way to not only get the work done but also bring our family closer together," says Paul, sharing how the project wouldn't have been possible without his Woodland Mills HM126 Portable Sawmill.

Paul has been sharing his journey on his YouTube channel, Gilly Custom, and chatted with Woodland Mills about the lessons he learned from his timber frame journey.

Paul, an experienced builder, says he's always wanted to build a home for his wife and six children. When they finally bought a wooded property with acreage, he didn't know anything about portable sawmills or milled lumber.

But a friend recommended a Woodland Mills stump grinder, and when he looked into it, he discovered the portable sawmills. It offered an affordable option for making all the materials to build his new home.

"I discovered I could afford a Woodland Mills sawmill long before I could afford all this lumber," says Paul.

Timber framing was a byproduct of his decision to use milled lumber, as he says he didn't want to mill thousands of board feet to do a post-and-beam construction. Instead, by doing a timber frame structure, not only would he have to make less cuts, but the building structure itself would be solid, far outliving Paul himself.

"I was dreading the thought of milling, I don't even know, how many thousands of feet of 2x4s," admits Paul. Meanwhile timber framing would mean "less to mill, then you add some really cool joinery cuts on top of that and leave it all exposed and you have yourself a really cool house."

But Paul says he didn't know anything about timber framing, so he sought the advice from the active timber framing communities. He went to YouTube and started watching videos and learned about the process of making beams and assembling the structure with joinery and wooden pegs.

While the builder says he's spent his whole life in construction, he's used to making buildings with metal fasteners and other traditional building techniques.

But timber framing offered something completely new, not only due to its structural integrity over typical dimensional lumber, but also because of the aesthetic of a traditional timber frame appearance.

Paul's timber frame build had to be big enough to fit his family, and also allow room to grow, so his build has been massive. But he started small.

His first build involved his barn and sawmill shed, giving him experience in building and understanding timber frame trusses. His barn wasn't a "true timber frame" build, he admits, as it used metal fasteners and not wooden pegs, but it still gave him valuable knowledge going forward.

And he discovered just how valuable the ability to cut his own timber frames had become.

"That mill is what made this possible to begin with, there's no way we'd be able to build the house we've been building, or build it this big, or to timber frame it, without the sawmill," says Paul.

When it came time to start working on the timber frame house, Paul says he cut hundreds of logs alongside his family. Friends would come over and help out, and everyone who milled a log on the sawmill carved their name into the timber.

"This beam's name is grandpa," says Paul. "These are family members and good friends who helped with the milling and construction process."

When it's completed, the house won't just be a place to live, but a family heirloom to be passed down for generations in Paul's family.

"I told my kids if they ever sell this house after I die, I will posthumously disown them," laughed Paul.

So what lessons did Paul learn when he started building?

Keep your tools sharp, he says. Too often he'd push a tool past the point where he should have sharpened it, and ended up taking much longer because of that. That includes his sawmill's bandsaw blades, which he says he bought a Woodland Mills Blade Sharpener to keep fresh.

When he started learning how to do the mortise and tenon work, he says he looked online and learned a lot from others who had mastered the craft. He attended digital classrooms and learned from experienced timber framers on what he needed to know to build his project.

But there was also a bureaucratic element that Paul says he had to learn to navigate.

"On top of building a house, we're building memories."

County planners were "not used to seeing many timber frames and they were a little baffled when I showed them my plans," he says.

Most local building departments, he says, don't really have experience handling approvals for timber frame homes.

But he says you have to engage with them, and most city or county planners will eventually see what you're trying to do and help you on your journey. Paul's building department did eventually work with him, and he says it's possible to navigate that process to see your timber frame home get built.

"You can hire a wood grader and they can grade all your lumber for you, and they can stamp it and they'll be happy," he says.

People have been doing traditional timber framing for hundreds of years, and with a bit of navigation and the help of engineers who know what they're doing, you can get your project approved and ready for construction.

Looking at the videos of Paul's project, plenty of friends helped with the timber frame raising.

Lots of folks are seen helping lift timbers and hammer them into place during the beam construction, and even his children are seen running around and helping where they can.

Timber frame buildings aren't just structures, they're long living legacies that can continue giving for sometimes hundreds of years. While Paul has built a few conventional building structures during his time in construction, he says there's nothing like making something for your family that's intended to last.

And Paul's family won't just have a home, but stories to tell for generations.

"They're now building memories, and they'll be able to say we helped build the house we live in," says Paul.

One of the tools Paul made during his build is a little mallet which he uses to whack away pieces when he's doing his timber framing cuts. The mallet has been worn down and smoothed from many hours of work it's been through. Paul says when the project is done he's going to put it on the mantle and it will become a family heirloom.

While traditional timber framing can be exhausting, Paul says it's worth it. If you choose to do your own timber frame buildings, he says don't get used to having free time. Making timber structures is a lifestyle that takes up a lot of hours, and it takes time to learn the skills to make the precise cuts that are required.

But when it's done he'll have a home for him and his family, made from heavy timbers, exposed with each family member's name carved into them. And what he's leaving behind will make it all worthwhile, says the timber framer. While conventional construction has its pros and cons, Paul says timber framing will leave something lasting behind.

"On top of building a house, we're building memories," says Paul.

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