The massive ridge pole weighs 13.5 tons (above), and it was the only log in the house that was lifted into place with a crane. All of the wall logs were lifted using a pioneering trick that makes log lifting easy.
The same trick can be used on a ridge pole -- for comparison, the ridge pole on Skip's house weighed approximately 15 tons when it was put into place. It was installed without a crane, using the same pioneering techniques we teach in our class.
In case you are wondering, butt and pass log homes do not require ridge poles this big -- most of our members use much more "average" sized logs for the ridge pole. Using a ridge pole this large is a little more work, but if you prefer the look of large logs then it can be a nice option to add to your log home.
The window frame (above) was hand-cut from logs that were leftover from the construction. Rather than planing the boards flat and square, he left the natural shape of the log on one edge of each board to give the frame a rustic feel that matches the home.
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