Dylan Friedman stopped in at our booth at the Green Festival yesterday and said that his Mom had given him Shelter when he was 4 years old. He said he had called it “my picture book,” and it and Winnie the Pooh were his two favorite books. He said he’d looked at the pictures when he was tiny, and built his 1st yurt when he was 21, and was now, as a result of that early inspiration, a green builder in NY.
“I’ve followed your stream of fantastic information…for quite a few years, monthly I seem to find something that really speaks to me on those pages. I own most of your books from Shelter Publications and am particularly inspired by “Builders of the Pacific Coast.”I believe a sequel to that book, if time and material permits, would be well received. I wanted to email you to say thanks and share some of the projects I’ve been involved with in the last few years here, at the website here. Much of my work from the last few years is in the portfolio section. I think you may enjoy, “Working with a Master,” “Extended Point,” and “Stevens Point IFTB,” Thanks for your enthusiasm in the field of handmade construction and keep up the fine work.
-Adam Valesano”
Thanks to Ray Aldridge
“Hi Lloyd,
I read your blog regularly and love the mix of ideas. Don’t know if you’ve seen this but I found a site with simple plans for furniture and household items. Matthias Wandel grew up in Canada where his parents bought an old sawmill, and built and rented out tourist cabins. Matthias is also an artist and woodworker with new articles each week. He’s posted lots of pictures of his father’s woodworking projects, from unique door latches to cabins with all the furnishings. Naturally I thought of you.
On 7/23/12 at 9:25 AM +1000, peter robey wrote…:
Hey Lloyd,
Hope you are well. Peter here from Tasmania in Australia. I bought your shelter books over a year ago and have near worn them out. You very politely showed an interest in our small cordwood cabin we live in.
This is a quick note to send you a youtube link, a time lapse of the past 6 weeks of building a 16-sided round house – post and beam frame.
It’s just the missus and I building and we are not builders and wrapping our heads around funky angles and staying married has been a great challenge.!!
That crane is an engine crane with a modified jib and a water tank bolted to the back for ballast. Cost me $12 in castor wheels.
The round posts are around the 750-800 pounds in weight and about 18.5 feet high.
The crane isn’t safe but it works and we got through the 24 posts.
Unfortunately the Aust. code book prevents us from doing anything remotely like the west coast builders in your books; however we have bent the rules where we can.
All the best.
Pete
Shot this photo last night on my way back from radio interview in Santa Rosa. There are farm buildings here and there in the Marin countryside that make me happy. Like this little pump house (on the McIsaac Ranch near Tocoloma), they are perfect in their form/function practicality and grace. A (black and white) photo I shot of this same building over 40 years ago is on page 42 of Shelter (published 1973).
Canadian master builder David Shipway was one of the featured carpenters in Builders of the Pacific Coast. Here’s the latest:
“Hi Lloyd,
In between various small house projects I finally got this rebuild of a 23ft catboat finished and back in the water in time for a late summer on the Salish Sea. She was one of Bill Garden’s favourite designs with a strong fibreglass hull which made the boat well worth restoring, a vintage 7hp hand-crank Volvo diesel, a cedar and fir double-berth cabin with a forward galley, a few choice bits of locust, nazareno and bronze, but more paint than varnish. A simple classic 3 ton cruiser for inside waters with a 10ft beam and a big centerboard, she can handle an insanely huge gaff sail that will get lashed on as soon as I’ve strung up some new lazyjacks.
~david shipway, cortes island”
“Designed, built and finished entirely by M&L, ‘A Wee House’ is a traditionally-scribed frame made from local materials. Fashioned by the hands of Meghan’s many friends and family, this carefully made home is intended to embody the notion of craftsmanship and community spirit.” https://shltr.net/LHcYdH
