“Good morning, TimberKing. Thanks for asking me about my TimberKing project. Yep, we are in the mountains of western Montana just south of Darby. The area is the southernmost portion of the well-known Bitterroot (yes there are two “r’s” in “Bitterroot”) Valley in Montana.
Our property came with an old, rundown A-frame summer cabin. I’m dismantling it piece by piece and will be removing it completely. I’m building our new 1,600 square foot home around it at the same time. Our new home will be larger, solid as a rock, and stunning once complete. It’ll have an open floor plan with cathedral ceiling and lodgepole pine beams. And we’ll have NO MORTGAGE!
I’m building it all from logs from our property with our 1220 TimberKing sawmill, a power drill, Skill saw, hammer, and chainsaw! Here’s my story…
A real DIY guy
As a young guy, I was in the military, went to college, and earned three or four degrees. I have a background in engineering, the trades, and have many hands-on skills. I was a chiropractic physician for years. We lived in Fiji in the South Pacific for 15 years and even owned a resort there. We came back to the US and settled in Montana.
We looked at dozens of properties and settled on one we love – 18 acres of evergreen forest, mountains, creeks, and all kinds of wildlife like hundreds of elk, mule deer, turkeys, bald eagles, and more. The property came with an old, rundown, unlivable A-frame summer cabin with sagging floors, no winterization, and no reliable water supply. It was in really poor shape.
Time was right for his own sawmill
Years earlier, I’d seen sawmills demos and I was impressed that you could take logs from your own property and work them up into all kinds of building materials. Now the time was right for my own sawmill and I contacted TimberKing. They gave me info I wanted every time I wanted it.
I chose the smallest TimberKing 1220 model because of the price and it’s paid for itself many times over. I’m conservative about economics and if cash flow hadn’t been an issue, I’d have gotten a bigger TimberKing with hydraulics. My 1220 is non-hydraulic and I did wonder if cranking the head through the wood would work. Well, it works quite well.
I’ve cut logs as big as 25” in diameter. The quality of the cut is very good. If the log is good, the cut is good.
TimberKing’s design just makes sense
Sure, you can get a cheaper mill – Harbor Freight has a cheap one but TimberKing is built much better with its 4-post head and track sections you can add on. TimberKing’s design just makes sense. The 4-post head is supported on both sides – cantilevered mills’ heads are supported on just one side.
Because of the rundown summer camp, I couldn’t get a loan to buy our property. I was able to pay cash. To preserve cash flow, I financed the mill through TimberKing with their no-money-now financing deal with long payment terms. I knew that by the time I had to pay off the mill, our new house would be finished and I could get a loan on it to pay for the mill and building supplies.
I talked with Matt at the factory and learned they have a TimberKing dealer in Oregon. I got it all organized, filled out paperwork, leveled an area, built a platform, and got ready to saw and build.
(Editor’s note: TimberKing has several financing plans including the one Brad qualified for. See details.)
Building a home is not rocket science!
I’m building completely from my own sketches. It’s not rocket science! You just build one thing at a time and put it all together in a sequence that makes sense. Anyone who has this sawmill, is capable of using it, and understands mechanics can be capable of building a home.
Brad’s unusual building system
I’m taking down the original cabin piece by piece and I’ll reuse the materials for sheds and so on. Meanwhile, I’m using the old structure as scaffolding as I build the new one. It’s an unusual building system but it works.
I really save money doing this myself. I had foundation work quoted at $9,000. So I designed my own foundation system with footings six feet on center, four feet deep. I made forms, bought Sonotubes®, and poured 160 bags of concrete. My D-I-Y foundation cost me $1,800.
(Editor’s note: Brad saved $7,000 on his foundation. That all but pays for his TimberKing 1220. Since he’s sawing his own lumber, he’s saving many, many thousands more.)
Build with green lumber? No problem
I saw lumber and put it up green. People say you shouldn’t but I have had absolutely no concerns or problems building with green lumber. Within a 2-day span, I cut lumber I need, put it up, nail it in place, and put the sheathing on. OSB holds everything in place, keeps it square, true, and straight with no swaying. Yes, it’ll shrink a little bit but it’s not a problem. Come winter, the woodstove accelerates drying. If anybody has any doubts about this, I can show them it works. You just can’t leave green lumber on the ground – it’ll warp.
I’ve gotten a little help lifting heavy beams but, otherwise, it’s all me on the job. When this house is done, I’ll be able to relax at home, go fishing or hunting, knowing I don’t have a mortgage like most folks do. That’s very satisfying and a direct consequence of being able to draw, make, build, and do-it-yourself. Plus, I’m having fun!
I sure wish…
From a design standpoint, TimberKing is excellent equipment and one of the best sawmills on the market. It’s an investment and the results I’m getting speak for themselves.
I sure wish I could come meet everyone at the TimberKing factory someday to personally thank them. I’d love to shake their hands and remind them how much their effort means to us. We’d never have been able to do this without their help.”
— Brad De Geus, TimberKing 1220 owner, Darby MT
WANT TO TALK WITH BRAD about his homebuilding project? Email TimberKing and we’ll email you his contact info!
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