I looked for enough salvaged wood to build the structure, but alas, there are only so many hours per day. Not wanting to buy more than I absolutely had to from a box store, I looked around for alternatives. I found a small business sawmill around the corner from my house, Smith's Portable Sawmill in Christiansburg, Va. I discussed my project with Smith, and we settled in poplar wood for good reasons. Poplar is a very light and strong wood, lighter and stronger than pine. However, it tends to warp or bow when dried. The warping is the main reason it isn't used commercially for dimensional lumber. Plus, all of his wood is felled by the utility companies, so the trees were coming down anyways.
I am very pleased with the sawn lumber, and it came at a very reasonable price. I spent around $1000 for the structure of the house, screened porch, and wide boards for interior furniture and trim.
I had never designed a house frame, so I did some reading. I looked for techniques that would be light and strong, also material and energy efficient. I settled on a form of 'green' framing, or the type that allows for a minimum of materials while not sacrificing strength. For my application, the standout feature with this type of framing is that there's a single top plate, not the usual double or triple stack. The rafters sit directly on top of the studs. There is still the usual headers and such, but all in all less wood. I was very weight conscious through the entire building process, so I'm glad I saved a bit here without sacrificing any strength. Here again, my house is not built to code, it's built to common sense.
Luckily, I had great weather for this part, and I was able to get the house weathered-in quickly.
