# The house that Ralph built



## Ralph Muhs

Will try to post pictures. More to come if successful





will try again to post a picture. More to come, hopefully

Reactions: Like 6 | Way Cool 22 | Useful 1


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## Kevin

Beautiful work Ralph. That laminated handrail took some doing.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Nature Man

Woodworker's paradise! Masterful job on the handrail -- I imagine it was a real challenge. Chuck

Reactions: Agree 1


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## NYWoodturner

Ralph - That is amazing work. I love the way the railing bollards extend down the wall. That is a truly unique touch. Just fantastic


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## David Seaba

Wow that is beautiful! ! Fantastic work!


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## HomeBody

Just beautiful. Gary


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## kazuma78

Wow! Fantastic work, just beautiful!


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## Ralph Muhs

Ok, looks like I was successful with the posting from the I pad. I have been working on my second house in the woods of West Virginia for nearly four years. House isn't quite done yet, but when you work alone, and do everything, and start with logs, it takes time. More pictures coming.

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 2


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## Ralph Muhs

few more photos from the inside of the house. Notice the various kinds of wood. About a dozen species.

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## Ralph Muhs

photo

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 6


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## Ralph Muhs

Obviously I am having trouble posting more than one photo at a time


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## Kevin

Ralph I have merged all your threads. It's best to post your pictures all in one thread. Just reply to this thread when you post more. Beautiful work.


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## barry richardson

That's just great Ralph, you should be rightfully proud of that build, and I bet you are, Bravo!


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## Ralph Muhs

Trying another photo

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 7


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## Kevin

Absolutely gorgeous Ralph! And man what perfect scenery you two are living the good life. I loved West Virginia - my wife and I honeymooned there for 2 weeks in a cabin on the side of a mountain with other mountain peaks all visible in about a 10 mile radius. It was heaven.


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## ironman123

The best of the west (West Virginia, that is). Beautiful


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## Ralph Muhs

More pictures of various wood species. Wormy oak, ash with gum trim and corner of oak bed, maple bedroom wall with walnut trim, walnut door, cherry kitchen with maple trim, coffee tree wall with maple steps, exterior door with ambrosia maple trim

Reactions: Like 2


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## justallan

Ralph, simply gorgous work. It is my dream to build my own retirement home one day. I can sit and look at pics like these and start dreaming.
Thanks for sharing.


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## Nature Man

Absolutely magnificent! What a testimony to the beauty of wood. Chuck


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## NYWoodturner

Thats just beautiful Ralph - Mrs Ralph looks quite content too - and thats whats most important

Reactions: Creative 1


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## Ralph Muhs

justallan said:


> Ralph, simply gorgous work. It is my dream to build my own retirement home one day. I can sit and look at pics like these and start dreaming.
> Thanks for sharing.


Thank you. I have been working on this house for about four years, mostly alone. All the framing lumber came from my own property, or neighbors' properties. The hardwood you see is from a huge discovery in Illinois. I am still not done, but close. I see you are in Montana. Building your retirement home in the big sky country seems like a Montana thing to do!

Reactions: Like 2


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## Buga

Great job master Ralph


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## Gixxerjoe04

Awesome looking house, we plan on having a house built on my grandparents farm in the near future. Wish I had the skill to do it myself, of course if I did and the bank let me, probably wouldn't have it finished until I retire, at least that's what my wife thinks and I'm 28 haha.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ralph Muhs

Next time I build a house, I plan to be younger! I will have help! I will not start with live trees.

Reactions: Like 3 | Funny 1


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## Ralph Muhs

Finally finished the dining room

Reactions: Like 1 | EyeCandy! 1 | Way Cool 7


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## DKMD

What a cool project! Pretty inspirational stuff.


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## NYWoodturner

Very nice Ralph. Over the top craftsmanship. It looks like a very warm and reading house. Perfect that its settled into the woods of West Virginia.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Tony

That's just beautiful Ralph!!!!! Tony


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## brown down

what a beautiful home ralph! love that ceiling work you did! is there a name for that style?


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## NeilYeag

So Ralph, this is the house. What does your workshop look like to put all of this magnificent stuff together.??

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Ralph Muhs

brown down said:


> what a beautiful home ralph! love that ceiling work you did! is there a name for that style?


 No name that I am aware of


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## Ralph Muhs

Workshop,like my house, a work in progress. You might want to look at the thread entitled "beginning workshop construction". The house was built before the workshop that being said, here's a picture of the workshop still being

Reactions: Way Cool 5


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## brown down

did you mill all the wood for your shop and house?


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## Ralph Muhs

brown down said:


> did you mill all the wood for your shop and house?





brown down said:


> did you mill all the wood for your shop and house?


Y
Yes all of it for the workshop, and all the framing lumber for both buildings as well as all the framing lumber for a previous house and workshop. The paneling lumber for my house, my workshop, and a beach house in Connecticut came from a purchase in Illinois a couple of years ago. The Illinois purchase was a huge stack of lumber in a storage shed. I bought all of it for $7000. I have no idea how much it was. Maybe 50000 or 100000 board feet. Enough to fill two or three semi trucks! I still have some left. Walnut, cherry, maple, coffee tree, different oak species, catalpha, ash, sycamore, butternut, sassafras, Osage orange, cottonwood, and some I can't identify. I used my 15 inch grizzly planer on all of it and burned up two grizzly motors. My third motor is an old daton motor and it is much better. I tried to sell some lumber on woodbarter but was unsuccessful. It didn't matter as I found uses for nearly all of it. My sawmill is a home made machine. I use it for rough lumber for framing houses and buildings. Sometimes I use it for a unique log with some unusual lumber. I have a large stash of spalted maple for example. Again I tried to sell some of it with no success. The beauty of this is that I don't care if it sells. I have plans for using it on future projects that might be shown on this site.

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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## Ralph Muhs

Notice all the paneling on the workshop walls is maple. It is some of the Illinois stash I mentioned in the previous post. The stairway (not shown) is made of oak stringers and black walnut treads.

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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## Tony

Ralph, I tried 9 ways to Sunday to figure a way to get some of that gorgeous walnut you were selling, just couldn't do it. It killed me not to though...


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## Ralph Muhs

red cedar! I will be getting a truck load of eastern red cedar next week. I have no idea what I am going to use it for, but the price is right. Free! About 800 ft of it!

Reactions: Way Cool 2


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## NeilYeag

See Ralph didn't need no stinkin" Festool stuff to do all of this. Just a trust Delta Contractor saw and looks like a Jet Jointer and had at it. Well done sir again!


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## JohnF

Great job Ralph. That's an accomplishment for sure.


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## Ralph Muhs

No I do not have expensive tools I saw logs on a home made sawmill and my workshop tools are basic. I would like to get a really nice saw for my shop, but I can't afford it. Thank you all for the kind words. 


NeilYeag said:


> See Ralph didn't need no stinkin" Festool stuff to do all of this. Just a trust Delta Contractor saw and looks like a Jet Jointer and had at it. Well done sir again!


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## Kevin

Ralph, as mentioned many times, WB isn't geared toward lumber sales, but as you pointed out there's never a problem finding uses for it yourself. 

I wish I could find lumber deals like that $7K treasure trove. Did you just sort of stumble across that deal or were you actively looking for lumber when you found it? What a steal!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ralph Muhs

Stumbled onto it. Went there expecting to see a pickup truck load and was amazed at the piles of lumber In that shed. Just shot her a number and she took it. 
In case anyone is interested, there is a similar stack in the same area, but he wants a dollar a ft. It is nice lumber. Several species

Reactions: Like 2


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## Tony

Kevin said:


> Ralph, as mentioned many times, WB isn't geared toward lumber sales, but as you pointed out there's never a problem finding uses for it yourself.
> 
> I wish I could find lumber deals like that $7K treasure trove. Did you just sort of stumble across that deal or were you actively looking for lumber when you found it? What a steal!



Kevin, up for a road trip to Illinois? Tony

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Blueglass

That is awesome! Here in FL if it doesn't have a stamp on it the inspector would fail it. Guess I could make my own stamp and slide by though, ha ha. I really love that you were able to do all that without interference.


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## Ralph Muhs

On what do you need a stamp? Lumber? House? Workshop? Here I have to have buildings inspected. Footings, foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing, well, septic, ... But the inspector is reasonable and he likes what I do. Lumber....well he didn't seem to notice. In Connecticut he questioned me about where it came from, but did not make it an issue.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kevin

Tony said:


> Kevin, up for a road trip to Illinois? Tony



Not at a buck a BF - that kind of volume I'd need a serious price break. But if it were ~15¢ to 30¢ BF like Ralph scored I'll hook up the trailer and wait on ya to get here.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Tony

Kevin said:


> Not at a buck a BF - that kind of volume I'd need a serious price break. But if it were ~15¢ to 30¢ BF like Ralph scored I'll hook up the trailer and wait on ya to get here.



For that price I'd sell the kid and dog and be there as fast as I could drive. I'd sell the wife too, but she'd leave me as soon as I said I was bringing more wood home. Tony

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Kevin

Tony said:


> but she'd leave me as soon as I said I was bringing more wood home.



Two birds. One stone.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Spinartist

Awesome home!


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## Clay3063

Blueglass said:


> That is awesome! Here in FL if it doesn't have a stamp on it the inspector would fail it. Guess I could make my own stamp and slide by though, ha ha. I really love that you were able to do all that without interference.


Here in Texas we would put a stamp on the inspector and show him the door with a stern warning about trespassing.... just saying. LOL. Government bureaucrats. Someone tell me again why we need them?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Clay3063

Ralph, my friend. You are a Master! Beautiful work sir!


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## VikingCarpenter

Great work! This is one very ''woody'' home


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## Ralph Muhs

Finally got around to hanging one of my carvings above my fireplace

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 2


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## ripjack13

looks good Ralph!!

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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## Ralph Muhs

Ralph Muhs said:


> More pictures of various wood species. Wormy oak, ash with gum trim and corner of oak bed, maple bedroom wall with walnut trim, walnut door, cherry kitchen with maple trim, coffee tree wall with maple steps, exterior door with ambrosia maple trimView attachment 81561 View attachment 81561 View attachment 81559View attachment 81559 View attachment 81559
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Built a carport. 20’ x 30’ total cost $2400 $1800 for metal roof and $500 for concrete, and a little more for nails. All the lumber was free. Mostly dead or dying hemlock


Ralph Muhs said:


> More pictures of various wood species. Wormy oak, ash with gum trim and corner of oak bed, maple bedroom wall with walnut trim, walnut door, cherry kitchen with maple trim, coffee tree wall with maple steps, exterior door with ambrosia maple trimView attachment 81561 View attachment 81561 View attachment 81559View attachment 81559 View attachment 81559
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Built a carport.

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 7


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## Nature Man

Great complement to the house! Bet you're happy to have it finished! Chuck


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## whitewaterjay

Wow, I've never saw this thread before. The pictures and what you have built are very impressive! You should be proud!


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## T. Ben

That’s a great carport.


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## 2feathers Creative Making

I can't say my carport is anything like that...


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