Tyler Home and Office, Mill Run, Pennsylvania

We bought 75 acres of rural mountain ridge land in Western Pennsylvania in 1972 and lived there until 1983, constantly building our house, workshop, office, and a small cabin. We used this time as a personal laboratory for construction techniques, and each structure had a different type of construction.

Our first winter in Phase 1 of our hilltop home.

Phase 1 is complete and supported by posts and beams.

Our 16×16 ft., 2-story interior of Phase 1.

Laying out Phase 2 of house on the ground.

Norm taking a break from construction of Phase 2 while Josh enjoys his “indoor pool.”

Joseph at double summer/winter entrances to house with glass bridge to workshop/office building.

Side yard with termed wall and patio and large central rock chimney.

Rear of complex

Rumford-type fireplace with stone chimney, built by Norm.

Stone walls, floor, and steps in breakfast room.

Leaded glass partition in kitchen

Oak staircase with walnut trim.

Doubled oak trusses framing the three-story workshop/office building.

Ilene completing stone wall on workshop building, incorporating random glass inserts.

Spiral-shaped cabin used for summer workshops in “handcrafted construction.”

Construction of 1/3-mile long driveway, courtesy of a bridge contractor who needed a place to dump excavation.