Rendezvous

The Mountain School Barn Raising & Rendezvous
Vershire, Vermont

Join the Guild and a large posse of high school students in the raising of a large barn in a beautiful part of Vermont.

By the time we arrive at the Mountain School, a residential high school in Vershire, Vermont, all the pieces will be cut, and the bents assembled, ready for a giant hand-raising and sheathing party. (Some crane assistance will be provided for the rafters.)

Ed Levin designed the barn, and Josh Jackson has been leading the students through the cutting phase over the past nine months.

Guild rendezvous are designed to make timber framing community service events accessible to people who are willing to trade labor for learning in that time-honored tradition.

While there is lots of work, we guarantee that your contributions will be well appreciated. You will be well fed, housed, and you will have meaningful work, whatever your skill or experience level.

Tentative Schedule

Travel & Accommodations

Vershire is a little bit more than halfway up the eastern border of Vermont, roughly between interstates 89 and 91, on Vermont 113. The town is not too far from the beautiful Connecticut River and north of Hanover, NH. This is a beautiful part of the country, especially in August, when the weather will be perfect. It's about 160 highway miles from Boston, 110 miles from the Manchester, NH airport, and 165 miles almost due south of Montreal.

Camping, some dorm space, and plenty of great food will be provided. This is a residential high school, so we will have our choice of dorm life or pastoral camping during the best part of the year.

Participation Requirements

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals of all skill levels. Rookies will pay a modest tuition, to offset instruction and supervision costs. Professional timber framers will need to bring their own tools.

Participation is by resume. Your resume can be as simple as a summary of relevant (if any) experience. We are committed to the idea of mixing the skill levels in order to further spread the timber frame virus, so don't hesitate to apply, even if your timber framing portfolio is thin. Professional timber framers are also expected to supply a modest resume, so that we'll know where you fit in,

Please make sure that your health insurance is up to date, and that you have rugged clothes and boots, ear, eye, and head protection. A modest tool list and maps will be sent to all registrants. Prepare for long days of hard work and exuberant camaraderie. We believe that this event will be especially useful to those with limited to zero experience who have a barn in their community that needs to be stabilized and renovated.

Call 603 835 2077 or write Joel McCarty at any time to discuss how you can join in.