As John often says...everyone needs a Meg!!! Damn!! That awsome intelligent woman is a 150% keeper. You guys rock

Greetings from the BIG SKY. The strength of Meg and the wisdom of John.

As an engineer that works for a city and reviews plans, your work and effort on this project is outstanding! I have seen liscensed engineers with FAR more corrections required then you had! Amazing work you two!

I wish KZfaq had a two thumbs up option for this episode. You go Meg!

Great news....compelling testimony from your architect! You two birds have it going on.

You are amazing Meg...a determined women is a blessing to her family! Australia is watching your family's path to building a home from the ground up!

What you two are doing will be SUCH a blessing to so many new homesteaders and to so many property owners that would jump at the chance to use the trees for lumber to improve their properties. I am a Baptist Chaplain in SE Texas and I will be praying for your sucess. May God bless you and your family and all your endeavors. I wish I live close by to volunteer my skills to help you.

LOL!!! Watching you kids go through this together brings some joy to my heart, I know it brings others joy as well. You guys may not know how your educating the next generations of pioneers like yourselves, to build there own homes as well. As long as the material meets the ASTM standards you’ll be fine. One of the ways to test unknown samples of alternate materials is send it to an independent testing lab once it goes through the load bearing tests it gets certified for use then you can build. Here’s a bit of history in what wood has been used for in the past. Rail Road Bridges, that in some places still stand today, being over a hundred years old. Giant 5 masted Sailing Ships, that sailed in vicious storms across all oceans. And here’s my favorite Airplanes from WWI to WWII, that withstood up to 9 G-loads in the most desperate of combat circumstances. So getting your hard/soft wood home structure to be built to the standard that will resist an earthquake up to 8.5 on the Richter Scale should be easily attainable. Let me give this to you and please remember this for all your future builds. The goal in engineered building of homes is to resist earthquakes and wind loads of a certain achievable rating. Such as for wind loads of, “Class-5 for Hurricanes” and “Category-5 for tornadoes.” The other is, “earthquakes up to 8.5” on the Richter Scale of measurement. Why only, “8.5” you may ask? Why not 10.5? The reason is, because of the dynamic effect of the energy wave that it has on the load bearing soil. It is called, “liquefaction.” The soil becomes as if, it is water and all, structures at that point will have no support from the supporting ground. That’s why things are not engineered for anything greater than that standard. So that load criteria is always the target for building materials and techniques. What I stated here is not in the code books that the typical inspectors use, they just give what the calculated load forces of the applied materials, “shall be.” And the types or grades of material to be used. The code books don’t give you the reason why its so. That part of the, “why” is typically what is called trade knowledge, as to protect the, “why” is only given unless you pay big money in an engineering course. You guys should do well, in your build adventure and sharing it with America. I hope you guys can maybe include a chicken coop for the eggs and maybe a goat or two to help keep the weeds down. May, “Holy Gods blessings” shine upon you and give him the glory for the, “Poplar Trees” you guys are using. Aloha and best wishes to your family. 🌺🌸🌴❤️🇺🇸

I’ve sawmilled most of my life and when I started building log houses professionally in 1982 I used poplar for wall logs and beams it is an unusual wood it start’s soft but when it is dry it is very hard when you stack it make a tall pack to keep it straight I would advise cutting it slightly over size in case you need to trim any excessive bow on floor joists. It’s a beautiful wood many beams darken to look like walnut. A side note I’ve taken down many old log structures and the poplar logs were in better condition than most other even though it is not rated very high in decay resistance. Bugs didn’t mess with it much I’m not far from y’all I live close to fries way back in the woods good luck

If you finally get your own lumber approved, perhaps they'll call it the Meg Standard at the American Lumber Association. You'll become trailblazers in the world of Yellow Poplar. Good luck and keep us up to date with your progress. Regards Robin.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!👍👍😃😃The two of you are better than an army of people who don't have a personal stake in the out come. I hope that those who choose not to work with Meg ,will not feel like the whirlwind has passed them by.. What you have accomplished, is going to reach others who are trying to do the same or similar things There are many who follow your Great Adventure, who want nothing but the best for you and the family, take care and BE SAFE. Your Faithful Utah subscriber Bill

That’s Great News.let the Building begin .👍😊👏

Like John always says "everyone needs a Meg" . I see a lot of sawyeriing in your future. As always good luck and God Bless.

We’ll congratulate you two! A lot of work and it has paid off. Meg your something else.

Awesome episode... So informative... Meg did her homework well... John, you have a keeper!!! 😁 But you definitely already knew that... lol ✌️😎🎸

What a woman. Good job Meg.

Fantastic!!!! I feel very blessed to be able to watch such a wonderful family succeed!!!! I wish the best for you all. It's such a breath of fresh air to enjoy watching y'all succeed.

There is something for you to consider when pouring your sawmill pad , make it wide enough to accommodate a walking path while push in the mill on the front side , and on the backside wide enough to be able to scoop up the sawdust without digging in to the ground , this should help in cleaning up the sawdust around the mail … you might want to consider making it big enough to build a roof over sawmill so that you can work out of the weather …

Meg, you are an awesome researcher. I love this channel and hope you curate this journey into a book.

Wow. That is some great news. Way to go Meg for your determination. Looking forward to your build. Good luck.

Way to Go Meg 👍🏻🏆

I have yellow poplar on my property and it is wonderful to work with. It is one of the straightest growing trees. I also live in SW Virginia.

Fantastic work, but then those of us who know you personally never doubt that you will succeed!

This is awesome . Can't wait to see the whole step by step as you start working on your home .👍🏻

I be here watching the whole thing

Congratulations! Your Awesome, look forward to his build. Thanks for the update, Mike

Terrific accomplishment! AND with nothing but a few very minor required adjustments is such a compliment to your absolute thoroughness of research and perseverance in self-learning, verifying, verifying again (did I mention perseverance?) and success! WAY2GO Meg!!

When I was living in Phoenix my boss bought my 13 year program from me for a substantial amount, At that time I also began to take an interest in wood so turning to wood was a good idea for me..

You have said this several times but you are right everyone should have a Meg. That not withstanding, never let her play poker. Her face is a dead give away when she is pleased with things. In this case, she is more than justified in being very pleased.

God bless you both and your girls. Hang on to your dreams and never let them go. I never had any doubt that you two would get this done. Keep up the good work. 👍👍👍😊

Fabulous news - All the Best....!!!! Can't wait to see the progress.... Thanks for sharing....

I'm chuffed for you guys, well done Meg!

You guys are awesome. Seriously. Thanks for all the videos. And yes, this is wonderful news.

Land of the free.....kinda.....if "they" let you.... Building codes down here on the Florida coast are strict....and got stricter in 2020 after Category 5 Hurricane Michael devastated our area. And it's not just houses, it's structures like shed and pole barns. Good luck...we will be watching.

You guys are awesome. Love the way you work together.

Congratulations! Happy that I will have your smiling faces in my future.

Congratulations, so far, Meg, you deserve a medal:-)) . Anyone who scores points agains any Authority even small gains is right by me !! Keep up the great work.

I love all the positivity in this video. It's easy to be angry and frustrated with all the hoop you have to go through. I especially enjoyed the working relationship you have built with the building inspector, the respect you have the the lumber industry and your knowledge of the alphabet. Meg, if this gig doesn't work out, you could be a spokesmodel. Congratulations!

How exciting!! Sending good vibes from coastal VA! ⛰✨🌊

Congrats! All your hard work is paying off!

Sweet. Congratulations. You've found a route through timber bureaucratic regulations. With luck the local guy will guide you through other pitfalls. It's never straight forward building your own property. Try not to take too many shortcuts. These regulation guys can put a stop at any point, unfortunately. Good luck - you thoroughly deserve it, although you're operating at a distinct advantage over normal people. Few of us have the land, materials, time or opportunity for such abnormal unusual behaviour! None of us have a MEG either!! Can you make a mould of her and hire her out...!?XXXX Greetings from a sweltering Cornwall, Uk.

As an architect with many years of experience, any time you get through plan check with that few comments is a good day. Good job!

Wow guys! I will enjoy the journey. Bless your hearts.

well, good. i am really glad to hear this positive outcome. keep on keepin' on my friends.

Congratulations, I'm looking forward to the whole process.

Your determination and perseverance are awesome. I enjoy your channel very much. I learn something new every week.

I really like and appreciate your channel. Specifically the concrete pad for the sawmill. I'm hoping to do the same thing here in North Carolina with my Woodmizer, using the lumber to build here on our property. Extremely helpful Meg!!! You're amazing. Hubby......is there too...... hehehe Thank you. Love your videos...

So prowd of both of YOU espatialy Meg for not giving up your going to get it

YEPPERS EVERY MAN NEEDS A MEG!!!!!!!!!! In my case I have a Maria for 46 year now...

Congratulations! Excited to watch this dream of yours become a reality. John, you definitely said it best, " Everyone needs a Meg!"

You have a great channel. I am surprised you do not have more subscribers. One thing people trying to mill their own lumber, might consider is buying a better quality saw mill, if they plan to mill enough lumber to build a house. You are going to be doing a lot of modifications to the Harbor Freight saw mill in order to be able to mill the Lumber you need, to achieve your goal. If you consider the time and expense to complete all those modifications to your HF mill, spending more money up front for a better saw mill might have been more advantageous in the long run. Having written all that for your viewers to consider, I am sure the modifications you plan to make to the HF saw mill will make for good videos.

Hi guys, congrats on you wrestle with Officialdom! Good news ahead it seems. Well done Meg [and Jon too]. Just a suggestion for your Sawmill, [finances permitting[, why not buy another Sawmill to extend the tracks, then you also have a SPARE MACHINE if the worst happens! I realize that this may be prohibitive, but just a suggestion as I don't know how this would compare with the parts you would have to use otherwise... Greetings [and Congrats] from Perth, West Australia, Frank.

Congratulations!

Well that is absolute great news, way to go, great effort. I will absolutely continue to follow, not that there was doubt😂. See you on the next one and all your future projects.👍

Y'all are inspiring. I'm really close to saying we're going to do the same as what y'all are doing. Really learn a lot from watching. Thanks.

Kudos y'all

I hope that y'all will get approved to start building your home with the lumber that yellow popular. And it's sad that people has to jump through so many hoops just to accomplish what they want to get done. But that's how bureaucrats works. I mean I get the reason for building permits and then building inspections during the construction of a home because they want to make sure that it's going to be a solid sound shelter for families for years to come yeah I get that. But at the same time like I've said in my last comment I feel that people should be able to use the available lumber that is on their property that they can harvest and cut out. Just like our forefathers did. So with that being said Meg deserves a tow thumbs up 👍👍 for all of the hard work that she did on researching and the architectural of your house home. You just didn't marry a woman you married a jewel.

No one shows this stuff! This is just as important or more than showing all of the sweaty videos of the back breaking work of building a house/property. This video gives the rest of us the details we need if we want to try the same thing. Thank you for sharing and love the channel!

Very exciting!!

i'm rooten 4 ya !!!!

Great news.

I think one driving force behind 'modern' requirement for using graded lumber (& standardized products) actually came from insurance and mortgage companies pressuring state legislatures. They wanted a "standard" upon which to grade & evaluate risk factors. Of course, big money forest products & building materials companies wanted to sell plywood, sheetrock etc etc on a national market so they used a team approach with *FIRE* (finance,insurance &real estate) industries to lobby state govts for national codes and reqs

Currently sat, restricted to the upper floor of my House, while my Wife is downstairs as I have Covid. You guys (amongst others) are a great source of entertainment for me. I wish you all the best, if all it needed was hard work you would have no trouble at all. I SO hope you get your permissions.

Great that they are willing to work with you. Having plans with those minor changes for you first time is fantastic.

The explanation of EVERYTHING is so clear and understandable that I am in awe of what Meg and Jon have done to get this far. Kudos to both of you and my heart is with you and your plans for success. WOW what a job of investing time to get it all figured out to be able to comply with rules and achieve your dream. Meg could be a professional lecturer of the explanation of grading woods and more. So real! So full of feelings and dreams.

Glad to hear it. I want to build with poplar from northern Wisconsin and you guys just inspired me!

Way to go guys!

Great job meg your so lucky John

Good luck we are all with you so how Thanks for sharing Be well be safe

Your story just keeps getting even more interesting! Really enjoying following you guys. And Meg, wow. Impressive to sat the least! Add me to the list of people pulling for y’all. WANT to see this to completion! 👍

Congratulations, thank you for doing the all that research.

Wow, you are impressive Meg!!!!

Great job! thanks for the update!

Meg is awesome great work 💪💪💪

Congratulations, cant wait to see it unfold!

Great info!

Praise God! You guys rock! Meg...all of your did work make a difference because it showed your seriousness in research and planning!

On You Tube there was a UK couple cutting milling timber using an Alaska chainsaw mill . My point; they set up a gravity 'engine' a cable attached to the saw head then passed over pullies to a raised block and a weight, equivalent to the force put on the mill by hand, this then keeps a constant force on the blade regardless of the timber size or density. the final results were far superior to previous 'hand' operations. I think the post was "gravity Alaska milling"

Congratulations to you both!

Fantastic!

Love to see your excitement and I wish you all best of luck. Stay healthy for all the hard work to come.

Love it guys. Wishing yall luck from Upstate SC. Huge undertaking, I'll definitely be along for the ride.

Sam from New Zealand You guys are an inspiration. A real team effort. roll on spring when the building begins.

awesome job!

Lots of great work done by you both. Incredible research to get answers to the questions! Congrats

Amazing job at all the research and investigative work!

Wonderful job guys

Wow, turned into quiet a project

Hi, greetings from Aruba, love your content. Glad to see you will succeed with your goal.

Love what you are doing,

That was great news. Meg is doing an amazing job in her research. Good luck in the upcoming days, weeks and months in your journey.

I've been following your channel and all your work since the beginning. I'm excited to watch all phases of the construction, as my second career was as a Construction Inspector. My first career was 21 years service in the US Army. I now have a Hud-Son sawmill and just in the last couple weeks started milling lumber. I'm also in the final stages of completing a 30' x 40' wood and metal working shop. I played with woodworking my entire life but during the two year period of the COVID I sort of went into the business of cutting boards, pens and just about anything wood. We just recently moved to TN and this is our final Homestead, so garden and yard work is taking up a lot of our time. Keep up the good work on producing quality videos and Good Luck with your home building project. We'll be watching every week!

I'm surprised the Virginia Highway Agency didn't insist for Health & Safety reasons on inspecting your self made road up to your future home. I'm sure the building inspector will be discussing your plans with his colleges considering this is a new situation for them I'm cheering you on from across the pond in the UK but I know your self determination will see you succeed.

Meg is sharp.👍👍👏🏻👏🏻

Well done Meg 👍👍

Great job.....keep it up

one of you just needs to be a certified lumber grader

Good luck with your inspector and may God cotiue to bless and keep your entire family safe and happy!

All Lumber has to be graded and stamped. This is common amongst all 50 states. Even if you didn't have this limitation with Yellow poplar and used an approved wood, you would still have to get lumber graded for residential. This means dried out (Not green), and have your piles inspected and stamped. It costs average $400 to have this done, and he can approve all of your lumber in one visit. So get it all ready, and let it dry out for 6 months then inspected. If you use green wood, and the house falls, the city can be liable for allowing it.

Congratulations! Very proud of you for not giving up. Lots of research and a well written proposal are a lot of work. Can’t wait to see the upgrades to the lumber mill. You guys are just so knowledgeable in areas that support each other. HUGS! 💕