First Place winner, Midwest Region
Garrel Reynolds
Salt Lick, Kentucky

Garrel Reynolds saws ten to fifteen homes a year for other people, so it was a natural to be inspired to build a home for his family. A second inspiration was the site on the Reynolds' farm, overlooking Daniel Boone National Forest.

They designed the house, and family and friends helped with the labor to build it. Almost 100 percent of the wood came from the Reynolds' Wood-Mizer sawmill, 20,000 board feet of pine and hemlock. Reynolds said "Two thousand board feet were taken to be tongue and grooved, but the rest of the lumber was used straight from the sawmill. Only six treated 6 by 6 by 14 posts for the porch and four 1 by 6 by 12 boards for window trim were all the lumber that was purchased for the entire house.

"I am very pleased," he continued. "Almost all people who see the house are amazed at what can be built straight off a Wood-Mizer sawmill."