First Place Northeast Region
Edwin Young
West Glover, Vermont

West Glover, Vermont's Old School Builders is an employee-owned company that constructs custom-designed wood frame homes and buildings. A Wood-Mizer LT40 Hydraulic sawmill is at the heart of Old School's operations. It cuts and trims on a full schedule every week, so when co-owner Edwin Young decided it was time to build his own house, Old School's Wood-Mizer was the logical cutter.

The finished cabin home is "total bliss," according to Edwin. "It is a place to relax and recover from a hard day in the shop or on site."

The Wood-Mizer's versatility was a big help to Edwin. He cut 1,750 board feet of spruce for the frame and porch balcony and 2,000 feet of white cedar for the shingles and exterior trim. "The spectacular extra-thick cedar shingles were possible only with Wood-Mizer," he says.

A crowning touch is a curved Taico beam Edwin cut from basswood. "It was great to have the ability to bring any tree into my home. Wood-Mizer allows for truly unique timbers,"

Edwin says. Edwin says "a whole community" pitched in to help build his home. Many were
from Old School builders, whose energetic, mostly young, crew use traditional building methods. They even fire up the company blacksmith shop for custom steel brackets and other details.

Edwin's house took shape and was finished in six months on a lovely, green Vermont hillside. All the while, Old School took care of its clients.

A home built for another Old School owner, David Babson, won a Wood-Mizer Personal Best award in 2003.