Meet Russ, a former underground electrical utility contractor who transformed his life by building his own timber frame dream home from scratch. With no prior building experience, Russ took Shelter Institute's online Purely Post & Beam course and turned his lifelong dream into reality. Now enjoying his handcrafted masterpiece with his wife Susan and their dog Tigger, Russ's journey showcases how grit, competence and the right guidance can make any construction dream achievable.
Welcome to Urge to Build, a series celebrating ordinary people achieving the extraordinary through Shelter Course's "Building Competence" philosophy. Our graduates—teachers, IT workers, accountants, healthcare workers and more—transform into skilled doers capable of creating stunning homes and structures. Follow along as we journey across the country(and beyond) documenting these inspiring stories of everyday heroes who've embraced self-sufficiency and turned ambitious construction dreams into reality.
Interested in learning how to timber frame? Check out the online course that Russ took here: https://www.sheltercourses.com/purely-post-beam-online-course
Interested in learning how to build with SIPs? Check out our online course here: https://www.sheltercourses.com/sip-construction-online-course
Interested in a custom timber frame home that combines timeless craftsmanship with cutting-edge efficiency? Check out Shelter Design Build here:
https://www.shelterinstitute.com/custom-timber-frames/
Interested in our in-person courses? Check out our schedule here: https://www.sheltercourses.com/in-person-courses
Interested in the tools we use to cut our frames? Check out Shelter Tools here: https://www.sheltertools.com/
Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelterinstitute/
Our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelterbuild/
For Sponsorship Inquiries or Questions:
clayton@shelterinstitute.com
0:00 Introduction
3:02 Cutting The Timber Frame
7:57 Frame Raising
9:56 House Tour