White pine trusses and custom stairs for new home

Five Islands, Nova Scotia – Summer 2005

This project was a hybrid as the crew from Wise Owl Joinery was hired to fabricate five custom white pine trusses for the great room.  The span was just over 26 feet.  Extra pegging and deeper hardwood splines were used.  The trusses were flown into their spots on top of the 2” x 6” walls and special hardware was applied at this intersection for shear strength.

Later on, as the custom home evolved, we were asked to build a custom set of stairs.  Large seasoned white pine stringers were the under-carriage for kiln-dried maple treads and risers and the rest of the stair components.

A particular challenge of the stair project was that the risers were built out of plumb to create a false nosing. 

The two minor rails below the custom handrail created a framework for tempered glass to be installed.  This same theme was carried to the upper balcony.