The first European settlers in New England (1620) built timber-frame homes clad with hand-sawn siding. The dimensional wood was cut in a saw pit. A log was dragged onto a couple of supports over the saw pit and cut with a long two-man saw. One man stood on top of the log while the other stood underneath the log on the floor of the saw pit. Pulling a long, two-man saw up and down cut a straight slice of log. The slice of wood was attached directly to the house frame. As there was no glass for the window openings, the houses were cold and drafty. Often, the family barn was enclosed in one side of the house as cattle and sheep helped heat the interior. Cooking and heating was accomplished by using a large fireplace which was enclosed in a wall. The roof was made of dry reeds. The risk of fire was very high and the chances of saving a burning house very small.
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