Principal rafter assembly

The principal rafter is installed on the front of the house. In addition to holding up the roof, it also acts to solidify the bent, and is therefore thicker and stronger than the other rafters. A collar beam ties together the two rafters into a truss assembled before the big day. Note that it attaches to the post assembly in five places, and requires several crew members to install. It's strong as all heck, though, the triangle being geometry's strongest shape.

With the principle rafter in place, it starts looking like a house. Again, this assembly will be visible from the living area of the house. I wanted the collar beam for esthetic as well as strength purposes.