So, this is my first timber-frame project: a rabbit hutch for my mother:



(Some sides cut away to give a view of the joinery)





A single long cage will rest on steel rebars fitted into the holes in the lower beams; the "2nd floor" is for storage (feed, hay, blankets for winter, etc.)

Most of the mortises and tenons have already been cut, but a few (such as the knee braces (right term?)) have not, so there's SOME room for change, but not much.

I should have put this all into SketchUp and asked for advice here from the start. But better later than never, I guess.

Anyways -- is this sound? Are my tenons long enough? Will it collapse in a heap and kill my mother's poor rabbits?

The posts, and main beams, are 4x4s, the span is 10' by about 3', it's around 9' tall. The tenons are all 1 1/2", with a 3/4" shoulder/housing. The "joists" on the "2nd floor" advance 1 3/16" into the beams and have a depth of 3/4"; the "floor planks" are 1 1/2" thick and are simply laid on-top with interlocking edges.

Where should I place pegs? How big should they be?

(I'm unsure of all the terminology...bear with me...)

It's been a steep learning curve (the rafters were a *&#!^), and I've been mostly teaching myself, but the process has been extremely enjoyable. Hopefully this thing can actually work, too. I've been bitten by the timber-frame bug and there's no going back; please help this newb find his way down the path