Swinging From the Rafters
This past week we started working a half day one day during the week, with some help from my boss. He was nice enough to allow me to work a flexible schedule for now until we get the house closed in (we are racing the weather). I may start putting up a summary of what we did on that half day by itself, but for this week at least, I am including it here.
We noticed at the end of last weekend that we had almost no 2x6s left in the pile to make the remaining seven posts from (each post needing two 16 foot 2x6s). On top of that, those posts are the ones in the living room, so the idea of scabbing them together from what we had left wasn't really appealing since they are exposed in the main area other people will see in the house. Wendy called FirstDay Cottage, and after checking into how many we had received, John told us they would be sending us another two dozen 2x6s on Thursday morning. Very convenient, since we would be up that day to work!
Thursday I got to the site around noon and the new lumber was there. I got started putting together the posts which had already been cut, and then began putting up what we needed of the new lumber to make the remaining posts. Wendy came up and met me after she was finished with her prior obligations and when she got there we cut all the posts and put them together. By the end of the day we were able to get all but 2 of the posts standing and braced with 2x4s. The last bracing was done by the light of our battery lantern and then, after a 2x4 dropped on Wendy and the lantern (no major injuries, thankfully), by headlight. Things had dried out for a couple of days too and we also got the upper deck covered with some 6 mil black plastic to keep the water off and from dripping onto the deck below. It is a bit slidey, but we just have to be careful when we are up there (which shouldn't be too much until the house is closed in).
Saturday we had a wedding to attend in the morning and didn't get to the site until 2pm. It was just as well, as it was rainy in the morning and cold all day. Pop met us on site (he wants to help as much as he can to help us get closed in before the weather really turns) and we got two more rafters assembled and put up (the end ones, which are the most precarious as they are right on the edge of the deck). Wendy and Pop cut a couple more for the next day, and we called it a day and went to get something warm to eat.
Sunday morning we got up, but lallygagged a little since the temperature on site was in the low 40s at 6am. We picked up Pop from Grandma Lana's place and got on site around 8:30, when the temperature had risen to the low 50s. We had long underwear, fleeces, flannels and tuques, which I kept on all day since even when it warmed up a bit the wind was blowing and cooling it back down. We hustled it and got the remaining three rafters assembled and up by about noon. Pop wanted to leave at noon to head home, and wanted to help us get the end rafters on the road side of the house up, so we comprimised. He helped us with the rear outside rafter and left around 1pm.
After Pop left, Wendy and I cut the remaining rafters and and put together 4 of them before the end of the day. We are ready to get the last six rafters put up when we work on Wednesday (a different day due to business needs for me to be at work on Thursday this week).
We noticed at the end of last weekend that we had almost no 2x6s left in the pile to make the remaining seven posts from (each post needing two 16 foot 2x6s). On top of that, those posts are the ones in the living room, so the idea of scabbing them together from what we had left wasn't really appealing since they are exposed in the main area other people will see in the house. Wendy called FirstDay Cottage, and after checking into how many we had received, John told us they would be sending us another two dozen 2x6s on Thursday morning. Very convenient, since we would be up that day to work!
Thursday I got to the site around noon and the new lumber was there. I got started putting together the posts which had already been cut, and then began putting up what we needed of the new lumber to make the remaining posts. Wendy came up and met me after she was finished with her prior obligations and when she got there we cut all the posts and put them together. By the end of the day we were able to get all but 2 of the posts standing and braced with 2x4s. The last bracing was done by the light of our battery lantern and then, after a 2x4 dropped on Wendy and the lantern (no major injuries, thankfully), by headlight. Things had dried out for a couple of days too and we also got the upper deck covered with some 6 mil black plastic to keep the water off and from dripping onto the deck below. It is a bit slidey, but we just have to be careful when we are up there (which shouldn't be too much until the house is closed in).
Saturday we had a wedding to attend in the morning and didn't get to the site until 2pm. It was just as well, as it was rainy in the morning and cold all day. Pop met us on site (he wants to help as much as he can to help us get closed in before the weather really turns) and we got two more rafters assembled and put up (the end ones, which are the most precarious as they are right on the edge of the deck). Wendy and Pop cut a couple more for the next day, and we called it a day and went to get something warm to eat.
Sunday morning we got up, but lallygagged a little since the temperature on site was in the low 40s at 6am. We picked up Pop from Grandma Lana's place and got on site around 8:30, when the temperature had risen to the low 50s. We had long underwear, fleeces, flannels and tuques, which I kept on all day since even when it warmed up a bit the wind was blowing and cooling it back down. We hustled it and got the remaining three rafters assembled and up by about noon. Pop wanted to leave at noon to head home, and wanted to help us get the end rafters on the road side of the house up, so we comprimised. He helped us with the rear outside rafter and left around 1pm.
After Pop left, Wendy and I cut the remaining rafters and and put together 4 of them before the end of the day. We are ready to get the last six rafters put up when we work on Wednesday (a different day due to business needs for me to be at work on Thursday this week).
posted by SKelly | 9:13 PM
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