DAY 35
Today started out with a thunderstorm. It was severe enough that the power went out for about 1 1/2 hours so I lit candles then played Dutch Blitz with Pepe and RJ while the other kids played with their toys around the dining room table. It was so cozy!Since the storm disappeared after lunch, I headed out to the site. Jay was there at about 1pm to meet the man delivering the trusses. Yes, the most exciting part of yesterday was the delivery of the trusses!
Since it rained a little, the ground turned a little slick. None of us miss the fact that he arrived on the only day in 2 weeks it has rained so the truck needed to be pulled in and pulled out by a large 4-wheel drive tractor. Thankfully my in-laws live 1/4 mile away and my BIL was able to help out. It is my in-law's tractor so we are thankful they let us use it.
Once the truck was in and out, we went back to the work we started yesterday - I went back to framing, Jay went back to prepping the garage floor for concrete. Since there had been a little rain in the morning, the humidity was ridiculously high and the high temperatures felt even hotter. It was hot and muggy and yucky. But we trudged on! I even got to work into the early evening after Jay already took the kids home. That time of the day is when it starts to get cooler and a lot more comfortable. I wish I could be out there every evening.
DAY 36
Today was a continuation of yesterday with me continuing to frame the few remaining walls upstairs while Jay continued to work on the garage floor. I was able to get a few more walls framed before Mr.W needed my help moving trusses (and, therefore, I still have about 3 walls left to do). Today we started making the roof. Remember I said that the roof had an 8/12 and a 12/12 pitch and that working on that pitch of a roof on a 2-storey house puts you rather high into the air. Then imagine trying to shingle the bottom of the roof hanging out over the ground working backwards. That is why we are creating the roof on the ground and craning it up in sections. So, to start off the roof, Mr.W pounded stakes into the ground (the same stakes used to form the footing for the basement) and ran 2x10s and 2x6s along it to recreate the line of the walls. With a chalk line snapped on one side, we know where straight is. He then marked the locations of each of the trusses.
Once that was done, Mr.W and Mr.E carried trusses to their spots and laid them down. Imagine a row of dominoes that has been pushed over. That is how they laid the trusses so that eventually you can just stand them up and they are where they need to be.
I helped carry the trusses to the correct spot and held them in place with Mr.E while Mr.W nailed them in place. Then we moved to the next one, did the same thing and kept going.
It is really quite amazing how quickly the trusses "fall" into place when you are working on the ground. Working up on the air adds a whole new set of challenges that we are avoiding this way. By the end of the day, we have a little more than 1/2 the trusses in place.
While I was doing the fun job of moving the trusses, Jay continued with his boring job (his words, not mine) of tying rebar for the garage floor. Pepe came to help him as did RJ for a while (until they went to grandma's). It takes a lot of time to lay all that rebar in place. Tomorrow he will add the pex pipe for the floor heat to be ready to pour at 3pm. He was kinda jealous I got to help with the trusses but I am jealous of all the extra time he gets to spend on site when I am at home. It balances out, at least for today! :)
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