Day 11 - 2x8 Sill Plate

I am not sure of the exact technical term to use for the job we did today - is it a wall plate, a sill, or a rim board?  I will call it a wall plate but be sure to correct me if I am wrong.  {Edited: It is actually called a sill plate.} Today Jay and I attached the 2x8 green treated sill plate that goes on the top of the concrete walls.  The job is really quite simple - line up the wood so it is flush with the exterior of the wall, drill holes for the bolts and place the plate on the wall.  We did not attach the nuts to the bolts in case there is a little tweaking needed by Mr.W come Monday.

First we lined up the sill plate flush with the outside edge of the Styrofoam wall using speed squares to ensure it was in the correct position.  Since the sill plate was sitting on top of the J-bolts, we took a hammer and hit the 2x8 where it sat on the J-bolt.  That created an impression in the wood which let us know where to drill the holes.

With a 3/4" bit, we drilled holes in all the correct spots.  There are certain times when cordless drills are handy - this is not one of them.  I went through 3 batteries in about 15 minutes!

Some boards needed to be cut to size so while Jay kept on drilling, I cut the 2x8s to the correct length.

Once all the boards were cut and drilled, we laid them on the wall where they slipped right over top of the J-bolts.  We will finish it up on Monday when Mr.W has a chance to look at our work and ensure it was done correctly.  As with all wood, it is not perfectly straight.  We aren't sure if the sill plate needs to be exactly even with the outside edge of the house or if close is just fine.  We can always make adjustments on Monday with plenty of time to finish up before attaching the floor joists on Tuesday.

Today was only a 4 hour day for me instead of the usual 6-8 hour day.  I am glad for that.  It is almost 30C in the shade, about 35C in the sun and probably 45C in the new house basement.  It is soooo hot down there plus there is no air movement.  I am glad to be done for the day. Now to get some stuff accomplished here and actually get a long night's sleep!