More trusses and steel

Tody was one of those days where everything seemed to happened at once. The truss truck arrived first, with a big load of the smaller trusses. He was barely positioned before the second semi arrived with the load of structural steel. While Harold's crew unloaded and positioned the many trusses, I helped sling up the steel columns and beams.

The trusses were set in place or stacked around the building. The steel beams need to be in place before we can install all of them.

The rest of the day was spent setting up the steel columns and readying the wall pockets for the steel beams to be lifted into place tomorrow. The columns will get a lot of attention in the weeks to come, and will eventually resemble knarly rooted trees. The steel columns alone radically changed the look of the house. The porch is suddenly defined.

This evening we were reviewing and planning details for the new house when Phoebe came to explore. She wanted to see her new secret upstairs room. I put up a ladder and gently coaxed Phoebe up to the top. Phoebe decided it was all much, much too high for her taste - at least until there were proper stairs and perhaps a real railing too!

It was another great day in a continuing series of great days. Tomorrow should be more of the same!

-grampa dan

All trussed up

Today, work continued on many fronts. The carpenters were busy framing portions of the roof, filling in the areas not covered with the trusses. The attic bonus room floors are pretty much ready for plywood.

On the main floor the first of the inside walls went up today. They define the living dining room and change the look of the entire floor. I can hardly wait to see some trusses up on them soon!

The structural steel beams and posts arrive tomorrow as well as the second load of trusses. These pieces will dramatically change the look of the house yet again. We've been busy as well out back by the shop, building the two large trusses for the front and rear of the house. We know from experience that any time something is high it can easily double or triple the time spent building it. The key to minimizing the scaffold time is to do as much of the work as possible on the ground and then lift it into place.

The large steel trusses I welded up yesterday were skinned with plywood to make them appear much larger.

We also took the time to measure out and plan how we would decorate the beams with routed details. 

We have a little more work to do on them first thing in the morning just before they are lifted into place but they are looking pretty cool already.

Things are shaping up pretty fast and tomorrow will be another day of big progress. Stay tuned...

-grampa dan

The beginnings of a roof!

I don't think much can change a house more in one day than when the trusses arrive and are installed. It was certainly a big day on our project!

The trusses will actually come in two loads, several days apart. The steel structure (posts and beams) will arrive in a third load. The first truck carried the biggest trusses. It was an oversize load requiring a pilot car. These trusses were for the bonus rooms up in the attic. The trusses needed to be built in one piece and were very tall (WIDE on the truck). I knew the driver for he had delivered the trusses for our shop nine years ago. He teased me about the wait being so long since I had already talked of the house we were going to build way back then. 

The trusses were large and fragile by themselves, but the operator was experienced and very smooth. One by one they were lifted into place and nailed down securely with plenty of braces. It wasn't very ong until the truck was empty and the last truss was in place.

Almost in an instant we could see the spaces we had previously only dreamed and planned for. Now they were real! Here's a shot of the start of one of the bonus rooms in the attic.

As we came into the house everything had radically changed. The space was now defined with a ceiling.

Janis & I were very pleased with how the square box shape of the house was suddenly softened with the roof partially on. The eyebrows in the roof and the tree sculptures will take it a whole lot further in this direction.

We've refined and firmed up our plans for trim and rockwork. The look of the roof eyebrows will be defined sometime tomorrow. Colors are being debated, picked and tested in the next few days. And before the end of the week we'll begin doing some test carving of  the textures we'll use when we do our sculpted rock and woodwork. The house will suddenly start looking as we have long imagined very soon. Stay tuned...

-grampa dan