Roof Trusses

September 16, 2013 was an exciting day.  The boom truck was back to help lift the roof trusses into place.  It was a gray, cloudy, cold day and a little breezy at times.  In addition to some great photos, I took a little video of some of the larger sections going up.  Watching the guys walking around on the top of the walls nailing the trusses in place was great.  While our truss sections aren't very big, it was still pretty impressive to watch them go up.

Walking the 2nd floor wall to put the trusses in place.

Was a chilly day for shorts - in the low 50's.

Lifting a couple pieces at a time.

The Hagedorns; Tyler, Adam and Nate.

Several of the truss sections were assembled on the ground and lifted into place.

What a difference a few hours made.



Second floor - Studio and Guest Room

Thursday and Friday the side walls on the second floor were put into place.  The profile of the house really changed this week with the start of the second floor, the screen porch, basement retaining walls and deck piers.  It looks big again.  We picked out the material for the porch floor, porch columns and finalized the order for the exterior doors.  Alot of the construction debris was cleaned up inside the house and it became easier to see each room.

Roof trusses are being put together on the ground and will be lifted into place with a boom truck - hopefully this week.

The heat is gone - at least for a few days.  Beautiful fall weather here, sunny, light breeze and upper 70's and lot 80's.  Nice enough to have the windows open and turn off the A/C and ceiling fans for a few days.  I heard an owl calling near the house this morning when I took the dogs out.  We've been doing a little work outside at the house in Washington - raking a few leaves and cleaning up the flower beds.



Great view up here.

Standing "up top", looking east from the future guest room.

On the screen porch.

Loooking into the living and dining rooms.  Door to screen porch is on left.

Coming in the front door.

Roof trusses being put together.

2nd floor walls going up. Guest room is on the right.

View from the back, screen porch on right.



Last week.

This week.

Support Beams

Yesterday the exposed posts and beams that support the second floor were put in place.  They are 8" x 8" fir posts and 8" x 12" fir beams.  The longest one is 24' and runs from the corner of the kitchen thru the living room.  It runs parallel with the steel beam in the basement and each of the posts sits on top of one of the steel posts in the basement.  Never really thought about how all this stuff would fit together. . .

Anyway they are really neat.  Chris, Greg and Steve helped lift them into place.

By the time we got out to the job site today, the floor joists and most of the subfloor was up.  The retaining walls at the basement walkout and the piers for the screen porch and the deck were poured yesterday and today.  The forms come off tomorrow.

The heat is supposed to break tomorrow - hope so.  It was 103-degrees yesterday.  I'm ready for fall.

Cutting notches at the end of the beams.

Adjusting the beam.  :-)

Looks straight.

Tab "A" into slot "B"

 

Using the scaffold to raise the beam into place.

Big beam that spans the living room.

 

Working on the second floor.

Exposed beams in the living room.

Forms for the basement walk-out retaining walls.

Today is our 40th wedding anniversary.  Seems strange that much time has passed in our lives together.  We're spending a quiet day at home.  Will go out to the house later today and toast our new adventures in retirement and the next 40 years together.

Hopefully everyone had an enjoyable Labor Day holiday. We relaxed, cooked ribs, had a few cold brews, spent time with family. 

Last week started off a little cooler and less humid.  By the end of the week almost all the first floor walls were in place.  Chris and Greg mowed the pastures and moved some trees that had to be taken down to make room for the basement excavation into a ditch on the other side of the field to help keep it from eroding. 

Chris got a new zero-turn lawn mower last week - Happy Anniversary, sweetie!!  Now he says we need a shed to keep it in. . .

Tuesday evening

Greg mowing the pasture by the driveway

Checkin' out the new house.

Thursday - garage floor is in foreground.

The back of the house.  Living room is above the walkout.

Friday:  Raising the garage walls (Nate, Greg, Tyler, Chris and Adam)

Looking west - garage and the front of the house.

Hmmmmm . . . .