not quite a timber frame

[ljmathias]

Well, we're getting close to what I'm (theoretically) actually doing but not to let the cat out of the bag early, any more ideas?  And who wants a bag full of cat anyway?

Thought of what Holmes suggested and almost went with that: hard to imagine taking down an already built wall or moving it lock, stock and barrel but those seem to be the best options.  In my experience (which obviously I don't learn much from or I'd know theoretically that to "measure twice and cut once" also applies to placement of large pieces of the structure such as walls and porch supports) altering an established plan has more follow-on problems than fixing the problem so you're back on track with the original.  If I took Holmes' suggestion, which I almost did, then I'd have a lot of new wood added to the rafter trusses.  This design has two dormers on this side of the house and that would raise the roof line below the dormers, possibly cutting off the bottom of the windows.  Also, we're planning on a metal roof which would mean another full set of cuts for the pieces that would go on the new roof slope.  And these are just the problems I can foresee- there are always about twice as many that actually turn up.  Here's an example: when I built my second house way back long time ago, one of the rafters was cut a little too short.  It was the third to last and we were trying to finish for the day so we just nailed it in that way: how much difference can that make, right?  Difference was this: that rafter now rested several inches in and lower at the base on the top plate, throwing off the plane of the ceiling inside the house.  Didn't realize this till after the roof was on (stupid- didn't think it through) so when I finally got inside to work, the tongue-and-groove ceiling had a massive looking bow at the single rafter that was the wrong length.  Would have been so easy to fix at the time but impossible to fix after the roof was on. 

Oh, and I have other examples of why it's vital to fix a mistake right now, right when you make it before you forget about it or get used to the idea and don't think through the consequences.  Plans are good for a reason for people like me- lots of you can go from a simple napkin or back of a piece of wood drawing to finished structure with no problems (at least that you'll admit to   :D  ) but I can't visualize that far in advance so I need a step-by-step sequence with a design I can see and go over again and again as I move the project forward.  I also need to use checklists more as Jim has suggested- the time it takes to think through a process and right down checkpoints helps in many ways, most important of which is to check off each step as you go so you don't forget any.  Pride makes us do things otherwise, though (speaking for me only now   :(  ) and when I think I have a given process down so that I don't need a checklist, why that's when I forget a key step or make a crucial mistake that I have to fix.  Some of us never learn...   ;)

Lj

[Norm]

Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it was 94° here yesterday. Of course it rained the night before so the humidity was just a tad high.  :D

[Magicman]

Remember the old saying Lj, "Carpenters cover up their mistakes.  Doctors bury theirs".   ;D

[Jim_Rogers]

I'd think I'd take it apart as best I could and move it to where it's suppose to be. And finish off as planned.....

I know that will be a great big job, but it seems like if you do something else it will affect/effect something else further on....

[beenthere]

You have pink studs, so how would your daughter like a leaning wall? ;)

I'd like to see a pic of the truss design. (or did I miss it ? )

[Magicman]

Lj showed some trusses on reply #133.

[ljmathias]

I did show some of the truss designs- I have them all if you want them although there are about a dozen all told with the way they had to break them up for the cathedral ceiling area and keep them all to a certain height for trucking to the site (I have a bunch of cute little triangles about 2' tall that will go on top of the installed trusses to make the "point" at the top).

Only 94?  Shoot, we hit that by 11 and now it's 98 with a heat index of six million or so.

Jim: you're absolutely right- the answer to this little hypothetical exercise is that it's better to fix it right than fix your fixes later... so here goes.

First picture shows what someone might do (half done) if they found themselves in the hypothetical situation outlined earlier.  Two key points: short or long screws used throughout which makes it way easier to remove/repair/relocate if need be; and second, the whole bent (if we can call it that wrongly, but it's a descriptive name) was put up in two parts with the top beams held together in the middle by a lap joint with 6" log screws.  So, just back out the log screws there and at the end beam joints to the posts affixed to the exterior walls of the main house frame, unscrew from the post bases and everything's free to lift and move (or fall over if you didn't brace it or tie half to the bucket of a FEL with nylon straps).   BTW, that works great if you go ahead and screw on the 2X6 plates for the porch decking and railing to the posts- this stabilizes them by holding them all in alignment, helps support them when you lift with the FEL bucket and straps, and keeps them from falling forward or backward if you use a strap over the top beam tightened on the bucket hinge shaft.  Hope that was clear as I forgot to take a picture of this possible arrangement that someone might use sometime if the need arose.



Just a guess, but doing half the set of posts and one end beam might take around 4 hours or so, depending on prep work and how much thinking and worrying time you put in getting ready.  Of course, once you've done half, the other half should go a little quicker, say in 4 hours or so....



Now the nice thing about doing the same job twice (or actually fixing a possible mistake on the first time) is that your second setting of the post bases is done much more carefully and everything will line up even better.  Also, you might have an extra set of anchor bolts for the last foot of concrete slab that could be used to construct a really narrow garage for a lawnmower or a really long and narrow set of shelves just under your deck edge.   8)



Now for the good news: trusses made it in without a hitch.  Ok, so maybe there was a hitch or two, but who needs all those trees anyway?  And besides, now the driveway is just wide enough so that if we ever need another set of trusses delivered for some reason that is totally beyond my imagination right now, we're all set.





Now if you look real close at the truss package laying there in all its glory and beauty, you might notice that only 8 or so are full length.  The rest are in pieces that will rest on outer and inner walls plus the upper level support that will be the top beam of the bent I'm about to get back to after all that hypothesizing about mis-measured post locations.  Thankfully, the manufacturer lined them up in the package just where they should be in the house- I had nightmares of figuring out which piece went with the other three or four pieces to make up a single support structure...   

So here's my present dilemma: I've got some siding that I could get up and see something accomplished quickly (I like that reward mechanism).  I've got supports in place for half the trusses and truss assemblies that I could go ahead and put up (maybe alone, maybe not) and see some roof line start to take place.  I could start another controlled burn... no, better leave that one alone.  Or I could do the interior bent which is the next step in a logical sequence leading to a well thought out and planned raising and truss installation.  Which shall I do?  ??? ???

Ok, I'm going to try and do this right: spend the next three or four days cutting joints and piecing big sticks together, trying to get my braces laid out and cut right (thanks to Jim for excellent descriptions of just how to do that but slow, slow careful work of the kind I am not good at keeping focus on), and doing the final assembly of the bent so it's ready to raise by next weekend.  Darn it- duty over fun, or maybe duty and slow fun over instant gratification!  Live and learn, live and learn- and boy am I learning a lot living this build.   :D

Lj

[ljmathias]

Reply to Beenthere: Oh, and Beenthere: thanks for the suggestion on the "leaning wall" idea.  You don't know how hard I tried to rationalize this in my head but it sure would look funny.     :D

Lj

[Magicman]

Also, you might have an extra set of anchor bolts for the last foot of concrete slab that could be used to construct a really narrow garage for a lawnmower or a really long and narrow set of shelves just under your deck edge.   Lj

Or nice porch railing,  ;)  or just patch the holes and remember that we all make mistakes.   

[ljmathias]

Just for completeness, I'm giving a step-by-step process as I imagine it would be done for actually moving an already built and raised porch post and beam support framework.  In fact, as someone mentioned earlier, it now seems to me that building your porch AFTER the trusses are put up makes good sense- pluses and minuses to both ways of doing it, and my guess is, based now on having done it both ways now, is that it is easier putting up the posts after the fact, but then they play no role in actually supporting anything.

First step: measure very, very carefully where the new line of posts should be.  Mark on slab at both ends, then snap a line across the entire width to ensure that the new locations all line up perfectly.

Second, buy new base plates for half the wall.  Since you'll move half at a time and need plates for one half to drop into with no easy way I can see of reusing the old ones for this, drill anchor holes for this half, then use the pound in anchor bolts and tighten down the nuts.  Oh, and be sure to put the nuts and washers on, and set the base plate in place so that if you miss the bolt a little and damage the threads some, you have the nut below this so you can tighten.  Once this half of the structure is moved, unscrew the anchor bolt nuts, and use these base plates for the other half.

Third, screw on support boards.  You might use random placement or measure and place the deck support frame and railing support frame boards where they should be later for when you actually build the porch deck.  These boards help keep the spacing of the posts secure and keep the posts from dropping off the top beam.  One advantage of using the 12" log screws drilled and screwed from on top of the top beam down into the posts is that they provide enough strength to not have the posts drop off when you lift the whole thing- only the middle two posts are actually secured to the FEL as below for lifting.

Strap the FEL bucket to the frame (or vice versa, however you look at it) and gently put enough pressure upward to support the framework from falling in or out.  Use a strap up over the top beam and back to the bucket hinge rod to help with this.  Do not put inward pressure on the posts, lift from the support boards only- otherwise, you'll squeeze the middle posts together, maybe break them off (don't ask but it didn't happen here) and at least make it difficult to re-align in the new location.

Fifth, unscrew posts from base plates.  Nailed in fasteners would make this slow and tedious.

Sixth and seventh, whichever order you prefer, unscrew the end beam log screws from the post screwed to the building and shorten it enough to allow moving the assembly into place at the right position.  If you measure carefully, the posts will be perpendicular after the move with no adjustments needed.

Eighth, put 2X and 1X stock next to and around the new bases so that the posts won't bend them when lowered into place.  As you lift and move the assembly, you won't have much play with the FEL in moving back and forth or right and left.  Just set them down near where they should be but still secured to the FEL, then sledge hammer them into place so they drop into the new bases without bending the base uprights.

Screw everything back together for this half, and repeat for the other half.  Oh, and don't lift the first half (with the lower part of the lap joint that the other half top beam will rest on) until you move the assembly forward enough to clear the other half of the lap joint- hope that was clear.

All in all, this method was theoretically the most straightforward why to fix a hypothetical mistake that you might face someday.  I know I would never be so foolish and non-careful as to do this, but then again, we all have bad days... :-\

Lj

[Magicman]

You made a good day out of a bad problem.   

[ljmathias]

Thanks, MM- hope and pray you don't have any similar mistakes to fix... speaking hypothetically, of course.

Lj

[Larry]

One of the tests for a builder is how they handle problems...theoretical problems in your case.  I think you did great. 8) 8)

My big test was when the water supply line, distribution lines, and waste line managed to come through the slab a foot from there proper position.

[ljmathias]

So, Larry, don't make us ask (although I guess you did): what did you do to fix it?

Lj

[Larry]

According to plan the plumbing was to come up in what I call a wet wall with an access panel.  Due to my mis-measurement they were sitting a foot from the intended wall in the utility room/pantry.  I could have relocated the wall as it wasn't framed yet, but that would have meant resizing two bathrooms and three bedrooms.  After thinking about a week I remembered Kathy wanting a washer and dryer that sits up off the floor about 12" on pedestals.  Instead of a pedestal I built a laminate covered plywood bench.  The plumbing resides in there with a hatch for access under the washing machine.

Like you mentioned one small change effects other matters.  The hot water heater was supposed to fit where the dryer was relocated.  I ended up with a short fat one above the dryer.  Adding to the tight squeeze the furnace we bought fit perfect in its allocated space but we added some super duper filter system for my allergies.  Of course the filter required extra room for access.

I think everything is positioned well now.  Still have a ways to go before its completed.

[ljmathias]

Way to go, Larry- like MM said, carpenters cover up their mistakes (I prefer to say "fix them") but doctors bury theirs.  I'm not ready to bury any of my projects yet- burn them maybe, but not on purpose...  :D

Back to the bent in progress: spent the morning reading up on brace layout and cutting, and going over the truss placement and support locations needed.  Thought I might do a little planning and thinking before I actually dive into that huge job- I know, it's unAmerican to plan something, but call me a throwback to earlier times.   ;D

Tried to do some work about 1 or so but it was just peaking out at over a 100 F so my mind said "yes" but my body said "Heck no!" and came back into the cool to read some more on braces.  Had dinner with the kids and then tackled the two braces I need for this support bent.  Decided to use 4X6 stock since that seems to be the standard, even for 8X8 posts and beams.  Not sure it will look right, but got to start somewhere; next time I may try 6X6 or 6X8 and see how that works and looks- will certainly be a lot harder to cut and handle making the braces and doing fit up, but we all love a challenge.   ???

Picture below is of the two braces I laid out and cut in about 2 hours (sorry about the blur, I was getting tired and couldn't see real well what I was taking a picture of...).  Seem to be pretty exact, and I measured all parts at least twice, some three times so I'd be sure I had it right.  These are my first real building braces, although I've made a couple for some sawhorses and a few for a frame-in-progress (really, really slow progress) that was started under Jim's guidance a few years back (I did say slow   ;)  ). 



Tools used to make these include a pencil and speed triangle, and the four items pictured below- regular size skill saw, carpenter's square, hand saw, and of course, Papa Bear saw that weighs a ton and scares me every time I push the button and pull the trigger to start a cut.  Wish they could make a saw with this big a blade but a lot less weight- it's cumbersome to lift and hold in place, hard to see the alignment slot on the front while lining up the blade on the edge to start the cut, and just a general pain to use.  But like a lot of tools that are a pain to use, it does what it does better and faster than anything else I can think of, so I use it carefully.



Tomorrow morning I'll smooth the braces and hog out the mortises, smooth those out and make sure the tenons fit, then start finish planing and sanding.  Might be able to do fit up in the evening or Tuesday morning- good timing since I'm lining up "volunteers" for the bent raising and truss placement for the weekend.  Still have to finish building the six inch exterior wall on the main slab and the last half of the northern porch support.  Should be able to get this done in time, and then away we go!   

Lj

[ljmathias]

Ok, actually did a fair amount of what I'd planned for today although we only worked till 11 or so and then a couple hours later in the afternoon- didn't quite hit a hundred today but still dang hot and I'm out of gaterade.  Used chisels (1" and 2") to smooth out the braces- ends are shown below.  I deliberately picked brace stock that had some character to it- using SYP for the braces as well as the posts and beams, and these two braces have a number of heartwood streaks and knot blemishes that make them pretty neat after they're all cleaned up.  Guess I should have planed them before I cut the tenons and shoulders, but I had the extra to cut back to the full 4" and 6" so it worked out well.



Did get one brace pocket done, but what a pain!  Had to keep trimming back and chiseling out for several reasons, most important of which is that I forgot to add the half-inch housing to the depth of the chain mortiser when I hogged out most of the wood.  That meant I had to chisel it out the slow way, which worked fine anyhow.  Second problem was the angle and placement of the shoulder slant at the upper end of the pocket.  I had gathered I needed this to be at almost 8" from the base for this 45 degree brace, but turned out to be at 10" and I don't know where the discrepancy came from.  Now that I've got one done right, I'll get the other three in the morning (I hope   ).  You'll notice a little tear-out on the upper and lower edges of the pocket- these are from the chain mortiser, and I didn't realize it but the chain had gotten a little loose (just like any chain saw chain) and it would "kick" a little or snag sometimes.  After I tightened it up and oiled it, this problem went away.



Finished clean-up work on the other mortise and housing for the loft beam.  This is on the new post I mentioned to replace the one that was "leaking" so bad.  Turned out pretty good and I think I've got the dimensions pretty close on the tenons and mortises for the two joints that will support this beam, but fit up is not practical at this stage.  Each of the major sticks in this bent weighs in at several hundred pounds, so manhandling them alone is impossible and even with daughter and grandson to help today, it's a lot of weight to wrestle.  One of the half-rounded beams almost rolled off the support scrap log onto a foot-- way too easy for these things to get away from you.  Once I have all the joints cut and stain applied, we'll position them inside the main house slab and try fitting them all together.  Worst case is we do this on Friday night or Saturday morning coming up when I'll have some additional help, just before we put up the trusses.  One thing that I didn't fully realize before starting this project was how much more difficult it is working with partially rounded timbers.  Square timbers are so much easier to position and cut than the beams I'm using here.  Trying to mark and position a saw (Papa Bear) in a stable orientation on a rounded edge for a cross cut or end cut is really hard, made even worse by the weight and awkwardness of this big gyroscope.  I hate to admit it (not really) but the last picture below shows trim work that I did with a little electric chain saw.  It was the wrong chain for cutting from the end of a log- jumped and snagged too much- and it was difficult to line up and keep aligned- luckily the daughter helped with that.  It would have been impossible, though, with any of the circular saws without a whole lot of re-positioning and lock-down effort.  It's also really hard to draw straight lines in either direction on round wood.  I took a class at a timber frame conference on working round timbers, but that was done with perfectly uniform round sticks- these pieces aren't, on purpose for the look.



Finished sizing and smoothing the two tenons on the loft beam and it should be ready to go after sanding and staining and fit-up:



Also got the top support beam cut to length and ends trimmed to 8" for carving out the mortises for sitting on top of the two posts with through tenons.  Or do I have that backward: through mortises for the full width (length?) tenons?  Need to smooth both ends to correct thickness, then cut the two mortises tomorrow.



If I get all the work done planned for tomorrow, Wednesday should be fit-up and trim to get 'er right.  Then drill peg holes.  I'd like to use draw bores but I'm not sure how easy it will be to repeatedly put all the tenons where they belong, mark them, and pull them for drilling.  This wood is very dry and shouldn't shrink at all now.  I would like the additional draw down of slightly offset holes, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort... guess it will depend on what help I have tomorrow and Wednesday and how hot it gets.   :(  I'd love to say I'll just do it the right way, but time and energy come into play: we're raising this weekend no matter what as I've got to get those trusses off the ground before it rains.  Time waits for no man- a famous saying said by someone famous, I'm sure    ???  ; termites wait for no man  or woman either.

Lj

[ljmathias]

Despite the rain yesterday afternoon, which actually gave us a nice siesta break and cooled things off some, we managed to make visible progress.  Invisible progress is the kind where you do lots of stuff, measure and cut joints and generally keep things moving along but you can't really see anything coming together.  So, two main things in progress yesterday- making brace pockets and starting the fit up and trim process.

Making brace pockets isn't all that hard on all-square timbers, but on partially round ones, it's a royal pain (not to offend any UK or Canadian members).  Had to do all kinds of tricky measuring- using an upright square as an alignment tool, measuring from the one flat part of the beam three different ways to find the pocket location, running a string from one end to the other to make sure the end beam mortises and the brace pockets all line up... spent way to much time getting ready, and then even more actually cutting them.  Did the pockets in the posts (mostly square) pretty easily- using 42" for the legs of the triangle with brace lengths of 59 13/32" or as close as I could get to that.  While I could use the chain mortiser on the square posts, I couldn't get it to clamp onto the rounded parts of the beams I was working on, so had to resort to the manual chain mortiser in the picture below.  I "eyeballed" this to vertical and cut down about what I thought was the right depth into the pocket (second picture)- way too shallow on the first one, much closer on the second.  Third picture- lots of chisel work to make the shoulder housing and the tongue mortise... arms ached after each one and had to stop and sharpen the chisel during this process I was cutting out so much wood.







When all was said and done, after roughly 7 hours of mostly hand work, both braces fit pretty well and lined up well with each other and the mortises in the beam ends- next step for these will be today's second installment on fit up.



Speaking of fit up, while it was sprinkling yesterday, daughter and I managed to man (or woman) handle the two posts into the main frame slab, line them up on blocks and start the fit up process (first two pictures).  Of course, you always have to trim some (third picture) but I was amazed at how well things came together (fourth picture).  Only one joint actually fit up but today we do the rest, I hope- got some help coming at 8 or so and we should be able to man and boy and woman handle the timbers around well enough.









Off to work, more later... Lord willing and the creek don't rise (meaning, hope it doesn't rain today).

Lj

[frwinks]

looking awesome LJ.  I heard of the mortiser being used to do shoulders as well ;)
The round/waney stuff might be harder to cut, but man does it ever look wicked once it's all put together and fitting tight 8)

[ljmathias]

Thanks, frwinks, and you're right on the round wood- pain to do but boy does it look great.  Today is the day for full fit up of the bent so we can do final trim and be ready to raise this evening or in the morning.  Not enough help so I've figured out how to use the FEL on the tractor to gently guide the top beam onto the posts and braces- daughter and grandson will help with that so hopefully we'll get this finished, stain the pieces that need it and peg everything together.

Yesterday was one of those boring but necessary days.  Well, on the other hand, any day that you see progress is not really all that boring except in the doing of it...   ;)  We did general area clean up to get ready for the crew coming in on Saturday- don't need a bunch of trash pieces of wood and stuff that I've gotten used to walking around and over causing any safety problems.  Also did three of the four "last" jobs to be ready for the bent raising and truss installation: stick framing the interior and exterior walls.  First picture below shows (hard to see but it is there) the small section of framing ready to go in place that includes the door opening and support for the stairs.  This will be right next to the east post of the bent and we need room to move the bent around as we place it so I couldn't do this section till after.  Same applies to the last section of exterior wall for the north side of the main house frame (second picture, ready to move into place).  Not seen is the door assembly for the exterior back door- not much to look at really, just a header and legs.  The telescopic forklift is supposed to be delivered today, and I need access to first raise the bent and then move it into final location to secure it to the west wall.  The bent will be solid enough that having just one side tightly secured should keep it in place as we load in trusses around and onto it.





I really can't believe we're actually right on schedule despite the extended siesta and rain breaks we've had over the last week.  Heat plus humidity have been real hard to work through, and two or three changes of clothes plus a couple showers per day add to the time out breaks.  Temperature is a supposed to be a little lower next two days (only 94) but there's a 30% chance of thunderstorms both days, and walking on wet wood to move trusses in is not the best for safety.  Lightening could also be a factor- maybe you all heard about the strike at Camp Shelby just a few miles from here that shocked 70 some soldiers, injuring a few enough to require hospital treatment?  We really, really don't want that happening on Saturday!   >:(

Hope to have pictures of a fully assembled and stained bent by the end of the day- time to get ready.  

Lj

[Magicman]

You have completed a lot of intricate work and it really looks good.  I'll be working on my project for the next couple of days and out of touch, but anyway, good luck with your beam/timber raising.   

[ljmathias]

Hope you're careful up there, MM; when you get back you can tell us all about it, with pictures, of course.   ;D

Well, today was the day when we had to get the bent done, and surprise, surprise: we did it!  "I love it when a plan comes together,"  said by who on what ancient TV show?  We started out trying to finish up the finish work on the beams and posts- Jessie sanding and staining while I worked on laying out the positions for the trusses we'll put up tomorrow- used black magic marker so in case it rains, they shouldn't get washed away.  Layout for the trusses plus engineered floor joists is complicated, with the joists having to shift a little one way or the other sometimes because they're on 16" centers and the trusses on 2' centers.  Every few feet, they fall on the same place and you know what they say about two objects occupying the same space at the same time?  Yeah, well, me neither...  



Once she had the staining done, we went ahead and started fit up.  We could slide and manhandle most of the timbers but the top beam was just too big and heavy, so we fashioned a sling under the FEL bucket to lift that piece into place.  



Worked great, too- with just a little twist of the cant hook, it would  rotate into position for sliding on the through tenons on top of the two posts.  Had to carve one of those done a bit, and then when we added the two braces, things almost fit- almost.  Somehow I'd managed to make the brace pockets not quite far enough "north" of line between the two corner points of alignment- forgot Jim's name for these.  Upshot was, I could drive one side down to have the beam flat to the top of the post but this raised the other side.  After going back and forth a couple times like a three stooges caper, I realized I'd have to pull the beam up enough to unseat the braces and do some trimming.  Ended up fitting them together three times before I got the pockets carved right, but then things came together great... except for the trimming I had to do on the loft support beam with though tenons that were just a little bit too wide.  I blame it on the rain that swelled the wood a mite, but who knows, coulda been me... :D



Once we got everything tight (enough), it was time to lock it all together, and I have to admit I cheated some here.  I just couldn't muster the energy to pull everything apart, drill the peg holes through the mortises, put it all back together, mark the tenons, pull it apart, drill the tenons just a little bit shy of the mark, and then put it all back together for the last time.  Instead, I used 12" log screws to pull the joints tight- pre-drill almost to the depth of the screws then use an impact driver to pound them in and pull the pieces tight against each other.  THEN I drilled holes for pegs and pounded those in... using the tool set below: a "hole hog" with 1" auger bit, manufactured pegs (haven't tried making them myself yet) and a good old hammer to drive them in.  Worked slick and the whole thing pegged up tight.





Then the real fun began, if you count being all puckered up for an hour or so while you lift a ton or so of wood into the air above your frame and pray nothing bad happens till you get it fixed and braced in place!  The telescopic forklift arrived about 4 but we didn't get the frame all tightened up and pegged until about 6.  Pictures below are of me very carefully moving the forklift into position, the frame hanging in mid-air as I slowly move it into position against the exterior wall frame trying real hard not to knock it over, and then after setting it down, using a come-along strap to pull it about an inch upright before I braced and screwed it to the wall.







Daughter Jessie wanted one picture for Mom to show how she single-handedly pushed the bent up into place and held it there while I fixed it in place... oh, well, at least she's excited about the progress.  By 8 we had put away tools, moved the forklift away from the frame and made it inside for supper, tired but still wound-up from the excitement.  To paraphrase a sail racing observation my son quoted for me, "raising a bent is long periods of tedious boredom punctuated by moments of shear terror."  All said and done, it was a great day.  8) 8)   Tomorrow, the trusses....

Lj

[WDH]

Amazing progress!  You must be very pleased.  Maybe you will sleep well tonight with that success. 

BTW,  when you must have not been looking, someone took a chisel to that Woodmizer shirt and opened up a joint just below you armpit.  Maybe it was the Wood Sprites.  Who knows ???.

[ljmathias]

Well, WDH, I did sleep pretty good, like a rock as the saying goes, but woke up early when I started dreaming trusses...  :D  And that's my favorite Woodmizer t-shirt because it's the only one I have.  Wife keeps wanting to throw it away but I keep rescuing it from the trash.  It's about on its last legs, though.   :(

Couple cups of coffee and I'm off to today's projects.  Now that the bent is up, I can bring the exterior wall in and put it on its anchor bolts, lock it to the west wall, put the door frame in and add the top sill plate.  Then stand posts for the north porch wall, cut those to height and place the last two porch beams in place.  Finally, stand the interior stairway closet door (where Harry will sleep) next to the new bent post, tie that down with bullet-driven nails into the concrete.  Then the trusses can start going on.  Weather is chancy on thunderstorms and it's supposed to hit 95 today so we'll try to finish as much as we can early- at least we should have a window of opportunity if any of the volunteer help shows up; if not, it's going to be a long, slow day, but that's alright- steps to do now are deliberate ones, best done carefully and accurately so that 4X8 sheets of sheathing line up right on the truss joists.   

Lj

[ljmathias]

Now that we have the support bent in place, it's time to use the telescopic forklift to get the biggest trusses and floor joists up and in place.  This is not as easy as it might sound- despite the fact that I got the smaller of the two offered by the rental company, this is still a honking big piece of equipment, worth it for the reach although we never got anywhere near the 3 ton lift limit.  Before we could actually dive into the trusses, though, we had the catch-up jobs to do to get the frame finished and the porch support wall done.  For the porch, we needed three more posts stained, which daughter did (first picture) while I put in the stairwell door frame and (with help) got the last section of the north exterior wall anchored in place, sheathed and covered with house wrap.  Son Josh was a major help in these efforts, as well in running the forklift with expertise and helping with other chores.











Two hours given over to getting ready for the trusses, and then we had to get the trusses themselves ready.  They were delivered in a wrapped and nailed together package with, you guessed it, the ones that needed to go up first sitting at the bottom of the stack.  This meant an hour of lifting and sorting the pieces on top till we finally got down to the ones we needed.  Picture below shows the helpers and me doing this while baby Lila appears totally disinterested- and well she should be, for this is her second birthday and we had to plan for the party in the evening amidst everything else (and she loved it, with lots of "lello" stuff, yellow being her new favorite color). 





We pulled them over to a more convenient location for access with the monster forklift, and hoisted the first two up onto the bare frame.  Because of the room needed to move the trusses into place with the forklift, we decided to start in the middle rather than on one end, like we usually do.  This was harder in many ways, but we managed to get two upright braces nailed to the stairwell wall to hold the first two in place while we fussed around getting them plumb and square.  I'd pre-marked two top plates so lining up bases was not too bad, except for the bows and twists that we had to cut braces for to keep things straight.  Luckily, the first two main trusses were bailed together to stabilize the wall next to the stairwell on the second floor.  Then we ran into a problem on the third truss: we could put spacers in at the bases to keep everything lined up, but needed to do the same on the slopes and tops which we couldn't reach safely (or not at all for those of us who are height challenged).  Luckily, we could build a minimal man-lift for the forks (with a rope that I made SIL use despite his protests) that put him at just the right location to do this.



By three pm, after working since 6 am with a half hour lunch break, we were all wasted, and SIL (I found out later) was on the verge of heat exhaustion with dizziness and lack of thirst- bad signs, but we quit soon enough and his thirst came back fast enough that he recovered pretty well during the birthday party.  Asking for help (free of course) is always a chancy thing.  We'd lined up a couple of experienced carpenters who wanted to help and then couldn't at the last minute.  We'd lined up other help that ended up not showing at all.  Best of all were family and a couple of last minute call-ins that came to provide the necessary number of hands to move and stabilize 42' long trusses while we very, very carefully used the forklift to extend and lift them close to where they needed to be.  All in all, only five long trusses got put up today, but given the pre-work needed and the lack of skilled expertise of all of us, not a bad day at all.  And at least we made some progress...   






Got to get the last four long trusses up tomorrow after church- on top if not braced up and in the right place- plus the four 28' engineered floor joists for the second floor bedrooms: the forklift goes back early Monday morning.  The rest of the trusses and floor joists we should be able to get up and in place with the FEL and hands-on muscle power (if we don't all collapse from the heat and humidity first- I must have drank 8 or 10 gaterades today plus water in between).

Lj