Framing in the Rain

This weekend the goal was to finish the framing and get the roof on.  --- we got some of it done.  Rain prevented us from finishing as we only got a few hours of passable weather each day.  BTW, did you know that drizzle does not mean you don't show up for work???  My "boss" is a slave driver!  I should have known I was in trouble when he bought me a present.

Sapphire Blue Speed Square - the hottest thing on the construction site for the Spring 2014 Season 

So the rafters would sit flat on the top plates, you have to cut an angle.  Easier said than done!

Rafters are all up! You can see how gray the sky is.  At least it was warm.  It started raining pretty steady shortly after this and work came to a halt for the day.

Sunday Morning - still gray sky but we can't let that stop us.  See the extra wood blocking in the walls?  They add rigidity and will make nice "shelves" and/or nailing surfaces on the interior of the shed.  We also did that in the rafters.

Those little studs are called "cripple studs"  more support and nailing surface.

The blocking is offset slightly as the above detail shows.

So all the framing is done.  Weather prevented us from putting the stand board on the roof.  I've never done shingling before.  Just wish the roof wasn't 8 feet off the ground :)

The neighbors keep coming by to check on our progress.  

I've been framed!!

 Framing - in construction, the fitting together of pieces to give a structure support and shape (wikipedia).

Sill plates and studs and rafters will be on today's menu.

We couldn't ask for a better day with temps in the low 70's with sunshine all day.  The wood arrived shortly after 10:30 am and framing began at 11 am!  Troy started without me as I ran a few errands but I was back in time to take up my post as assistant by 11:30 am!

The tools....

Framing nailer - a bit heavy and scary - I need more practice!

tape measure, auger and speed square - some old friends here!

Chop saw - my personal favorite and don't forget your pencil!

The first wall is up.  We built them on the ground and then raised them.  

Two walls up and two to go.  See the header for the door?  The metal strapping helps keep things square.

I'd say that is a good day's work!!!

We didn't get to the rafters.  That is on the schedule for next weekend - weather permitting.

Playing with Blocks

With the pad cured for a week, we were ready to do the concrete block (aka CMU) foundation.

Troy started with the four corners.

Then onto the walls

You have to "tool the joints". They don't look this pretty by themselves.

A project we did while waiting for the concrete to cure was a Heat Pump Hutch.  During cold weather the heat pump freezes up.  Water from the roof drips right down into the unit. We've talked about doing something to protect it for a few years.  Last winter was mild and we didn't have many problems.  This year we've had several snows and had to replace the fan motor which probably burned out when the fan blades froze up.

Our Hut solves the problem.  We did add roofing tiles to the roof.  The lattice lets air in but keeps leaves out.  We had some more snow and sleet later that week and our Hut worked like a charm.  The unit stayed high and dry.

Now for a confession -  I have to admit that I helped very little during this part of the job.  I have discovered that I really dislike block work especially in the cold!!  Instead of doing block work, I took a class on working with chalk/clay paint and learned several finishing techniques.

Here is a picture of one of the projects I did that day.

Next comes framing!!!

The Pour

The base was ready and it was time to pour.

The plan was to have the concrete truck back up on the neighbor's side of the fence (we had his permission) and simply have them dump the concrete.  That was the plan. The truck arrived at 7:45 am.  It was cold and damp.

First the ground was really soggy from repeated snowfalls and a cement truck is heavy.  So he had to stay on keep two wheels on the driveway.  This meant that the shoot didn't reach deep enough into the area to just pour it.  Into the wheelbarrow it went and then Troy dumped it into the area that needed it.  Our neighbor was helping us so he and I moved it around and poked it with the shovel to remove the air.

This is actually a plant and they mix the concrete right on sight to your specifications.  Who knew??

It doesn't quite reach!

 So we go with plan B

  

 We screened it a few times during the process.

The concrete truck operator was so nice and helpful.  He pitched in a few times.

This was my job.  It's called a Bull float.  This finishing step pushed the aggregate down and levels the concrete.  Troy took these.

We had a concrete pad by 11 am!!  It warmed up some later that day and we had time for a short ride on the bike.

Next come a concrete block foundation.

Base camp

Before we could pour the concrete pad, we had to do a little prep work and prepare the surface properly and build forms.  We found out that one company would deliver concrete on a Saturday so Troy took a Thursday and Friday off to get us ready.

First was stone - it was delivered to the house and then had to be moved in place. "Oh and I was so disappointed that I couldn't be there to help" she said with bogus sincerity.

The stuff needs to be tamped down - compressed.  You do this with a Wacker - no joke - it's right there!

The next day came the forms - and rebar and wire mesh.  This will tie all the concrete together and make it a cohesive "slab"

By the time I got home from work on Friday, we were ready for concrete delivery which was scheduled for the next morning at 8 am!   The weather forecast looked good.

That evening, we went to our first meeting of the Bayside Harley Owner's Group, our local HOG chapter.  Everyone seemed real nice.  

Later this week, I'll share the concrete pour!  Now that was an experience!  And we've got some shed plans drawn up and a few smaller outside projects lined up as well.  

From Front to Back

Well our original plans to redo the front porch and sidewalk are now on hold.  We discovered that we needed a permit to do the work.  It appears that if you do any sidewalk work you need a permit by ordinance.  And to get a permit, you need a survey and Troy doesn't have a survey so now we are going to get a survey.  Something he wanted anyway but it changes our plans.

We did find out that we can build a 200 square foot shed AND put it on a cement pad without a permit.  Now the logic might escape you that we couldn't do 100 feet of sidewalk without a permit but we can do 200 feet of shed slab without a permit.  It escapes me too.  The only thing I can say is this is the government speaking.

So on Valentine's weekend, we began shed construction 2014.  Now you know there is no way Troy is going to buy a prefab shed so we will be building this one ourselves.  But first it needs a location

That is a big shed which means it might be a shed/workshop if I play my cards right!

Working outside  this year means the house stays cleaner but working outside this year also means working in these conditions - at least it was sunny.

So day one is footings.  As you can see the post whole digger was abandoned right quick in favor of an auger rented from Home Depot (of course)

We dug wholes and slid construction tubing in the holes - about 18 inches deep these ended up being - all four corners and one in the middle.

After leveling them all, we mixed up some concrete in the wheelbarrow and shoveled it into the forms.  We added a bent rebar so that the slab and the footings would be tied together.

Day one comes to a close - only a couple hours worth of work really.

Guess what time it is....

It's project time again!!

After taking several months off after finishing the bedroom, we will begin this years project.  This year, we decided to tackle some outdoor projects.

First off is the front porch.  We have some drainage issues, some repair issues and a lot of aesthetic issues.  The name of the game will be Curb Appeal.

We start here ...

Notice the charming railing and the squirrel cutouts on the shutters?  If you've been following this blog for a while you will recognize the railing from our screened in porch project a few summers ago.

There was quite a bit of discussion on the railing.  I do like wrought iron but have you priced that stuff?  We do have a piece of the railing that we could have welded back in.  Maybe painted black the stuff would have some charm as evidenced by this fantastic photo of wrought iron work on a historic building in New Orleans.  We talked to a wrought iron guy and the cost was just prohibitive. 

See the set of steps on the left hand side of the picture.  They are DUNZO!!  Essentially, they lead nowhere! and the walkway in front of the planter will go as well.  The planter will stay and my good friend Denise is going to help with flower selection in exchange for the shutters and railing.  She actually WANTS them.  

The front door will get a paint job and new shutters will be installed as well.  I am thinking black shutters but that may change.  

My major job in all of this will be brink pointing - whatever the heck that is.  I guess I'll learn soon enough!  Demo starts next weekend.