Busy weekend. I was a couple guys short, but the neighborhood pitched in and helped out. Once again; great neighbours.
Saturday started off with a huge breakfast with Pilsner pancakes and Spulumbo sausages. Neighbor Jay and I got to work finishing off bits that needed to be done before the trusses could go up; I needed to secure the walls to the pad, and I didn’t have a hammer drill. I was able to put a few bolts in, but my craptastic 20 year old black and decker drill was not up to the challenge. Jay has a real hammer drill, not the DIY store version, but he didn’t have a 1/2 inch bit. I bought 1/2 inch expanding bolts, and a 1/2 in bit, but the Hitachi hammer drill takes real hammer drill bits that have splines on them, so mine wouldn’t work. Jay also had a different kind of anchor that you sink in, hit it with a punch to set it, and screw in a bolt to secure the wall. But no bolts long enough…
In a flash of brilliance, we figured out that my expanding bolts were 1/2 (Duh) and could use them upside down in his anchors and then use the nut to secure the wall. So, using Jays hammer drill and 5/8 anchors (that take a 1/2 bolt) we were able to tighten down the walls. There wasn’t much of anything else I could have done without the walls anchored so I was pretty happy that we figured it out.
Chris showed up with his hammer drill just as we got a few bolts in…. So I borrowed it, and have a few more bolts to sink yet. I’ll use my anchor bolts the ‘right way’ with his drill.
After the walls were secure, I finished nailing the corners together, and nailed the overlapping sheathing. We also had to build up the wall over the main door header and sheet that in.
Brad the welder popped by just as we were ready to lift the trusses. Awesome, a full 4 guys. (Chris was still hobbling on his ankle but that really didn’t slow him down at all!)
So the rest of the morning and 1/2 the afternoon was lifting up trusses, and flipping them up into place. I can’t remember who came up with the idea, (prolly Dan) but I cut two spacers for the trusses instead of measuring 22 1/2 each time, just put the spacer infront of the the last truss and slid the next one in place. Worked like a charm! Only out by 1/2 from front to back. Made toe nailing the trusses in a lot easier as they didn’t slide around
On Saturday we prolly got 6 trusses up, but Brad had to leave for other business, and Chris’s ankle was getting sore, so we called it an early day. We ad in impromptu garage party, couple more neighbours came over and we had a few beers.
Sunday, Dano came over and we started to get the rest of the trusses going. I called Jay and he came right over (even though he was partying till the sun was up). The plummer came over as well, and we lifted teh rest of the trusses on the walls.
Dano took on the tough job of being forman (years of experience… that man knows how to build things) and all the high ladder work. I got about three rungs up the extension ladder and just about churled… too wobbley 18 feet off the ground *shudder*
We got the rest of the trusses up by early afternoon, and the help had to leave. So, wife and I got the lookouts in, and were about to shutdown for the day just before supper time and go swimming at a friends place.
Jay needed a hand moving some gravel around, and I forgot I was helping him. I didn’t go swimming, but was able to pay back some of the sweat equity for Jay, and that was really good.
This weeks tasks are finishing the lookouts and get the sub-fascia installed, then start on the roof sheating. I also have a few more floor anchors to sink. I gotta shingle the roof this weekend.
