The slab was finally poured, and all the work done up until this point was now permanently hidden from view under a whole bunch of concrete. Just a couple days after the pour, we were right back at it with a fresh pile of lumber, ready to start the next phase of the project: WALLS!
After laying out all the studs for the first wall and preparing the openings for the windows, we picked up the nail gun and were ready to fire the first shot. It turns out that the first shot was a dud… we forgot to turn on the compressor, and the nail gun doesn’t work too well with 0 psi. Oh well, we still posed for the picture.
A short while later, we had one 36′ wall ready to be lifted into place.
The remainder of the week was much the same. Build a wall, lift it into place. Build the next wall, lift that one into place. By the end of the week, we had all four walls up! Thanks to Pat, Gene, Carl, Charlotte, Dave, Devin for all the help with the walls!
Shortly after starting the first wall on Monday, we were told that our trusses would be completed on Wednesday and most likely delivered on Thursday. We scheduled a crane and started lining up helpers for the following Sunday. On Thursday morning we received a call from the lumber company letting us know that the truss company had just informed them they wouldn’t have the trusses done until the following Tuesday. This would be a major setback since we had already planned to have the crane here and started lining up a crew for Sunday. After a few frantic phone calls and emails, we were finally told that the truss company would make sure to have them done by the end of the day on Friday. Things were back on track. Friday morning rolled around and a truck carrying the trusses rolled in the driveway.
We put the finishing touches on the walls, and got everything lined up for Sunday.
First thing Sunday morning, our helpers started showing up, followed by the crane. After a brief meeting to make sure everyone was on the same page and knew what their job was for the day, the crane hooked onto the first truss and lifted it into place.
The first few trusses went up as planned, and everything seemed to be off to a good start. That’s when the snow started, and not just any snow, a wet, heavy, messy snow. While the weather sucked, nobody complained and we plowed forward.
A few hours later, we had all the trusses up and braced (at least temporarily) and were ready to head in to eat and thaw out. A huge thanks to Gene, Deb, Pat, Marlene, Mike, Trevor, Becky, Dan, Aaron, and Steve Ingalls for all the hard work without one complaint about the crappy weather!
Our slab was poured on Friday, the first wall went up on Monday, and the trusses were installed by the following Sunday. Pretty good work for a small crew of family and friends!