A Closer Look at the Roof (and a New Friend)

Since our last entry, we've made more progress on the roof. We finished putting the rafters up and have added about half the sheathing.

Here are some videos that explain our work in greater detail.

And here's the new friend we reference in the title of this entry.

The Start of the Roof

Below are some pictures of the roof in progress, for all those eager to see the latest.

Bump Out Be Gone!

We were supposed to build the roof of the addition today, but Mike found a slight flaw in the design. Our architect suggested he consult with an engineer, which resulted in a construction delay.

To make good use of our time, we worked on demolishing the bump out in our dining room and cleaning up a pile of construction debris. We also tore up the floor in the dining room, which will no longer be the dining room. The space will become part of the kitchen/great room, and the current living room will become the dining room.

The Ridge Beam

On Thursday, Steve, Mike, and I worked on the ridge beam, which consists of two long, flat boards that have been nailed together.

I hammered in most of the nails holding the boards together while Mike and Steve sawed them down to just the right size.

Once assembled, it was time to hoist the beam into place, which was easier said than done. Mike and Steve crafted a sort of totem pole. While one end of the beam was resting on the roof, the other sat on the floor of the addition. We placed the top of the totem pole under the beam, then slid the pole along the length of the beam to raise it up.

Now, this sounds very easy, but I have to say this was one of the most frightening things I have ever done in my life. For much of the time, I was holding the totem pole, by myself or with Steve, while the beam wobbled several feet above our heads. Moving the totem was tough work, and Steve and Mike quickly realized they needed to widen its base. After a quite a struggle, the beam finally reached its fnal destination!

Once the ridge beam was in place, the guys still needed to work on it, so for easy access, they built this handy stand.

The Real Construction Begins

Last weekend, we went through a bit more preparation, and then we were ready to build the frame.

On Sunday, Steve and Katie, who came from out of state to work on our house, helped us with a bunch of stuff. (I totally can't remember at this point exactly what we did because the days are all starting to run together.) But I do know that they finished filling in the moat around the addition while Mike and I attended my cousin's 40th birthday party on Sunday afternoon. When we came home, we were amazed at how much Steve and Katie had accomplished. The yard had finally started to look like a yard again!

Over the last few days, the room has really started to shape up. The photos and videos below show the progress we've made over the last few days:

While all this construction has been going on, I've still been working on saving the rhododendrons. The pile of dirt around their bases is much smaller than it was, and I think they're going to make it!

As an added bonus, Mike ripped the ugly cuppola off the house while he and Steve were taking down part of the roof. I'm so glad it's gone!

Getting Ready for the Next Steps

The next big steps include tearing down the existing back wall of the house and framing the kitchen.

Before those tasks are carried out, we needed to fill in the ditch around the addition, remove the siding from the back of the house, and tear out some items in the kitchen.