Day 81: Trusses

On Day 81 our trusses arrived.  They were brought in on a big truck and dumped in the yard.  They are step one in putting a roof up.

In the week prior to that, W had started framing up the interior walls.  We ended up making a few adjustments to room sizes.  

Day 74: Installing the Header Board

Immediately after the concrete was poured W sunk some bolts in the wet concrete.  The walls were "tied" to the concrete foundation with the rebar that stuck up into them.  These bolts allow the roof to be attached to the walls.

To these bolts he attached the header boards.  This required marking where the bolts were by laying a board on top and tapping it with a hammer.  Holes were then drilled where the indents were made.  The board was this placed on the top and attached with washers and nuts.

Day 63: Pouring the Walls

I actually went back and counted the dates twice on this one.  I really did not think it had taken so long.  In order to finish the insulated concrete forms, concrete had to be pumped into the walls.  Neither of the two local concrete companies had a pumper so we would need to rent one.  The two price quotes we had gotten were $1500-$2000.  This would be in addition to the cost of the concrete.  W called his contact at the company that would deliver the concrete and got the name of a man.  His price was less than a quarter of the low end estimate.  It almost seemed too good to be true.  In this case it was not.

This is the concrete pumper.  The concrete truck dumps the concrete into the hopper.  The pumper operator has a wireless remote that controls the pumper.

A long hose attached to the pumper and this is how the concrete got down into the walls.  It took three passes all the way around.  W was at the end of the hose.  My dad and an uncle were inside dragging it around.

Of course you know Leo was supervising as usual.