They’re here…57 pieces of lumber, designed by engineers in various sizes and shapes to match our house plan, delivered 115 miles to Camp Many Moons on a flatbed truck. Soon, they will become a roof. It looks complicated to me as Jeff studies the design to plan his approach. We wanted a distinctive shape to this cabin, and that means some complexity in the roof-line. Are we nuts to not hire a professional crew for this part? I keep suggesting that but Jeff likes to do things himself. So we are both waking up in the middle of the night, puzzling over this next big step. (He puzzles about the structure while I puzzle about him!) Photos and captions below…
We cleared the driveway area to make room for the big load to come.
You’ve seen these trucks on the road…the ones labeled “oversize load,” followed by a car with blinking lights. Passing one takes planning. This time, we were the reason for it. As the truck arrived at our driveway, I wondered how it would maneuver into it.
The guys who drive these rigs are pro’s. (They’re almost always guys.) With a lot of back-and-forth, he backed into our drive without taking down a single tree.
The flatbed tilts to deliver the trusses onto the ground. Tilt, slide, done! (A truss is an assembly of connected beams that creates a rigid structure. Sheeting and shingles will go on top of this structure to complete the roof.) We were amazed to learn that it took just hours for the truss company to create these once we approved the design. Must be a kind of assembly line.
Payment and delivery was the easy part. (And it isn’t cheap. A roof is the single most expensive part of a new house.) Next, we have to put it together. This diagram supposedly shows how. I can’t see it. Geometry was never easy for me. Maybe if I’d played with Lincoln Logs…
The trusses came with a 20-page packet explaining what’s included and how to construct it. Jeff keeps trying to explain it, but my brain prefers words over shapes. (Ref. caption above.) Several pieces need to come together before we can begin, and not just the truss pieces. We’ll need a crane with driver to hoist them, or a crane that Jeff will drive himself — we’re working on both options — plus helpers to put them in place. Autumn is beckoning and snow right behind that, so we’re on a kind of deadline. It’s a bit nerve-wracking…
Meanwhile, we continue to clean up dead trees like this white birch on the water’s edge. We usually save the waterfront trees for winter, when we can drag them over the ice, but Jeff’s newest toy made it possible to pull this one out of the water easily. (See previous post.)And, as always, I try to take a time-out to get on the water.
I recommend an experienced crane operator. Each truss must be hoisted and lowered into a specific place, 16 inches from the previous one. Too much swing and sway, and you could knock over the one before. You could do it yourself with a lot of practice, but that would mean more cost in crane rental. But, hey, it’s your house.
Mary, you could run the crane (woman’s delicate touch) while Jeff receives each truss and nails it in place.
I’m not sure how much of this comment is said in jest. 😄 But seriously, I also didn’t realize how much you knew about construction. I love a practical scholar! Former science writer and editor plus a builder! You continue to amaze….
As a kid I spent summers helping build houses with my carpenter father. That was before factory-made trusses came along, but I’ve watched them being used on houses that my homebuilder son is building.
The part about you operating the crane was only partly in jest. You’re quite accomplished in male-dominated fields, and probably a quick enough study to learn the crane. You could practice by lifting Jeff from place to place.
I will add that Jeff seems to figure out how to operate any machine, big or small. I prefer to hire a Crane with operator but he doesn’t like the pressure that would add …paying by the hour, etc…and I get that.
For Many Moons 
I recommend an experienced crane operator. Each truss must be hoisted and lowered into a specific place, 16 inches from the previous one. Too much swing and sway, and you could knock over the one before. You could do it yourself with a lot of practice, but that would mean more cost in crane rental. But, hey, it’s your house.
Mary, you could run the crane (woman’s delicate touch) while Jeff receives each truss and nails it in place.
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I’m not sure how much of this comment is said in jest. 😄 But seriously, I also didn’t realize how much you knew about construction. I love a practical scholar! Former science writer and editor plus a builder! You continue to amaze….
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As a kid I spent summers helping build houses with my carpenter father. That was before factory-made trusses came along, but I’ve watched them being used on houses that my homebuilder son is building.
The part about you operating the crane was only partly in jest. You’re quite accomplished in male-dominated fields, and probably a quick enough study to learn the crane. You could practice by lifting Jeff from place to place.
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I will add that Jeff seems to figure out how to operate any machine, big or small. I prefer to hire a Crane with operator but he doesn’t like the pressure that would add …paying by the hour, etc…and I get that.
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Hang in there Mary! Maybe summer will linger..
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