Recipe for DIY roof-raising: 1 part materials, 2 parts flexibility, 6 parts helpers. (Notice, no heavy equipment.) It reminds me of an Amish barn-raising, not that I’ve ever seen one. Prepare the materials, put out the call, watch the weather, and hope. Voila! It worked!
It’s still only trusses, and just 1/4 of them so far, but still sweet. The process is more free-form than I’m used to, and I keep hearing “that’s how it is with construction.” Well, it’s how it is when you do it yourself anyway! I’ve been reflecting on my own business and career. I certainly learned early-on to expect the unexpected, since few things are more challenging than leading people or communicating complex issues to a national audience. But there is something about construction. It has its own culture and its own pace. See yesterday’s story in photos below, as the Cabin at Many Moons continues to take form….
I asked “the crew” to pose before work began. Jeff drove around the neighborhood the night before to inquire about availability, and bumped into a few others while out-and-about, and here they are in spite of drizzle.
Doug and Erik consider the lay-of-the-land. The east-wall truss, visible here, was erected about a week ago. (Click here for that story.) Notice the borrowed scaffolding, which is moved around as needed with platforms for workers to stand on. Our heated-slab floor doesn’t look so beautiful yet, but it will when polished….sometime next week, we hope.
The first challenge was to erect the center trusses — two side-by-side, for strength. Wally pushed with a pipe while Jeff pulled with a rope and helpers on the sides stood by to push and steady. The first one is always hardest. Will it work?
Yes! First center truss up! Keep in mind that the process was developed just before it happened. I’m new at this roof-raising business, but I bet this isn’t a common way to do it. š
The 2nd one went up faster, and then a lot of careful measuring and adjusting….
…and more trusses quickly followed until the bones covered the kitchen and dining area.
I like gazing at the angles. I may not be good at geometry but I can appreciate its beauty. Soon, all this lumber will be covered up…like so much else that makes up a home, meant to become invisible. But I like to know what’s there.
We even got a bit of a “ceiling” started over the dining area. (The flat brown stuff is called sheeting.) The goal is to get the house covered within a week. We’re well on the way, thanks to our very capable slew of helpers.
While others climbed on scaffolding, I kept a fire going all day and evening to burn the leftovers from Monday’s tree-cutting. (We took down three more dead ones, making the most of a day without construction.) I could hardly be idle with all this work going on around me! I wanted to help on the roof but was shooed away. Maybe just as well.
I’m so grateful to Erik and Doug, stationed here on the south wall….
…and Bruce and Tom, stationed on the north. If I was still in the military, I’d put you all in for a Navy Commendation. If I was still in the Civil Service, I’d nominate you for a Director’s Award. For service above-and-beyond, thank you!
Well, I suppose we did… that is, we decided we wanted an interesting roof…steep-ish angle, gabled ends, covered porches….but my on-call GC helped, and then Wendricks Truss Company did the engineering. They sent us a complicated design for approval, which I understood not at all, and Jeff understood mostly! It’s quite the experience.
For Many Moons 
Enjoying the details. It’s amazing what that crew can do.
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Who needs a crane when you have ingenuity.
And, by the way, those are some unusually fancy trusses. Who designed them?
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Well, I suppose we did… that is, we decided we wanted an interesting roof…steep-ish angle, gabled ends, covered porches….but my on-call GC helped, and then Wendricks Truss Company did the engineering. They sent us a complicated design for approval, which I understood not at all, and Jeff understood mostly! It’s quite the experience.
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