Building Update #21: Eight Walls and a Lid

Jake worked really hard this week, and with the help of friends, family, and milder weather he was able to put up the last two walls.  Even though it snowed almost all weekend, we were able to plumb and square the walls, install a 2x4 frame across the top, and start putting plywood above the second floor (this is not normal - we are doing it for airtightness purposes). 

With all four walls up. 

The stairwell cut out.

A neighbor checks in on our progress. 

Plumbing and squaring the walls.  The braces get nailed to the top plate and the floor.  The "kicker" gets pushed into the brace, pulling the wall in.  Thank you YouTube.  

Installing the 2x4 braces.  We used mending plates to put two 2x4 studs together to make them long enough to span the walls. 

What we showed up to this morning.  Thanks Mother Nature!

All the 2x4 spans in place. 

We installed bracing to make it safe for Jake to walk around up there.

Moving plywood up to the top and nailing it in place.

By the end of the day we had a complete "lid", but only two rows were nailed.

Building Update #20: A Break in the Weather = Two Walls

The past week and a half has been very frustrating as the cold weather prevented us from using caulk to air seal the second-story walls before they went up, and then we had to wait out some rainy weather.  Fortunately today was warm and sunny.  Jake rounded up a crew of 4 to help raise our first two second story walls.

The north wall went up first.  Some wind gusts gave us a scare, but we eventually figured it out. 

The walls went up as one piece, and they were REALLY heavy.  My Dad and my friend Sarah show what it takes to get it done.

From the front of the house.  The only window on the North wall is the bathroom window.

Now with both walls up.  The second wall was lighter, but we had a problem with it slipping off the edge as we lifted it.  Jake devised an on-the-spot system to put tension on the bottom plate as we lifted the top to prevent it from sliding away from us. 

The walls aren't perfectly plumb yet, but they will be once we get the end walls up.

The man himself.  Jake after a somewhat hairy but successful wall-raising.  Many, many thanks to Dad and Sarah for making this possible!

Building Update #19 - Holiday House Progress

Our progress has slowed somewhat over the holidays, not because we are not out there every day (except Christmas Day - Jake let us take it off), but because the weather has been unseasonably brutal - cold and snow.  Our winter has actually made national news (click here), with no end in sight.  

Jake and his Dad trying to snap chalk lines for our second floor wall bottom plates the day after Christmas.  We knocked off shortly thereafter since we couldn't stay ahead of the accumulating snow.

Framing up the long north wall.

Trimming the sheathing on the long north wall.

New Years Day - putting together our large window headers in the South Wall on the second floor.  We are using a single-ply header which allows us to fit the same amount of insulation above our windows as in our walls.  In order to meet code we have to glue, and nail it every 3 inches.  Here Jake is applying our glue.

Nailing the header.

Both headers complete.

South wall framed, sheathed, and windows routed.  North wall is complete as well.  We are just waiting for it to warm up enough to caulk (for airsealing), but it is not supposed to rise above single digits for the next two days.

Building Update #18 - Gluing & Screwing on the Solstice

Jake's parents are visiting for almost two weeks from Chicago to help us get a roof on the house before the winter gets (too much) worse.  We spent the shortest day of the year putting up sheathing around the joists and then we were able to start gluing and screwing the floor sheathing to the joists for our second floor.

Our first Christmas decoration, courtesy of Jake's Mom.

Jake's Dad on the roof.  The only time he came down all day was for lunch.  Jake had again spent the week clearing snow and ice, but he and my Dad were able to get all the floor sheathing up on to the joists. 

A tarp from Jake's parents topped it off and we were finally under some cover.  Still have to clear all the ice out!  

Jake and his Dad making sure the sheathing was as square as possible before they started gluing it down. 

. 

Building Update #17 - Misery Loves Company

Jake has been working in the cold, snow, rain, and ice for two weeks.  I have been 'lucky' enough to join him on the weekends, and my Dad has helped out several days, too.  Progress has been slowed substantially due to the fact that we need to chip away ice, clear snow, etc. before continuing on the next step of the build.  

We used a liquid flashing product in all the seams between the plywood sheathing. In order to get certified we have to pass a blower door test showing our house is essentially airtight.  This is one of the techniques we need to get there. 

And over all the nails and holes from pulled nails. 

We spent last weekend connecting the plastic sheeting that is under the concrete to the plywood sheathing with a flashing tape (again for air sealing), but Jake has decided to go a different route, so we have to dismantle a weekend's worth of work. 

Chalk lines for (from nearest to farthest) the mechanical room, powder room, and coat closet.

Now with the interior partitions in.

The powder room.

The mechanical room.  Our electrical panel, cable and internet, water entry, sprinkler system entry, and heat pump water heater will all reside here. 

The day before the big storm.  We can't bring ourselves to see what 10-16" of snow on top of this will look like. All the floor joists are in. 

Building Update #16 - First Floor Sheathing and Windows Cuts

With help from my Dad, lunch from my Mom and little sister, and cold but sunny and calm weather we managed to get a lot done today.  We installed protector plates for all of our in-wall piping, finished installing all the sheathing, and routed out the windows.

The view out the kitchen window on the north side of the house.

The west side door and dining room window.

The east side door and window, and the south side picture windows.  Jake finished routing the big windows during nautical twilight...

Building Update #15 - A Turkey and Four Walls

The north and south walls survived the windstorm - luckily our site is sheltered by trees on all sides.  Jake and I spent Thanksgiving day putting up the third wall, and laying out the fourth wall.  My parents scheduled a late Thanksgiving dinner so we could get in almost a full day on site.  Today we put up the last wall on the first floor and started finishing up the plywood sheathing.  

Wall number three.

The last wall is up.  Jake did a great job - they are almost perfectly plumb!

The view from the south-east corner.  We haven't routed out the plywood from the large windows yet.