Curiosity #3: Man vs. Triple Pane (Harbor Freight Part Two)

 The triple pane Schueco window and door units were delivered to the site a few Saturdays ago. The delivery crew consisted of two Tennessee bedouins. Sonia and I augmented the delivery crew. Good thing it was saturday so Sonia could help. The main picture windows and doors weighed in at better than 250lbs per unit. Triple panes deliver exceptional thermal performance (best Center Of Glass R-value is approximately 10 for our units) but not without significant weight.

Normally the delivery crew installs the windows. The rough openings weren't ready for immediate installation so my help quickly receded over the horizon. No harm no foul. I needed to examine the windows and doors to tailor the rough opening sill to suit.

Tailoring of the rough openings bought me time to think about just how in the hell I was going to move 250lb windows and doors into position. Installing the 2'x3' and 3'x3' units gave me some insight into what it would take to properly move and position the more intimidating units.

What the large units would take was more force and control than I could generate relying on pure muscle power alone; a situation I've encountered before during solo installations of Chevy V-8 power trains. When the going gets tough the tough chop big unsolvable problems into solvable chunks.

First up, how to hold onto a massive piece of plate glass. What I needed was Powr-Grip performance at Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) prices. There is only one place to turn at times like these: Harbor Freight. Four Dual Cup Suction Lifters with 125lbs of pull per seemed like they'd do the trick. And they did. Check out the airborne window below in figure 1.

Figure 1: Four Harbor Freight Dual Suction Cup Lifters vs. 250lb Window

The 2000lb worm drive winch and 450lb pulleys of absolutely horrendous quality were again pressed into service. The framing I attached my lifting rig to had no problem during my monkey swinging load tests so I was fairly confident it wouldn't give up the ghost come game time.

Now, how to shift the massive window from point A to B. The Egyptians may not have had mover's dollies at their disposal but I did. Included below in figure 2 is a picture of one of the picture windows on wheels.

Figure 2: Picture Window on Wheels

I was a bit concerned about the dollies kicking out from under the center of gravity of the window leaving me with a pile of shards. Slow steady movement and positive control of the top half of the window prevented disaster.

Once the window was below its opening the lift rig was shifted over to the required location. After applying an appropriate number of fasteners to the rig blocks, the window was hooked up and lifted into the opening. Figures 3 through 5 below show the hoisting process.

Figure 3: Window Tied to Framing Awaiting Lift Rig

Figure 4: Lift Rig In Place and Hoisting Window

Figure 5: Window Hoisted Into Position

First floor complete and in the bank. But what about the second floor? A much more intimidating proposition. Instead of hoisting the windows a foot or two they had to be moved at least nine feet vertically and then into position.

Genie makes material lifts that are commonly available at industrial rental places like United and Sunbelt. The trouble is the lifts typically available are the largest size Genie makes. That would amount to moving a 370lb device into my truck and then from my truck into the house. My motorcycle weighs about the same without fluids and moving that thing around is no walk in the park.

No problem. Just hook my lifting rig to the roof truss bottom chords, apply electrical power, and squeeze the trigger...or not. My Milwaukee 1/2" hammer drill moved the window about four feet vertically before smoke started pouring from the cooling/ventilation ports. I had encountered the same result before while hoisting the roof trusses but kept on going. However, the prospect of destroying a $1500 window that would take months to replace gave me pause. Time to upgrade. 

Never one to throw the baby out with the bath water the Milwaukee 1/2" hammer drill was removed and replaced with an el-cheapo 1/2" Heavy Duty Low Speed Drill from...Harbor Freight. That one upgrade made all the difference and is highly recommended for those cobbling together lifting rigs. Figures 6 through 9 show the hoisting sequence for the second story windows.

Figure 6: Window Starting to Make its Way to the Second Floor

Figure 7: Window at Second Floor

Figure 8: Window on Dollies

Figure 9: Window Ready For Installation

The two main doors were installed in much the same way as the windows. Man-1, Triple Pane Fenestration-0. Figure 10 smells like victory.

Figure 10: Windows and Doors Installed

        

Building Update #24: Catching Up

My sincere apologies to all of our blog followers.  I have been MIA for a couple months, but I will bring you up to date tonight!  Jake has made a lot of progress since the end of February.  Our windows have cleared Customs, and Jake will be ready for them soon.  Once the windows are in we will do a preliminary blower door test to check the airtightness of the house while it is still relatively easy to seal leaks.  I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Where I last left you at the beginning of March.

Baxter making sure Jake gets the air-sealing right. 

After a building strategy break, Jake has started attaching 11-7/8" TJIs (manufactured wood joists) vertically to the stud wall.  They will eventually hold our exterior layer of insulation and our siding. 

Before attaching the TJIs, Jake built window "boxes" to go in the rough openings of all of our windows, they are the full width of the wall. 

The TJIs are held about 1/2" off of the wall with shims, but are screwed into the studs. 

The second level of TJIs going up.

Jake put up all the TJIs, except the ones at the center of the gable ends from the top of a very tall ladder. 

A special visit from Germany - my best friend and her two adorable children.

Jake had to get some extensions for his scaffolding, but once he did he was able to finish the second level of TJIs on the east gable end (so far).

Jake used his sweet homemade hot-wire foam cutter to cut foam in preparation for the windows. 

Curiosity #2: Polishing The Turd

Stringent control of airflow into and out of the house is required for the PassivHaus design to function as intended. As a result, one of the primary features of the house is a continuous air barrier. The continuous air barrier stops uncontrolled air from flowing from inside to outside or from outside to inside in order to keep fat lazy pets reclining on memory foam beds in draft free climatic nirvana despite what owners are experiencing outside.

Executing an air barrier properly amounts to: 1. choosing materials that are air impermeable, 2. assembling air impermeable materials into air impermeable components, 3. assembling air impermeable components into an air impermeable building. And therein lies the problem in one simple word--assembly.

One assembly problem that's haunted me for months is how to join the ultra durable and ultra slick (as in things don't stick to it) 15mil Stego Wrap  which forms the bottom of the air barrier to the air sealed plywood sheathing. The first failed attempt to join Stego Wrap (yellow) using Grace Vycor Plus tape (black) and a bit of Prosoco R-Guard Fast Flash (red) appears below.

Stego Wrap (yellow) + Vycor Plus (black) + Fast Flash (red) = Fail

The system did not fail for lack of adhesion. I was worried about the tape and Fast Flash sticking to the polyethylene Stego Wrap. Neither had a problem. In fact it took a massive amount of mechanical force to pull the materials apart when the system was disassembled. Reason for failure: I could not get all three materials joined together in the corners in such a way as to make me confident in the air tightness of the assembly. Mind you that's on an outside corner. I cannot imagine the mess I would have made on an inside corner. 

OK. So we now know that Vycor tape sticks like mad to CDX plywood and polyethylene Stego Wrap. Fast Flash is nearly impossible to remove from Stego Wrap and concrete. The problem is making the transition in the corner. Shower systems like those designed by Schluter use preformed waterproof corners. If they're waterproof they must be air proof as well. The image below shows the benefit of adding complexity to the simple task of sealing out air.

  

Stego Wrap (yellow) + Henry 208R Roofing Cement (black) + Fast Flash (red) + Vycor Plus (black) + Joint & Seam Filler (Pink) + Preformed Corner (pale yellow) = Fail

The joint is so complex and took so much time and effort to install (imagine using a heat gun and rolling that Vycor tape by 3" increments to make it stick in near zero temperatures) it just had to work. Wrong. This assembly was put to the test shortly after installation by a big rain/slush event followed by a hard freeze. Ever heard of Ice Spikes? Me neither. And although Ice Spikes are particularly difficult to produce in a lab environment, they were like rabbits in spring at our build site. My theory is the Ice Spikes were pulling water through the corners and into the joint between the sheathing and the mud sill where it then defied gravity and made all sorts of ominous vertical formations on the bare wood framing.  

At this point Grace would be my number one fan except for the fact that I keep ripping up their products because I can't manage to make an air tight (or water tight) assembly using them; a huge buzz kill for the marketing department--"Use Vycor Plus for air sealing. It's disastrous!". Fortunately the 208R roofing cement stuck hard to the Stego Wrap. And with gravity jamming a substantially non-curing material into the joint with the concrete the air seal should improve as time goes on. No need to tear the 208R out. The Fast Flash and Joint & Seam Filler stuck to the concrete with gusto so they were left in place. 

While the wounds of the Ice Spike fiasco healed the joint between the first and second floor sheathing required air sealing attention. If I were a genius carpenter I would have had a nice uniform 1/8" gap to seal with a small bead of Joint & Seam Filler. But I'm not and that's what provided the inspiration necessary to wrap up the air sealing saga. The picture below shows a bead of Great Stuff Pro Wall and Floor Adhesive that is used as a shapable caulk backer rod to stem the tide of money pouring out of the caulk gun. 

Great Stuff Pro Wall and Floor Adhesive as Caulk Backer Rod

Wall and Floor adhesive is used because it has relatively low expansion compared to the other available foams (and it's what I had on hand). Once the foam skins over I mash it into the joint with a finger. The results of the finger mashing step are included below.

Great Stuff Pro Wall and Floor Adhesive Mashed Into Sheathing Joint

With a firm substrate in place the Joint and Seam Filler works its magic. It seals up all the small voids in the foam. And because it's elastomeric (like silly putty rubber), Joint and Seam will remain flexible over time. Believe it or not, it'll stretch with the foam even if the foam isn't fully cured when the Joint and Seam is applied. Wild. An image of the state of the art Stego Wrap to building sheathing connection is included below.

Stego Wrap (yellow) + Henry 208R (black) + Fast Flash (red) +Wall and Floor Adhesive (hidden) + Joint and Seam Filler (pink)  = Success

While it can't be seen in the picture above, foam wall and floor adhesive was used to bridge a 1/2" gap between the concrete coated in red Fast Flash and the bottom edge of the wall sheathing coated in pink Joint and Seam Filler. A bit more Fast Flash on the bare concrete spots and the Stego Wrap is joined to the sheathing with a tough monolithic elastomeric shell. The air sealing turd has been sufficiently polished. 

In closing, at this point I'm a firm believer in the use of liquid flashings (Fast Flash and Joint & Seam Filler) for making the connection between sub-slab polyethylene and plywood sheathing to form a continuous air barrier. Liquid flashing allows for an efficient, durable, and verifiable seal at complex material intersections. The system is highly adaptive when coupled with spray foam to form a solid substrate for subsequent liquid flashing application. Rest easy pets. Air sealing crisis averted.  

Note: 

1. Getting hold of the Prosoco R-Guard liquid flashing products is not an easy task for the intrepid individual. 

2. One source of Prosoco R-Guard products is Small Planet Workshop.

3. A second source of Prosoco R-Guard products is Allied Building Products. Prices are better but required quantities may be larger. 

4. Newborn Brothers 620AL sausage gun is recommended.

Building Update #23: It Looks Like a House!

Jake has been gallantly struggling against the weather to get the roof sheathing on these past two weeks.  Every snow/ice/freezing rain storm that comes...and then melts...and then freezes causes at least a day of chipping ice or sweeping and vacuuming water out of the house.

The first trusses up (from three weeks ago).

All the trusses up, and most of the sheathing.

Jake measuring for the last truss blocking.

Up in the attic.

An almost completely weather-tight top.  Jake's roofing brackets down low and then toe-boards up high.  It would be appropriate to note that every time Jake was up on the roof, the blood pressure of his assistants (when he had them) would raise considerably.

Oh, and if your child doesn't mind lying on concrete, we offer babysitting services at the site on weekends. 

Building Update #22 & Video #2 - Roof Trusses in Progress

I am sorry it has been so long since the last update.  I will catch you up to Jake's progress as quickly as possible! 

Waterproofing - during a particularly cold spell the last week of January we used a heat gun to heat up the butyl tape (black) and the concrete so it would stick.  Jake had already coated the concrete with liquid flashing (pink).  

This is the waterproofing between the foundation and the walls finally complete.  Jake used special fabric corners made for showers to solve the "how to seal the corners" problem.  No one ever shows how they did the corners in magazines or on You Tube.

Below is video of Jake's amazing contraption that he used to bring the roof trusses and other material up to the roof by himself. 

Once the trusses were on top, we had to put plywood on the gable ends.

Fast forward two weeks, and the gable ends are up with some roof trusses, and sheathing, too. 

Jake's parents were out again from Chicago to help out!

Our two Dads pulling sheathing up on to the roof with Jake bringing it out of the second story windows. 

The view from behind. 

As of today, there are only three roof trusses left to put up, plus the majority of the sheathing.  Still lots of snow hampering our progress!

Curiosity #1: How To Eat An Elephant (By Jake)

One of the more challenging aspects of home construction is moving heavy and often cumbersome pieces of material around on site. When working alone it's all the more challenging. Ever since the roof trusses showed up I've been asked: how are you going to move the roof trusses to the second story. 

Usually I'd tell people the lumber yard truck with its crane would move the trusses when it came to deliver the roof sheathing. Then I read BCSI-B1 Summary Sheet- Guide For Handling , Installing, Restraining, and Bracing of Trusses. Since I cut the truss bundle strapping to move the trusses by hand for storage each truss would need to be hoisted individually. Bummer. And frankly, I needed time to figure out the construction strategy which the lumber yard truck driver was unlikely to accommodate. On top of that, I wasn't all that certain the plywood lid with improvised bracing would be up to the task of supporting a stack of trusses. Best not to have someone around to witness calamity.

With the conceptual failure of the lumber yard truck, I was back to eating the elephant (lifting trusses) myself. The good news was the heaviest gable end frame weighed in at 159 lb. The bad news was I could not find a ladder lift available locally. Refusing to throw in the towel I did what any reasonably sane person who builds a house in Maine...during the worst winter in the last twenty years does. I went to Harbor Freight Tools to collect my thoughts on how I could best become a danger to myself. No one else was going to be around so there was no prospect for danger to others.

The improvised truss lifting rig is shown in the picture below.

Improvised Truss Lifting Rig

Yes'er. That there is a 1/2-inch Milwaukee hammer drill directly driving a $27.99 2000 lb. capacity worm gear hand winch that was crafted by people in China of metal. Bearings were conspicuous by their absence. Two $4.59 2-inch pulleys of 450 lb. capacity with powder metal bushing to extend pulley life and provide smooth operation were included to change lifting cable direction while minimizing friction. No snickering! 

To guide each truss in turn to the second story I used two 24' pump jack assemblies. The heaviest gable end frame loaded for action is shown below. Yes. The frame weighs more than I do. No. I did not have help moving it. Fortunately it's the middle of winter so there are slick patches of ice where I can bust my ass or make moving gable end frames easier.   

Gable End Frame Awaiting Blast Off

To rig the lifting cable to the truss simple webbing was used (see below). The legs of the rig were adjustable for length so that the lifting cable could be placed on truss centerline by eyeball. No laser alignment required. 

Truss Rigging 

Photographic evidence showing the hoisted gable end frame is included below.  

Great Success!

What about a brake? One benefit of working with cheap low quality non-precision worm gear driven equipment is that there is so much friction in the system that it acts as a full time brake that resists motion in any direction. While the winch was rated for 2000 lb. the screeching from the worm gear and acrid smoke pouring from the 1/2-inch drill at the conclusion of each lift had me wondering what would happen first: A. Truss plunges to its death due to winch failure or B. Drill catches fire and burns house down before it is jettisoned off gable end. Happily neither happened over a total of 17 successful lifts. 

So, how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time.