Backfill & Grading

 Things dried out enough for the septic folks to come back and finish the septic system fill & to backfill and grade around the house.

Gable End Framing

 Today's project was to frame the gable ends and I managed to finish both ends.

West end gable framing

East end gable framing

East end gable framing

East end gable framing

Each end will eventually get an octagonal window similar to this:

Rafter Blocking

 No rain today and I managed to get in all of the rafter blocking.

Rafter Blocking

Tomorrow I hope to start framing the gable ends.

Rafters done

 It's been pretty rainy lately and I've discovered that I'm a fair weather builder.  But today, there was some clear, warm weather and I finished putting up the last of the rafters.

Rafters - day 4

 For the past few days it has either been raining or I've been working on rafters.  I cut 18 more rafters to size and shape and then today got some more installed.  Only 4 more to go over the house and then the ones that overhang the gable ends will go up later.

Rafters - day 3

 I put up 4 more rafters today for a total of 11.  I'm now out of rafters and will take a break until Sunday when I can pick up more 2x18s to cut more.

Rafters - day 2

 Today I managed to get the first 7 rafters in place.  It was a tough job working alone.  First, I had to raise the very heavy ridge beam up about 7 feet above the top of the walls.  It was too heavy and awkward to lift up alone so what I did is I strapped an extension ladder to the east end wall.  I tied a nylon strap around the beam and ran it up over the top rung of the ladder and down to where I hooked it to my electric hoist.  Then I used the hoist to raise the ridge beam above the necessary height.  Leaving it there I could climb the step ladder and screw on a horizontal support and then lower to beam to that support.

Raising the Ridge Beam

Winch to lift Roof Beam

Once I got the east end of the beam lifted the west end was relatively easy since I could work standing on the loft floor and only had to lift it about 6'.  Once the beam lifted and adjusted into position I started raising the rafters.

Rafters on the west end were much easier than on the east, again, because I could work from the loft floor. On the west end I only had to climb a ladder about twice for each rafter.  On the east end it was much more difficult, trying to raise and support both ends of the rafter while standing on a ladder. For one rafter I counted 10 times up and down the ladder.

But, I managed to get the first 7 rafters up, 4 on the west end and 3 on the east end.

East end rafters

Rafters seen from the south

Rafters seen from the north