A bit gray this morning, though it did burn off pretty quickly. The crew got the rest of the roof trusses mounted in the six days since I was here last. Actually it looks like we did more that one day than they did in the five intervening days. Makes me damn proud of what we accomplished!

Here's the front porch that Glenn and I were working on last week, pretty much completely framed out. They decided to extend the roof line by a bit, to provide a larger porch and a better overhang, but that means they'll have to make three more trusses by hand. The others were ordered ready-made and went up very quickly by relatively untalented amateurs like us; the last few will require some actual skill to build.

I realized that last week I failed to take any pictures of the crew! Well no more of that. That's Mike on the left, Don on the right. Mike is the site supervisor, and is usually the only person onsite who is paid by Habitat for Humanity. It's pretty remarkable how he gets untrained idiots like the rest of us to do quality work, but he manages VERY well. Actually, people like Don are part of the answer. He was a SeaBee for years and he certainly knows what he's doing. There's usually someone relatively knowledgeable nearby who can answer a question, and if not, we just go chase Mike down. His patience with us is astonishing.

Here's a close look at the prefab roof trusses. They're built in a factory by machines to specifications generated by the architects; I wouldn't be surprised if human hands never touched these until they're loaded on the truck for delivery. As you can see, they're built out of conventional 2x4 lumber, connected by gang-nails, which are nothing more than metal plates with lots of spikes on them. The gang-nails are driven into the wood by presses and they make joints that are stronger than the wood is. Construction is almost always quicker, cheaper and better if it can be done in a factory by machines rather than onsite by hand.

Here's proof that we sometimes drive Mike up the wall. Mike often eschews the scaffolds, instead clambering up a ladder or across the top of a wall or even on the roof trusses. He has the agility of a cat, but I often wonder who would be in charge of getting the site supervisor to the hospital if he falls and breaks his leg.

Ron finished up the framing on the front porch, and later built the last trusses. I have to think that (like several of the guys) Ron is or was a professional; he was FLYING out there. I cut a few pieces for him, and even using the power saw I couldn't keep up. It's really remarkable what people can do when they know what they're doing.

The roof trusses have lots of strength straight down, and along their length, but they can have a tendency to topple over sideways like a row of dominoes in a high wind. To eliminate that possibility, these 'shear walls' are placed in several locations between the last few trusses. The architect has carefully calculated how many of them we need and where they need to be to meet code requirements. Glenn and I placed these three today; it was a bit nightmarish getting them up there in the maze of lumber, but we managed. I think they're pretty thoroughly cross-braced now!

Here's a better look at the roof truss shear walls. Due to the alternating direction of the wood grain in each of its plies (layers), plywood has immense resistance to 'racking' forces. You may see a piece of plywood warp out of plane, or become unflat, but you'll only see a piece 'rack', or become un-rectangular, under extreme forces. That extreme coplanar strength is used to make damn sure the end trusses never tilt or lie down next to each other, which in turn keeps the entire roof stable and incredibly stout. Code specs ensure that it's not going to fall down even under hurricane forces. I like that. It's NOT going to fall down, period. End of sentence.

Glenn takes a well-deserved break and admires our handiwork. I was a little reluctant this week to take the camera up onto the scaffolds and/or ladders, but I promise I'll get more pictures from higher up in later weeks. It's strange how much more interesting things look from above.

Here's a look at the back of the house, with Glenn cleaning up among the roof trusses. You can see the last three roof trusses that Ron built on the front porch, the huge window and sliding glass door the architect specified to maximize Rosemarie's enjoyment of the view, and the circuit breaker box ready for wiring (including the overhead feed conduit). I was very surprised to find out how much wood framing there is even in a concrete house!

The last order of every day is cleaning up. It's amazing how much of a mess you make when you're building a house!

Mike summons up enough energy to smile even at the end of the day. Whose cool car is that behind him??

"From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life." -- Arthur Ashe

September 22, 2004: A frame rises from the rubble

September 28, 2004: Finishing the roof framing

October 5, 2004: Roof sheathing goes on

October 6, 2004: More finish framing

October 12, 2004: Framing the back porch

October 26, 2004: A slow, wet day

November 2, 2004: Bricks on the roof?

November 30, 2004: The walls get sticky

December 7, 2004: Plumbing and wiring the pump house

December 14, 2004: Paint goes on