The New Studio Saga

November 2 & 3: Bolting it together

The Cement Has Hardened, Trusses are Laid Out

The weather prediction was for rain,
but since the predictions here are always
wrong, Tim Hintz drove over from Smithville
to help me set up the walls.

Once the First Section is Plumb, it Goes Pretty Fast

A steel cable wind brace helps square the building.
Cordless drills make short work of driving lag screws.

Tim is Almost Tall Enough to Reach the Top Without a Ladder

I think he is using the ladders so I won't feel short. Notice the sharp day-glo camo hat. Very fashionable! Despite my precisely set bolts...some of the bolts down the center of the slab were off, so we spent several hours drilling, grinding and swearing. There has to be a better way than aligning to strings while pouring wet concrete. The perimeter bolts were on the money, though, and work went fast despite the bolt problem. As my post hole man Alan says, "buildings go up fast if you have big components."

Truss Legs are Up

I am shooting for Thursday to get the roof trusses in. The log home company down the road has a crane and some free time this week.

November 5: Hanging the Roof Trusses

This is Just Like My Erector Set!

It Only Took About Two Hours to Lift and Bolt the Roof Trusses in Place. Pioneer Log Systems, down the street had a crane free this afternoon so I hired the truck for a couple of hours.

Beg , Borrow, Steel

I couldn't do this myself, so some good folks let me borrow their workers...

Tim Hintz Came Over From Smithville Again

My colleague and friend, Graham Campbell is moving lumber today, so Tim could come to work for me.

Steve (The Bulldozer Man) Loaned Me His Able Assistant, Shannon

The Last Truss

I like the "Post Modern" look of this thing. Maybe I'll leave it like this.

Truing The Trusses

Racing against darkness to get wind bracing cables and a row of purlins (the boards that span the trusses) to solidify the structure. Craig on left Tim on right.