I have been very busy raising the roof on our house and have been neglecting this blog. I have lots of pics of my progress though.   Showers and tubs do not easily fit through doors so are installed early. Friend and nieghbor Jack is helping to place gravel.

If the foundation encloses a living space, or if soil conditions are not ideal, then a membrane should be attached to the foundation wall. It should overlap the footing and extend upward to grade level. These are important steps to ensure a dry basement. Equally important are adequate eaves, gutters, and careful attention to the final grade.

We raised the rafters by hand. Start with a secure gable. We had one man in the rafters and two on the floor. Not too difficult, but if you have a crane or picker truck handy, use it. you will still need three men as well as your picker crew. It will just be a little faster.

Taking a break with friends.

The rafter monkey is my step son, Darce

It was a hot, humid, day. Gage thought we were idiots for working. I tend to agree wit him.

The rafters create a real play of shadows.

A 24 inch eave is attached to the gable end for extra protection from sun and rain.

Next will be the roof deck. We will be using 5/8 tongue and groove OSB, for extra strength, and to hold shingle nails better.  The shingles will be 2 ply asphalt fiberglass with two adhesive strips. The cost is a little more than the typical roof, but will afford considerably more wind resistance. this could be important as our climate changes. I haven’t calculated the extra cost, but  it will be in the low hundreds in this case. I think it is a worthwile investment.

This beauty came to visit for a few hours. A good luck sign I think.

Wayne helped to raise the rafters and suffered greatly from the heat.. I ended up with the stomach flu, or something, and lost a couple days work.

My niece, Corrine, helped me with applying the shingles. The heat was brutal for much of this job, as well.

It has rained practically every day and I have had no opportunity to finish the backfilling.It will be nice to get rid of the dirt piles. Working around an open excavation and piles of dirt add a level of difficulty.

My next step will be to finish the house wrap and install windows and exterior doors. I have been doing electrical, and a little plumbing. when it is to wet for other jobs. The electrical is perhaps 1/2 done. 

We found a little time to plant a small vegtable garden this spring. We are pleasently surprised by the results. The deer, however, are eating the apples off our newly planted trees. They also seem to like nipping the tops of my raspberry canes. Someone suggested that I pee in the garden to discourage the deer. It might, however, have a more significant effect on the nieghbors.

Many thanks to Bill, Jack, Karen, Corrine, Wayne, Darce, Don, Dakota and Lorne for help freely given. Thanks also for encouragement given by others. It means a lot to an old fool trying to do a younger man’s job.