September 30 - October 1 - Entombing the Firewall

Sheetrock on the Firewall -
With September now history and autumn officially here, daylight at the building site checks out early. So, thanks to Thomas Edison's diligence, the work can go on after the daylight flees. With an elegant light stand and a long extension cord, illumination is brought to the Sheetrock cutting station providing Dave with enough light to measure and cut the material. The scene somehow reminded me of the streetlights in the neighborhood of my youth.

Inside, the first piece of Sheetrock is hung, Bob carefully measures and sets the piece in place. After patiently eyeballing the placement, he vigorously attacks the task with a nail gun, keeping the Sheetrock chunk from wiggling free.

Another piece is cut outside, hauled in and without the least bit of imagination taking hold, it is put directly over the first piece.

Well, I suppose if two layers are needed, it is not necessary to finish the first one before starting the second. It all depends on the situation. You can't very well apply the second coat of paint before  you finish the first one. With the uncertainty of life, however, I do occasionally eat dessert before dinner.



Into the dark of night the workers pressed on. A while later, some noticeable progress was apparent.

While the workers toiled with the Sheetrock, the younger folks enjoyed seeing the lumber scraps converted to ash. I sent a picture to Brent letting him know that at least the BTUs were being put to a good use, albeit not heating his house or sauna. He was pleased the scraps were not going into the dumpster. 

Saturday morning brought bright sunshine with no need for electric lights, although the recreational fire was again burning. Earlier in the morning the fire helped burn off the fog. Eric Wuollet sent this photo. The chronicler arrived too late to see morning fog.

It is one thing to hang Sheetrock where you can readily put it in place while using a ladder or scaffolding, but getting it up to the peak of the wall requires a bit more doing. Since Sam Roiko is the tallest, he was doing the high stuff, but even his height was inadequate to reach the top and he needed to do a bit of climbing first. Then several folks were needed to hoist the material into place. The task was further complicated by a truss residing very close to the firewall. The sheet had to be slid up the wall, making the whole setup resemble a guillotine, lacking only the razor sharp blade. With perseverance and a good deal of muscle, the sheet was raised into position and secured with nails and screws. No fingers were lost in the process.

Maneuvering the heavy sheet goods up to the peak required a significant investment of manpower. There are two Marks and a Kevin on this side pushing up and one or two more on the other side with just body parts showing. Sam is on top ready to grab, hold and put in place with one hand.

Sam's son, Ralph, is very interested in the action as his dad clambers around in the highest part of the building. While I did not stay until the end of the work day yesterday, I know Sam made it through all right since he was serving communion this morning at services.









In the photo on the right we see the Sheetrock in place at the peak of the firewall. I feel a hint of disappointment that when the firewall is fully covered, no trace of the complexity of the work involved in its creation will be visible. Ah, well. Bring on the Sheetrock.

I think Sam earned the Peak Performer award for his efforts on Saturday. Here he is shown looking over the very top of the firewall, hanging on with both hands.

















Other Activities - 
While the Sheetrock dominated most of the inside work, Paul, Troy and Spencer added more lookouts, this time on the back wall of the rear bump out. Here Paul and Spencer are on the roof while Troy was operating the mobile forklift.



















And in the dark recesses of the far corner, Mark dug a hole for the sump basket, into which our old friend, the anaconda, will empty whatever contents it can accumulate. After a bit of digging, a hole emerged and the plastic basket was dropped in. I overheard one of the bosses mention the possibility of duct tape being used to secure the ends of the drain tile to the inside of the basket. I can hardly wait to see if that really happens.

After some Sheetrock was up, Bob wanted to make sure it is protected from the water should it rain. So the first bit of roof was put into place. I have to admit surprise and a little disappointment with the roofing material selected for the job.


















Now that the building is shaping up somewhat, it is time to get going with church cleaning. It looks like Victor got assigned to the first crew. If church cleaning has got its start, can services be far behind?