July 30 - The Next Big Thing: The Portico

Work Continues on the Inside  -
With the drywall taping perhaps behind us, the seemingly endless amount of mudding, sanding and re-mudding continues. Matt diligently muddles muds along, patiently and efficiently slathering on the mud, then sliding the blade quickly down, leaving a smooth wall seam behind. I have to admire the patience and persistence of Matt and the others who do this work.

Back in what is rapidly becoming one of the bathrooms, Charles and Kevin are hanging grid work for the ceiling panels. The red line on the long grid piece is the laser beam marking 'straight'. It looks to me like they have the piece perfectly positioned.

 Tom took advantage of the beautiful evening to do his duct cutting on the back porch. Tom and Pete were cutting and fitting ducts in the dining area.

 Out in Front, the Next Big Thing -
Early in the week, I stopped by to check up on the portico progress. Sure enough, the beams connecting the posts to the building had been installed. Further, the front cross beam was also firmly in place.

Each of the pillars now sport two vertical posts and there remain two brackets on each pillar for additional posts. I discovered that all the work is being done by the two already installed posts. The ones to be added are decorative. Or maybe insurance to help keep the portico roof down, I am not sure.

Note the support triangle in the center of the front crossbeam. Thursday evening it was shifted from 'idle' to 'working' status as the center beam was dropped into place.

Sam hoists the beam with the workhorse mobile forklift, with the beam hanging from a strap wrapped around the lift tines. Tim, barely visible above the front beam, is nestled in the trusses inside the building. His job is to catch the beam and insert it into the notch in the wall.

Tim struggles valiantly to slide the beam in, but it is a bit too big for the notch.

No problem. Sam delivers a sawzall and Tim tailors the beam to fit.

Inspector Tim checks the mark on the beam and tells the lift operator to bring it in another couple of inches. Ah, just right!

While Tim is laboring in the attic, Markus is sweating it out while pounding on a threaded bolt. A bit later I saw that he switched tools and was turning it with a wrench.

With the center beam properly located, Sam puts a couple of screws in to make sure it does not wander from home.

With the beam in place, Tim uses his balance beam skills before leaping on the tines, from whence he will loosen and remove the strap from both the beam and the forklift.

I marvel at this athletic young man, moving so gracefully and confidently high above the ground. I also rejoice that it is he that must do this work and not me.

With the strap off, the next thing is to ride the elevator down.

"Ground level, please."

Tim returned to his nest in the trusses to further secure the beam with forty or fifty nails. With that accomplished, he made a more usual descent with the ladder. He thought about coming down hands and head first, but after further consideration decided that feet first might be better.

Sam's parents, Judy and Steve Byman, stopped by the building to check on progress. They noted that on their most recent visit there were hay bales inside to keep the ground from freezing. That seems like a long time ago now, and much has changed since then. The completion of the building is nearer than it has ever been.

July 24 - Milestones Marked and Beginnings Begun

Achievement -
The firewall was finally completely double layered this past week. Sam and Loren worked on a warm humid evening to place the last panel high in the peak of the vault. There remained some lower pieces to be put in place after this picture was taken, but all were complete by weeks end.














Walnut Trim - 
In a process reminding me of the Tale of the Shoemaker and the Elves, the stack of rough cut walnut boards is shrinking and the supply of sized and planed boards is growing. It seems that each week a load of boards disappears and after a day or two more bundles of trimmed trim boards appears. Rumor has it that the boards are being carted off to Bob's shop where this transformation is taking place, not being done by elves while we sleep.




Significant Beginnings -
Paint is going on the interior walls. Not the intumescent stuff for adding fire resistance to firewall surfaces, but the really-o truly-o wall finishing stuff. Well, not the final coat yet, only the primer, but you have to start somewhere. Kenton Anderson is shown here rolling on the paint. This looks like a process that will not be torn out. It looks much more like the beginning of the finishing.


In the dining area of the church, the framework for the drop-in ceiling is being installed. The perimeter flange is already installed all around the room. Eric, Jacob and Lars are shown locating the hangers.

Once the location marks are noted, the hangers are secured to the ceiling, and the framework then installed. Another step that will not be removed. Another step towards finishing.

The Portico -
Earlier in the week, Sam cut a couple of holes in the exterior foam blocks which will be the resting place for the size large structural beams for the portico. Saturday was the first post raising. The way I count it, there will be four posts on each of two pyramidal pillars, so by the time the last one goes up we will have developed some expertise in this kind of posting.
Sam and Ben prepare the posts. Note the notch on the downside face of the near post.

The first post rising.

Securing the base of the post by driving the steel pins through the post and the base hardware.

As the second post gets properly positioned, Ben says the notches on the posts do not align. After some checking, it is determined that the notch on one post did not slide down far enough.

So, with hammer and chisel, Sam helps the notch slide into its proper position.

Sam's son Nels is the chief elevator operator, charged with raising and lowering the postmen. As near as I can tell, he did an excellent job.

The postmen check out the size large beam that will span the gap from the posts to the building. I was not able to stay long enough to find out if the beam made it to its destination on Saturday. I will check it out. Stay tuned to find out if they were as successful at beaming as they were at posting.

July 17 - Noting an Anniversary and Reflecting on a Song

Building Project Update-

Construction boss Bob gave the customary building update to the congregation after the sermon and just before the last song of the morning service. He noted that on Tuesday, July 18 it will be one year to the day since construction started on the church building. The blog post with that date is entitled 'The Work Begins' and one picture shows a brown dirt patch in a green grassy field where the excavation was started.
In his update, Bob stated that the end is perhaps now in sight but a great deal of work remains before the end is realized. He encouraged the congregation to remain diligent in working on the church. The sooner our building is ready, the sooner we can make the school into a memory.

The service closed with the congregation singing song #253. It seemed odd to me to sing a 'wedding song' at the closing of services. As we sang, the words penetrated my wee mind.
"You made us for each other, God, You gave us one another." Clearly the words fit well at a wedding but never in all my born days had I applied those words to my fellow travelers, the workmen at the building site, and the rest of the families supporting the work however they are able.
'Oh, may our hearts abide in love that each would serve the other."

We continued on  to the second and third verses:

"O Jesus, come and guide our plans; we need Your gracious blessing, We give our lives into Your hands; keep us from fears distressing."

"O Spirit, rich in truth and grace, bestow Your warmth and power, and shine the light of Jesus' face on us each day and hour."

As the words soaked in, a tear welled up in this old guy's eye.

July 15 - Picking Rocks, Mudding the Walls and Mystical Fire Shutters

Tuesday Was Rock Picking Day -
A family oriented event, rock picking brings out folks of all ages, but especially the younger end. Larger rocks that would likely cause the mowers grief are hand picked from the area that will soon be grass. Farmer Paul drives the tractor and the multitudes fill the trailer with rocks. I did not get a picture, but I did see that when the multitude needs a lift, they all pile on the trailer.

On arrival Tuesday evening I was surprised to see the still-gravel lot with yellow lines demarcating parking spaces. I figured that paving generally precedes striping, but maybe that just continues to reveal my ignorance of construction. I do wonder what will happen to the stripes in a sand lot when the rain descends and the floods come. We will see when the time comes.


Taping and Mudding -
When I walk into a building with painted walls, I might admire the finish on the walls but I have never stopped to consider how many sheets of drywall were used, how many screws were needed to hang them or how many feet (miles?) of drywall seam need to be taped and mudded over. Our church is not a large structure, but just out of curiosity, we did a few calculations. We figure that there is about three quarters of an acre (about 30,000 square feet) of drywall on the walls and ceilings. There may be about 35,000 screws used to secure it, give or take a few handfuls. And possibly 4 miles of seam to be taped. I can't attest to the accuracy of all the numbers, worked out before the coffee got cold, but I was curious. I do know that there have been some experienced folks working many hours first applying the tape, then second and third layers of mud (maybe more accurately 'taping compound' but I prefer mud).
Here Dave is on the lift to better reach the high spots.

Dave teams up with Phil and the laser to get a corner joint straight  and plumb.

Phil finished off a window opening in the kitchen.

Phil mixes another batch of mud.

Just a little stiff, so add a couple of spongefuls of water.

Ah, just right.

Matt also does a lot of taping and mudding. I think I heard him say "Really, Ed, the lunker was at least this big!", but maybe my hearing aid was low on battery.


Fire Shutters -
The fire wall separating the sanctuary from the narthex has size large windows. So, in order to maintain its status as a fire wall, it has to have fire shutters. I will admit, I have never previously heard of fire shutters. But now I have watched one be installed and have photographic evidence of three such devices. so I am probably a near expert on the subject at this point.

Ami uses the laser to get the steel side rail assembly vertical. This is important since the shutter relies on gravity to be deployed into proper position so we dare not have it bind on an out-of-plumb rail.

The same approach on the other side.

Next affix the ends to the spring loaded spool. This is heavy stuff so a size pretty big lift is used to raise the spool and the shutter.

Turn the crank and winch up the load.

When it is properly positioned, put the bolts through the holes in the end brackets and the side rails.

Again using the lift, raise the shutter into position and affix it to the spool. It looks like the hardware is all factory aligned so it goes together quite nicely, but I do not think I will try this trick at home.

When it is all installed, it looks like this one in the narthex.
I think Ami has done this before. He did not spend a lot of time staring at the instruction manual.

In the event of a fire, this 165 degree fuse will melt, the restraining cable or chain will then be free, the shutter will surrender to gravity and close down. The system is to be tested at least once per year to make sure that it is operational. The fire wall with this shutter setup essentially separated the structure into two buildings with a two hour fire rating, meaning that it should take at least two hours for a fire to spread from one side of the building to the other. While these precautions seem good and necessary, I pray that we never have to have a real life test of the fire wall and it shutters.

July 8 - A Strange Tale and the Coverup

Blame It On A Power Outage -
The power went out at our home the other night, in the wee small hours of the morning. I awoke, as is the habit I share with 98% of senior citizen males, and needed to find the plumbing facilities. We have a street light outside our bedroom window, but when the power is out, the streetlight is also out. The bedroom is dark, really dark. I fumbled my way along the dresser and turned towards the biffy, but somehow the house was not the same as in the light. The hinges for the door were on the wrong side and I lost my confidence. Retracing my steps for a ways I opened the blinds and was able to regain my bearings from the light of the lightning bugs outside the window. Somehow being cloaked in darkness brought to the forefront an incident previously residing in the recesses of my brain.

The target

I was taking a break from my bike ride when a stranger rode up and joined me on the bench. I could read him as a man of culture and wisdom since he was also riding a bike. In the course of our chatting I mentioned that we are in the process of building a new church. "Well, is the roof on?" he asked through a unrecognizable drawl. I acknowledged that it is. "Well, then, do you realize that it is being daily battered and bombarded by 'foe-tawns'?" I struggle to write with the proper dialect, and I did not understand his last word, so I requested a re-transmission. "Foe-tawns", he replied, louder but no more comprehensible to me. I started to spell out what I thought I heard. "F-o-e- ...". "No," he interjected. I tried again. "F-a-u-x...". "NO," came the emphatic response. "Foe-tawns. P-h-o-t-o-n-s."
Now I had the word and immediately questioned the English language gurus that spell phonetic with a ph instead of an f. But I still lacked understanding.
He continued, "them thar foe-tawns come crashing down on the roof. Some folks say they come from outer space. Now, near as I know, they don't do structural damage even tho' they come frightful fast and by the kazillions per second. Now then" (I could not tell if he knew where the church is or if he was talking Minnesotan.) "these here foe-tawns is tiny little rascals. So small ya can't measure 'em. If they find an opening in the roof they will flood the entire attic." I assured him we will keep a sharp eye out. He carried on, "No, them foe-tawns can't do no structural damage even tho there are so many of them, and they come on unbelievably fast, 'cause they are really, really light."
Just then I rapped my shin on the foot board of the bed and was jolted back to my dark room. As I crawled under the covers, I was not sure if this was a recollection or if I dreamed the whole thing.
The Big Coverup -

On Saturday everyone was either covering the walls with drywall or covering the seams with tape and mud. Bob indicated that all hands were involved in the coverup.

Phil tapes seams from floor level.

Matt elevates his work for better  phone reception and to tape the high seams.  

Pete and Ami do such a good job of covering up that Ami does a little uncovering.

Eric is back among the nooks, crevices and pipes, cutting holes in big pieces to fit pipes and piecing in small chunks to fit little spaces.

Adrian stretches to hold the end of the piece while Kevin screws up the sheetrock. More than one person told me that is what Kevin was doing so I had to believe it.

 It took a time or two of measuring, fitting, remeasuring and adjusting but they got it in place.

Adrian added a lift assist board and was able to ease off the stretching.



















Tom holds the panel in place while Charles applies the fasteners.

Scaffolding is in place for taping the seams on the front vaulted wall. Ken is seen here walking the plank.

Ken and Bob test the scaffolding.