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.