May 13 - A Great Day for Work, Both Inside and Out

Landscaping Has Begun -
Friday morning I received some pictures in my email from Troy, via Brent. It seems the landscaping has actually started. A size large track hoe and a dump truck were hard at work improving the parking area in front of the church. Well, I hope that is the long term effect. For the moment is seems to be making craters in the front and mountains in the back.  I trust that this is only a temporary situation.

Right now it does not seem like improvement. I was surprised by the equipment being used. Saturday Sam mentioned that the company's bulldozer is being repaired so these were the only machines available. I hope the bulldozer is successfully repaired.

It does offer an interesting view of the church between the machines and over the chopped up front approach.

A Good Turnout - 
A couple of Sundays ago, in his weekly update to the congregation, Sam mentioned the need for workers. It was encouraging to hear that last week a good turnout was recorded. Today the parking area was  pretty well filled up. All the help was put to good use both inside and outside the church.
The Front Doors -
Here Sam and Ami hang the last of the front doors.It needed some additional adjusting so Ami went off to other tasks while Sam adjusted. Put in a shim here, replace a shim there with a little thinner one, loosen the hinges and nudge the door a little higher, so on. While Ami is out of sight and the hinges need to be adjusted, another person is called into service.

I don't suppose Jen came to install doors but she was standing there at the right time when another pair of hands was needed. So, she got to lift on the door while Sam tightened the hinge screws.













Two virtues are readily observed in our esteemed project leader. One is that he is not reluctant to call on available resources when needed. In times of dire emergency, he has even enlisted the aid of the chronicler.





The other is, that as nature abhors a vacuum, so Sam abhors idle hands on the job. I am thinking his mental database contains a thousand or so necessary tasks that can be done by unskilled labor. So when an unskilled laborer, like an insurance salesman, is idling in Sam's vicinity, he is soon seen trimming the shims around the recently installed doors.

Windows Over the Doors -

As the front doors are swinging into place, the windows over the other doors are also being installed. Wayne on the inside and Steve on the outside collaborate on installing the glass panels. Assisting Wayne on the other side of the ladder is one of his daughters, identifiable only by her sneakers.

Steve is identifiable by his smiling face on the other side of the window. After meeting some unsolvable difficulties working this way, Wayne moves outside to complete the task.

Painting -

On a nearby window, Dave is finally allowed to paint a surface that will be visible. No more intumescent coating for this painter. From here on out it is all front line, visible to the public, Michelengo-like stuff.

The inspection team of Jen and Jodie are there to make sure he does it right. Or they may be checking the color scheme for the exterior.

 Sheetrock -
Remember, this word must be capitalized since it is a brand name.
Phil and Aare team up to cut and hang some of the many, many panels of drywall that need to be installed. Aare is barely visible here as he strives to enclose himself in a confined space.

As the drywall goes up, navigation around the interior becomes more circuitous. I am still able to navigate back to Aare's enclosure. There Phil is cutting and helping to make Aare invisible to the outside world.

It is fun to watch folks, who know what they are about, use their skills.

Phil cuts a round hole for a pipe to pass through. A quick slice with the knife and the sheet is divided so the two pieces can be hung with the pipe through the hole. It happens so quickly that I think Phil must have done this before.

 A bit later in the day, Aare again is able to work in the open daylight as he encloses the kitchen.


















Meanwhile, Out on the Back Porch -

The first thing I notice out back is, whatever conundrum existed with merging the three roof surfaces, it was successfully resolved. See for yourself. Three surfaces, all coming together with canal and shingles, work together to keep the weather on the topside. Clever fellows those construction folks.


Bill and Aaron team up to install a framing piece for the ceiling.

As the framers frame, Ed is making sure that the size large beam holding up the roof does not go missing in action. Bob said, draw up the nuts and bolts as tight as you can. Aaron adapts the proper position for supervising Ed's work.

 With gritted teeth and audible grunts, Ed launches into the task. One nut made a complete revolution, giving Ed visible satisfaction, Then Aaron commented,  "Ed, the bolt is turning on this side." I think I heard Ed sigh, "That's 'nuff," (or words to that effect).

May 6 - Spring Has Sprung

Saturday, A Beautiful Spring Day -

A gorgeous spring day for a ride on the lift while doing some roof work.

Outside Work: Porch and Roof -
I stopped by on Thursday evening. Kevin, Andy and Matt had done more work on the porch. The beam was complete and resting comfortably on the posts. Temporary supports were installed, securing it to the building. The picture shows Kevin on the lift, Andy on the ladder and Matt on the ground, ready the shake the ladder if necessary. The object of this exercise is to stretch an orange string the length of the beam in order to have the beam color coordinated with Matt's shirt. Or it may have been for a guide in building the porch roof.

Likely it was the latter since by Saturday morning the roof was taking shape. Here Charles and Tom are figuring out how much of the existing roof material has to be removed to make room for the new porch roof.

Apparently figuring out how to tie the two or three, rather, roof surfaces together is not a trivial question. Here Ken is doing the finger pointing while Sam is thoughtfully stroking his chin. Charles looks on.

The discussion continued With considerable arm waving and gesticulating.

After a time some posture adjustment was required.

A plumbing vent pipe had to be moved so the place where it had previously penetrated through the roof needed to be patched. Paul and Troy were diligently fixing up the roof when I arrived.

The high level meeting (a meeting on the rooftop must be a high level meeting) continued on after the roof repair was completed allowing Paul and Troy to join the meeting.

As I was not invited to the meeting and climbing a ladder would have been necessary, I did not participate in or overhear the conversation. At lunch I asked Ken if they figured out how to get the roofs to join. "No," he said. "We determined what we can do up there until we get it figured out."

Inside Work and Play -
Pete was busy framing up a wall in the kitchen.























While up in the front, the stage framing was being put to use. A couple of Sam's sons, one named Lincoln and the other not Lincoln, clambered about on the floor joists.

Thursday evening I had also observed someone else clambering about on the same boards.

 Brian added some further adventure. I think he was playing hide and seek.

While the hiding spot was very good, I think he got discouraged and gave it up when no one came to seek after him.

May 2 - A New Month, Spring Weather and a Burst of Activity

Spring Weather Arrives - 

What could be more fun than nice weather, a dirt pile and puddles.

More Doors -
Winter's encore performance was fortunately very brief and springlike sunshine and warmer temperatures returned. Maybe it is the nice weather and a new page on the calendar that inspired the burst of activity. Many workers showed up and significant progress was evident in three areas of the building.
The door frame Sam was installing last Saturday now has doors attached. The size large openings on either side, however, allow easy passage for both outside air and peripatetic chroniclers. Once inside, I find actions being taken that will inhibit such freedom in the future.





Pete and Kevin are fixing to install another door. First get the frame ready.

Next, install air-flow-reducing glass.

Finally, recruit additional help, Sam, and hang the door in an opening. Once installed, both free air and wandering chroniclers will need to be more resourceful to get inside the church.








Setting the Stage in the Pulpit Area -
The stage on which the pulpit will reside is taking shape, giving a preview of the completed sanctuary.

Adrian secures hangers for the stringers on which the stair treads rest. Matt Grangroth, in the background, is aligning pieces to assure proper fit.

Many hands make light work. Bob, in the foreground, is measuring and trimming. Sasha, Amber and Rebecca, in the background, tidy things up a bit. Ben, scratching his head in wonder, and his son Laif are securing the base piece to the floor.

Bob, under the watchful eye of Felix the shift supervisor, measures and fits the end piece where the stage joins the wall.














Meanwhile Out Behind the Church - 

Tom noted with all the progress on the building to date, it must be time for an addition.

The concrete  piers that Brent poured on Saturday now have posts attached. And on top of the posts, a beam needs to reside. Size large steel brackets are affixed to the posts to keep the beam from wandering off to undesirable positions. However, the brackets seem to be a bit tight for the beam. So, the brackets need expanding. Here, Andy uses a bracket expander to stretch the gap.

 Matt Forstie uses the same tool and a wood block to try to open another bracket.

Then Andy and Matt collaborate to increase persuasiveness while Tom supervises.




















Ken uses the forklift and a strap to raise the beam skyward. Matt and Andy merely need to jockey the beam into the hole in the wall on the far left and over the two brackets such that when the beam is lowered it drops snugly into the desired position.

That, however, is easier said than done. Perhaps in a friction free perfect world, the beam could  be dropped into the brackets and slid into the hole in the wall. But this is not a friction free world. Given the newly discovered realities, it is noticed that, if there was a bit less roof over the wall notch, the beam could be aligned with all three support spots and dropped into place.

Andy says, I can fix that.



Just a few licks with the sawzall and there appears a bit more room over the wall support.

A  gentle nudge or two from Andy's hammer and the beam glides quietly into place. Give Andy a sawzall and a hammer and he can make anything fit.

The beam is up. Let the porch construction continue.