Timber Frame Home Project: A Snowy Week.......

....but we managed to accomplish pretty much what we had set out to do for the week.

The first three days were pretty much devoted to shoveling and brushing snow off of the pad as well as the frame so as we would not have water dripping all over us once it started to melt.

My wife had gone back to Phoenix to work a couple of days and came back up late Thursday evening. She, herself, barely made it back up due to the inclement weather.

While she was gone, besides watching the snow pile up, I managed to get some of the SIP's prepared for instalation once she came back up and the weather started to cooperate. I also started to apply the Land Ark sealer on the Aspen that will be applied to the ceilings in most of the rooms.

Friday, the weather finally cleared up and we were able to start making some progress. We started installing more of the sheet rock on the south side. In my last post I mentioned that I would try and get a photo of my sheet rock platform in action. We managed to get a picture of it but it may still be a little hard to get the full concept of it.

Although it is a pretty simple design, it saved us a huge amount of time and also gave our sore muscles a bit of a rest. Where it really has helped us out the most is hanging sheet rock on the second floor.

Our next learning experience came on doing SIP corners. The outside corner was not too much of a challenge. In fact, I must say, actually both of the corners outside and inside turned out very well.

Here again, there is a bit of a learning curve involved for us, but after talking it over and throwing ideas back and forth, I must say things progressed rather well. Probably the only down side is it eats up time which seems to go fast enough the way it is when we are up there working.

The outside corner will still require some work plowing out of the insulation and installing a 2x6 nailer for siding.

The inside corner was done by ripping the back side of the SIP the width of the adjoining SIP and then plowing out all of the insulation, basically forming a pocket for it to set in. Here again, the adjoining piece was plowed out 1 1/2" deep and a 2x6 was placed in the cavity to work as a nailer for added tightness. Also, prior to fitting the panels in place the mastic sealer was applied to all surfaces. This sealer comes in a caulking gun form. We have found that it is literally impossible to keep from getting this stuff on you, although Goo-Be-Gone seems to really take it off!!!

Another tool that I cannot say enough good about has been the Prazi beam saw. This to has been a real time saver. I have been most impressed with the cleanness of the cut it makes. I had a chance to test it out on a couple of the bevel cuts and it worked flawless. Here the only downside that I am finding is that it makes a mess. One is covered with Styrofoam beads head to toe after making a cut!!

As I mentioned in the beginning we almost made our goal. We fell two SIP,s short of reaching it. That would have put us at about the half way point of getting the wall SIP's in place and would have completed the south side of the Great Room.

I don't mean to sound as though I am trying to rush the whole project and really I am not. In fact I am having the time of my life doing it. Unfortunately, the SkyTrak did not come rent free. That too has been probably the most helpful piece of equipment throughout the project thus far; but as I said, the rental on it makes one not wanting it sitting around idle for very long.

Here is the completed South side of the house.