Tag: Ridge Pole

June 2019, Rafters, Ridge Pole, Roof, Tools, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Roof – Part 4 of 4: Shingles

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Whew. That was hard. I’m now officially “under roof”. I knew the roof would be a multi-part series, but it was more long and drawn out than I thought. I am now far behind my goal for finishing the home in 2-3 years. In fact, I thought back in October that I might be able to finish the roof by the end of 2018. We are now halfway through 2019. On the bright side, I’m still within budget, and now that the roof is done, I can take a breather and finish projects I left hanging like installing a motor … Continue reading Roof – Part 4 of 4: Shingles

Rafters, Ridge Pole, Roof, Uncategorized2 Comments

Leveling Rafters

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Seems like there’s always more to do… A few weeks ago, we took a major step forward- we are done with the walls, and we got the Ridge Pole and rafters installed. I’ve spent that past 2 weeks- in between weather events and life- getting the rafters level. Again, if we were building with 2×4’s, it’d be easy. Building with crooked logs involves a lot of finesse and finagling to get things to look right. There is nowhere to ‘zero’ my measurements, so I have to do relative measurements. For example, the cap logs are actual logs, so they vary … Continue reading Leveling Rafters

October 2018, Rafters, Ridge Pole, Roof, Uncategorized5 Comments

Part II: Rafters up- new crane guy

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Click here to read Part I (where we get the Ridge Pole up) They sent Chad out to help.  He asked me about the the guy who set the Ridge Pole (RP). I told him the guy’s name, and he laughed- “Oh, yeah, good ol’ Be***! That guy’s afraid of his own shadow.” I was immediately at ease with Chad. Here’s a guy who knows that stuff like this is dangerous, and harping on it doesn’t make anyone safer. We all know it’s dangerous, and we do it anyway, but we try to work smart. I told him the plan. … Continue reading Part II: Rafters up- new crane guy

October 2018, Rafters, Ridge Pole, Roof, Uncategorized1 Comment

Part I: Ridge Pole up, but what a struggle

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We decided to go with a crane. I’ve written about how dangerous I thought installing the Ridge Pole myself would be, how long it would take, and how expensive it would be. I took a Thursday & Friday off work to prepare. Thursday- it took me nearly all day to pull the rafters off the rack, bolt them together, and then lay them out in preparation for the crane to lift them. By evening, I had just enough daylight to chain blocks to the RPSL’s as a cradle to hold the RP. But I almost fell when the scaffolding slipped … Continue reading Part I: Ridge Pole up, but what a struggle

August 2018, Ridge Pole, Roof, Rough Construction, Uncategorized1 Comment

Cutting Rafters

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Background I’m neck deep into using my sawmill. Back in February when it was raining and muddy, I welded up another 18 feet of track for it in the neighbor’s shed. I made dogs to hold the logs in place and squared it up very well. I thought I would be putting the roof on in June of this year. But, I’ve had several delays- the weather being the number one delay, but then my job sent me to Florida for a week of training, and then our LandCruiser needed a new headgasket. Finding, cutting, peeling, and installing the RPSL’s was … Continue reading Cutting Rafters

Foundation, June 2018, Ridge Pole, UncategorizedLeave a comment

RPSL’s installed

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Another small milestone. Just two more logs so far, but wow, it was not easy. Background RPSL’s are Ridge Pole Support Logs- their job is to hold up the Ridge Pole (RP)- the largest, longest, straightest, heaviest log in the entire build. They are very important logs, and must have no defects and be very straight. I estimate the Ridge Pole I’m going to use to be about 5 tons (for comparison, the heaviest wall log was around 3 tons). Vertical compression strength for a 12″ log averages around 650,000 lbs (about 325 tons), whereas the horizontal strength of a … Continue reading RPSL’s installed

May 2018, stacking logs, Uncategorized7 Comments

Cap Logs Installed!

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Our cap logs are installed- this means we are almost ready to enter a new phase of construction. It has been a long hard road. Some folks at LHBA claim we are moving at “one gear below breakneck speed” using our lifting poles, but it often doesn’t feel that way… What are cap logs? Cap logs are the final logs on the walls. In the photo above, they are the ones that stick way out on the front of the house. Paired with ‘double-butt logs’, they hold up the roof rafters, and give the roof enough overhang to protect the … Continue reading Cap Logs Installed!