We Have A Roof... And Deck!

The last week and a half have been busy around here and as always, the weather has been on our minds.  After the framing was finished, we anxiously watched the days go by with pooled water sitting on the subfloor from all the rain we had.  The forecast had a snow warning in effect and we anticipated a good 8"s for our neck of the woods... the worst part being that because we are in the mountains, the snow usually sticks around once it's fallen.  This would mean the roofers could be delayed for some time and our framing and subfloors would stay wet until the roofers were able to work.  The roofers were originally scheduled to arrive on friday the 6th but the plan changed and they decided to come that sunday instead. On saturday evening (jan.7th), we were hanging out in Abbotsford with our pint-sized friend Claire when the snow began to fall.  By 11:00 that night, there was almost five inches on the ground.  We imagined about a foot of snow at our place but as we drove home, we were both suprised and relieved to find barely a dusting had fallen on the house.  It was too late in the evening to call our site superintendant so I sent an email explaining our good fortune and decided to call him early in the morning so that he could let the roofers know that the roof was clear.  In the end, the roofers didn't come, probably figuring we had as much snow as they did in town. 

Later sunday afternoon, someone from the roofing company came out to inspect the house, presumeably to make sure the roof was clear;  We were a bit doubtful that they would be coming monday because the temperature had dropped below zero and the roof had become a sheet of ice.  Monday morning we woke to Trouble's alert bark and found a crew of seven roofers in the driveway unloading their gear.  This was a huge relief because there was another snow warning in effect and we figured this was going to be the big one that would bring the project to a screeching halt.  It can be extremely distracting watching the guys work on the house and knowing snow was coming made it very hard to focus on anything other than the progress they were making.  There had been some hope that the roof could be finished in a single day with such a large crew but because our roof has alot of surface area with the surrounding porch overhang, the day ended with about seventy percent of the roof finished.  As luck would have it, and we've had a good share of it, we only received about two centimeters of snow overnight, which the roofers were able to sweep clean in the morning thanks to spiked work boots.  By 1:00 the workers had finished the roof and were packing up their gear;  We excitedly went to inspect their work just as the snow began to fall in earnst.

Now that the interior of the house was protected and could start drying out, the plumber (Riley) was the next tradesman to arrive.  The plan was to rough in the whole house and then pour concrete for the basement slab and porch and decks.  Once again, the weather became a factor...  First off, the basement gravel was still frozen from the cold weather we were having so it made the job of digging trenches that much more difficult. When Riley and his crew finally broke through the frozen crust and had their trenches dug, they immediately began to fill with water from all the rain we had.   On top of that, the pipes that exited through the bottom of the house weren't quite deep enough and didn't provide enough grade for the length of run and wouldn't pass inspection the way they were. 



Pumper Truck Pouring Concrete

Neil was quickly called back into action the following day and dug out around the exit port in the foundation so that the pipes could be buried a little deeper.  This drained the water from the trenches and allowed Riley to get the right grade for the drainage pipes.  The foundation was again backfilled and Riley and his crew finished off the day by roughing in the main-floor plumbing.  The next morning Riley was knocking at the door to use the telephone as we don't get cell reception where we are... I overheard him telling his boss that they were again having problems with water in the trenches since the foundation had been backfilled again.  Essentially, after he laid the pipes, they began to float in the water which changed their grade...

Exposed Aggregate

they had become too horizontal and wouldn't drain properly when he tested them.   After discussing the problem with him, we decided Neil would have to come back and reopen the area he had backfilled the day before.  Fortunately, Neil was available and twenty minutes later he was onsite digging a trench from the foundation to where our drain pipes are.  The trench once again resolved the issue and by the end of friday, the plumbing was ready for a monday morning inspection before being buried.  Monday morning the inspector arrived and the whole system was approved.





When planning the house, we decided that we wanted a deck surface that would be low maintenance and have a clean appearance.  Exposed aggregate concrete was an easy decision as our previous house's deck had been finished that way and it was a look we liked.  The area below the deck is meant to be used as a carport and we wanted to make sure the area was sealed from the rain that would hit the deck above... this meant sealing the deck before the concrete was poured.  Monday morning Jordan and his crew were back to finish laying the plywood on the framed deck.  After the plywood was secured a frame was built off the end of the deck and then covered with heavy plastic to protect the plywood from the rain.  The following day a crew arrived to seal the deck. 

A heavy vinyl was applied to the whole deck and up the walls and support posts and then all seams were heat sealed so the entire deck and walk around porch was completely sealed.  A little later Dan showed up to nail boards around the perimeter of the porch and deck to contain the concrete when it was poured.  The concrete guys were busy the following day so plan was to do the pour on thursday.  This morning, a six man concrete crew arrived along with a pumper truck and the first of three concrete trucks.  After setting up their equipment they started by pouring the concrete on the back side of the house and then moved to the deck and then front porch.  Two concrete trucks were emptied and about an hour later the guys had out their floats and were smoothing out the surface of the concrete. 

I wasn't familiar with how exposed aggregate decks were created so I got on Google last night and did a bit of reading.  I wasn't really sure how the small exposed stones were placed... were they already in the concrete or were they sprinkled on afterwards?  It turns out the stones are premixed in the concrete which allows you the choice of various exposed surfaces... we had decided on the typical small, smooth stones.  Since the stones are premixed in the concrete, the question becomes, how are they later exposed?  A surface retardant is used that slows the surface of the concrete from setting while the rest of the concrete sets in about four hours. 

When the concrete has set enough that it can be walked on, a brush and a pressure washer is used to wash away the very thin surface of the concrete that had the retardant on it, and expose the aggregate contained within.   Later, after the concrete is fully set, a sealant will be applied that will give the aggregate a wet, shiny look to it and help protect the concrete from the elements. 

The basement slab was also poured today and while it wasn't overly exciting to watch, it's nice seeing the finished slab.  Next week the plumber will come and finish installing and testing the water lines and later in the week the electrician will begin wiring the house... that means more decisions to be made on where we want outlets and if we want to prewire walls for sconces, etc...  



Happy New Year!

First Floor Framing

With the Christmas and New Year season being so busy, it's been a while since I've updated the blog ... progress slowed a bit over the past three weeks as the trades people took time off to spend with their families but the guys have been back at it and our house is starting to take shape. 

My last post ended with the framing just being started... it's suprising how fast the framing goes up.  After the basement ceiling (main level subfloor) and the basement walls were finished the surrounding porch and deck went up next.  The porch is about six feet wide and the deck is 18' wide so there was a bit of work involved with all the studs and cross braces, the deck will eventually be covered in concrete with a small stone aggregate surface. 

Rear of House With Fireplace Framed

The framing for the main and upper level went up very quickly and we were finally able to get a feel for the floorplan.  At this stage the rooms felt smaller than we expected but we were happy with the layout of the house and how the rooms transitioned into each other. 

The trusses arrived a few days before Christmas and the guys were able to get most of them positioned before they left for the holidays.  We knew the house was going to have a vertical appearance but when we stood in the driveway we were suprised at just how tall it actually was and this was before the 8' cap trusses had been installed.  Regardless, of our first impression we were happy with the overall appearance and satisfied that it was shaping up how we had hoped for. 

Looking Into Kitchen From Living Room

The week after Christmas,  Jordan and his crew were back at work, finishing-up the positioning of the trusses and framing the roof overhangs.  The deck had originally appeared massive and I took some ribbing because I had actually wanted to make it deeper, but after the trusses for the roof overhang had been installed and covered in sheathing, it brought the depth of the deck into proportion.  Margaret and I were both delighted with the roof-overhang and the amount of covered space it provided and it should provide a good lookout for Trouble to keep an eye out for marauding deer and bears.  After the walls and roof had all been sheathed, the rooms started feeling a bit larger than our first impression and we were able to get a feel for a few framing changes we wanted to make. 

Living Room, Woodburning Fireplace Wall

The weather here has been all over the map, we've had snow and rain and warm and freezing temperatures all within a week.  While alot of the snow was washed away, the clouds cleared and the temperature dropped to about -6 degrees which froze all the water on the floors inside the house.  Shortly after, we had a couple more small snowfalls which we knew was going to prevent the roofers from getting started. 

For the past couple of days we've had heavy rain which has cleared the snow from the roof but filled the house with water again.  A large crew of roofers are scheduled to arrive sunday and should be able to finish the roof in a single day... we are keeping our fingers crossed because the weather man is calling for possible snow tomorrow.  We'd really like to get the roof on and get the interior of the house dried out. 

Master Bedroom, (future french doors)

We were a bit concerned about what the pooling water's affect will be on the sub-floor but Dan explained when the roof is on and the interior is dried out, they'll use an industrial floor sander to sand everything smooth and then screw the floor down to reinforce the nails currently holding it.  Winter really isn't a great time to be building but it's comforting to know our builder has a plan to deal with any potential problems that may occur because of the elements.

The trusses are pre-built, loaded on a crane truck and delivered to the site.  The crane raises bundles of trusses into place where they are temporarily braced and later spread into place.  The whole process of unloading the trusses and positioning them took about six hours.  The only problem encountered was trying to position the trusses for the master-bedroom... the crane didn't have a long enough reach to get them clear across the house to the left side.  While the trusses were suspended 30' in the air, skids made from 16' 2 x4 s were positioned so that the trusses could be slid down the left side of the house.