The Roof is Framed!!!

Two of my sons and I worked until midnight last night (Sunday) - driving to complete the installation of the trusses for the attached gazebo.

The reason is simple! I have hired a roofer to complete the roof - to put on the fascia, sheathing, and shingles. - and he starts this morning. The majority of the roof trusses were installed last weekend but the gazebo roof could not be completed until the superstructure for the deck was built. The reason is that the posts holding up the deck also serve as the support for the gazebo roof.

We spent Saturday installed the posts, and Sunday until mid-day we competed the deck substructure - mostly the joists. In the interests of time we just threw up some plywood so that we could used the deck as a platform to work from - to install the beams across the top of the posts which would eventually support the gazebo roof.

Even with the plywood deck the task was daunting - especially for me with my fear of heights - as the top of the posts are a full 2 stories and on the lakeside even higher. But with the help of my sons Adric and Nathan we put up ladders and got to work. Nathan was a real godsend - he doesn't share my fear of heights and was able to do those things that I couldn't do. How he can calmly site on a beam two stories up and nail away I just can't fathom - but I am very grateful.

Adric was extremely helpful. He is a big strapping and strong lad. His help in lifting big heavy 20 foot posts, roof trusses made a big difference.

At 9:30 PM, the sunlight rapidly disappearing, and 5 more trusses to put up it was clear that we we going to working into the night. Fortunately, I have a generator and a set of halogen lights. With them on it was almost like daylight. Then we heard the telltale sounds of the generator fighting for fuel - we were running out of gas! This could mean certain disaster! Without light we won't be able to finish and my roofing contractor would be arriving today to an incomplete roof.

Nathan quickly jumped in the Jimmy with an empty gasoline tank and sped of to the only gas station in Otter Lake. Fortunately there were open and catastrophe was averted.

At 12:00 PM midnight exactly I finished hammering in the last nail. After a 30 minute take down and cleanup process the tools were all in the shed, and we were on the road back home.

Sorry to disappoint! For those of you hoping for pictures you will have to wait until next weekend. In the interested of time I simply didn't take any pictures this weekend - and besides it was pitch black at 12 midnight!