20x45 1 1/2 Story Home-TX

Redoverfarm · February 28, 2013, 07:39:06 PM

It can be trying when you are working by yourself. If you would have thought about it a very easily constructed scaffold on the inside coming off the gable wall would have made it a lot easier. You could have staged them on it as well as walked from one end of the area to the other without missing a beat getting up/down a ladder.

Similar to what Al did but on a much smaller scale http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=10641.msg163217#msg163217

drbuilder · February 28, 2013, 08:02:44 PM

I considered Al's approach. The only problem for me was hanging off the side of the house, 20+ feet in the air, on wood scaffolding. But as you mention, constructing this on the inside of the house may have made the job a little easier.

February 28, 2013, 10:26:47 PM

Quote from: drbuilder on February 28, 2013, 08:02:44 PM
I considered Al's approach. The only problem for me was hanging off the side of the house, 20+ feet in the air, on wood scaffolding. But as you mention, constructing this on the inside of the house may have made the job a little easier.

Dr I have even used 2X's attached to the underside of my rafters (eve and ridge) allowing them to extend past the barge rafter. It allows you to rest the barge rafter on these until they are nailed in place. Once you have them secured just remove the 2Xs. I used 3" deck screws to attach them and they are easily removed later.

dablack · March 01, 2013, 08:18:11 AM

Really coming along. Don't be like me and get hung up on the roof. I was trucking until I got up high!

Gotta love building in the cool weather! Much more fun than when it is 100F with 95% humidity.

I will be up at the build site all weekend, finally finishing nailing down the roof decking.

Austin

drbuilder · March 02, 2013, 12:23:22 AM

Austin,

I definitely have a healthy respect for the roof. When I get up there, I will be harnessed and anchored. I noticed that you used a man lift. How did that work out? Was it helpful when installing the plywood on the roof?

March 02, 2013, 06:01:04 AM

Hey Doc,

No man lift for me. What you saw was the skytrak that I used to set the trusses. I rented it for a long weekend and set them myself. I have seen baskets attached to them that guys can ride in, but mine just had fork lift type arms on the front. Plus, if I was in the basket, there would be no one to drive.

The way I lifted plywood to the roof was sort of unique. I nailed 2x4s together to make a quick ramp. Then I got a 110v powered winch. It worked great. I had a flat area on top of the main trusses that I put 3/4" decking on to give me somewhere to stand and then my 9 year old and my wife would lean the roof decking on the ramps, attach a c-clamp, and then I would winch it up. Then I would lower it to where I needed it, then I would attach it. Basically, I was "inside" the house and would lean over the top of the piece I was attaching. I found if the top of the 4x8 sheet hit me right at the waist, I could lean far enough to reach the full four feet and nail it all the way at the bottom. Worked well. Then I used the same winch to lift up the final top trusses.

For your roof, with a much lower pitch, I'm thinking you could just use a rope and C-clamp, rent a man lift/sky trak, or something similar. Really, with the skytrak I rented I could have lifted up sheets of plywood to where I needed them, ran up to the roof and then pulled them off and put them where I needed them, but it would have taken a while and the rental would have been too expensive. My winch was $120-ish and I can still use it for other stuff.

You have three rows of decking on each side. I would get up there, stand between your rafters and see how it feels to pull one piece of decking up with a rope. With you sanding on a step ladder, I think it is going to be ruff.

With less decking to do, it might be worth it to rent a skytrak or something similar. You have about 1000 sq ft of decking to do. I was working on more than 2200 sq ft.

Again, getting the wood up to the roof is the hard part. I think you should be able to do most of the nailing from inside the house on a step ladder.

Good Luck!

Don_P · March 02, 2013, 09:22:04 PM

With a 6' sidewall standing the sheets on end will poke them above the roof for the first row. You could probably make a platform on a pair of horses tall enough to pick up the sheet, lay it and nail off. Once the first sheet is up I usually stand on it and pull up the next. The next rows I lean up a couple of 2x4's to a rafter. Nail them top and bottom and nail a shelf across that. Slide up several sheet's projecting through the roof and rest them on the shelf. go up top and pull them up as you lay them. With a sheet balanced in the middle they are not too difficult to manuever around.

drbuilder · March 02, 2013, 11:19:58 PM

Thanks Austin and Don_P. This is good information. I will let you know how it goes.

drbuilder · March 21, 2013, 07:31:47 PM

Roof deck and felt done! The house has already survived the first day of rain, without a single drop in it. I had some help from a neighbor who moved on the roof like a spider. Being on the roof that high-up took some getting used to. I was indeed harnessed and anchored. Next will be the shingles.

March 21, 2013, 10:23:40 PM

That's always worth a little celebration. Being dry is a big step up.
I do subfascias, soffit blocking and fascias next, then drip edge (tucked under the felt on the bottom, on top of the felt on the sides, snugged up tight to the fascias)... then finally shingles. Seems like the prep for every big jump takes the time. Homeowners often got antsy while we were detailing before the roof and before siding.

Can't remember if I've mentioned it before, I try to put buttonkaps in the field of the tarpaper over rafters. Someone working up there while its covered in paper can find the framing to attach a toeboard easily if they look for rows of buttonkaps up the roof.

dablack · March 22, 2013, 11:34:25 AM

Great job. You officially caught up to me. I have the roof covered as well. Just finished. I need to update my thread too.

Austin

drbuilder · March 22, 2013, 07:13:37 PM

Quote from: Don_P on March 21, 2013, 10:23:40 PM
I do subfascias, soffit blocking and fascias next, then drip edge (tucked under the felt on the bottom, on top of the felt on the sides, snugged up tight to the fascias)... then finally shingles.....

...I try to put buttonkaps in the field of the tarpaper over rafters. Someone working up there while its covered in paper can find the framing to attach a toeboard easily if they look for rows of buttonkaps up the roof.

We are going to keep the rafter tails exposed to give the house a craftsman flare. As a result, the plywood over the eaves is exterior grade. Also, most of the drip edge is already installed. Lastly, you offer a good suggestion regarding the button nails. While I did use them, I spaced them without regard to the rafters. Maybe next time!

drbuilder · March 22, 2013, 07:17:05 PM

Quote from: dablack on March 22, 2013, 11:34:25 AM
Great job. You officially caught up to me. I have the roof covered as well. Just finished. I need to update my thread too.

Austin

Well, my only goal was to make my time on the roof as short as possible!

drbuilder · May 08, 2013, 10:26:59 PM

Below are the latest pictures of our progress. The most important accomplishment at this phase was the completion of the roof. I decided to shingle it to give it a more residential look. I did the whole roof by myself with only a few hours worth of help from a friend. I was quite uncomfortable when I started the roofing. At the ended I found it to be very enjoyable. That being said, it has been one of the most difficult aspects of the built. So, hats off to those who do this for a living. I also installed some windows with more to come. I also dug and set the posts for the wrap-around porch. Completing the porch will be the focus of the next phase of work.

June 10, 2013, 11:47:51 PM

Here are some updates. I am about 50% complete with the wrap-around porch. It measures about 9ft X 56ft and is comprised of pressure-treated lumber. I will be working on the roof assemblies this month.

2x8 deck joists

The column/roof post blocking on top of the 4x10 deck beam.

2x6 decking.

The wrap-around corner.

The completed decking and the 2x10 roof ledger board.

dablack · June 11, 2013, 07:19:34 AM

Looks REALLY sharp. That porch on the front is really going to even out the house. Nice looking for sure. Gotta love a 9' deep porch. Does the porch face south?

Our little porch (really roof overhang) is 4.5" deep and not a drop of direct sunlight hits the front of the house. Keeps it nice and cool.

Austin

drbuilder · June 11, 2013, 10:03:57 AM

Thanks Austin. The porch is SE facing. We believe it will be one of the best features of the home.

UK4X4 · June 15, 2013, 11:13:50 PM

Being 3/4's of the way through a 36x12 deck - I can apreciate the hard work being completed on yours

I had the GC do the roof and I'm just doing the decking- my 2 day job is now in its 4- mainly due to coctail hours and epdm glue making the waterproofing into crinkly lettuce

Keep going ! its all looking good

drbuilder · June 19, 2013, 11:58:49 AM

UK4X4 thanks for the kind words. Like you, this project has taught us that plans are goals that you must be willing to change as unforeseen circumstances dictate. Every phase has taken me at least twice as long as I originally thought.

drbuilder · June 26, 2013, 04:58:05 PM

More photos of progress.
We used 4x6X8(actual size) solid cedar posts that we bought from a neighbor along with some larger cedar lumber (8x8s and 10x10s) for less than 50$. That was a deal that I could not pass up. They look really nice and are very straight. While we avoided the bowing prone exterior grade SP lumber, we had to search for post bases that could hold them. I will complete the shingles, stairs, and railings in the coming months after a much needed break.

July 12, 2013, 08:36:30 PM

That looks awesome drbuilder!

I'm doing the same thing right now also...my back porch.

I was wondering, I always thought that you can just toe-nail the porch rafters directly to the ledger board. I notice that you have a board above the ledger board and then you attach your rafters to that. Can it be done with just one ledger board instead of using another one above that first one?

Also, did you just toe-nail the rafters to the ledger or did you end up using joist-hangers?

Again, great pictures - thank you for taking the time to show us all your progress sir.

al

drbuilder · July 13, 2013, 01:02:43 PM

Thanks Al. I have followed your build closely as well.

They are both ledger boards. However, I decided that I wanted more pitch than the first ledger so I set another one a bit higher to give me a 2/12 pitch, given that I wanted to keep my cedar post at 8'. This ledger is also nailed into the second floor rim (header) joist and studs. I will use the lower ledger for a ceiling that I may construct later. We actually like the exposed look of it. The porch rafters are attached to the ledger using a Simpson ridge rafter connector and additional toe nailing.

Hope this helps

evertith · July 16, 2013, 01:44:50 PM

This looks fantastic! Great job. I really appreciate all of the pictures. They are helping me tremendously as I try to design out my workshop. I believe I will follow your plans closely as your house looks nice and sturdy!

drbuilder · July 22, 2013, 10:44:09 PM

Sounds Good. Good luck with your build.

dablack · July 23, 2013, 02:55:58 PM

DrB,

The house is looking great but I do have a question. Why did you go with a tall 1.5 story and not a full two story. If your second floor would have been a full 8', then you put on another set of 2x12s, you could have been standing on a decked attic to build your roof. I know if would be lots more materials and if that is the reason, I understand, but for me the addition of a full attic would be worth it. I'm just wondering what your motivation was.

The reason I'm asking is now that my build is gone, in the next build, I'm thinking of a full two story.

thanks
Austin