CLOUD HOUSE GETS TOPPED OUT

With low-roof beams in place....

...the low roof rafters could be framed in between...

...and topped with plywood sheathing.

Meanwhile, on the outside, the extensions of the core walls (on left) and the channels for the downspouts (on right) were added.

Back on top, Wayne and Abe set up the posts and brackets for the hi-roof beams.

Once ready, Joey came with his marvelous crane again, and handily completed the last of the four "beam-lifts".

Brian hand signals down to Joey, as Abe and Wayne guide the glu-lam beam into the brackets.

Beams in place, parapet sheathing was placed, carefully notched for the brackets.

Then the solar rack/skylight framing commenced. 

The interior space begins to take shape, and light, with the Big Window on the right, and the skylight above.

Now there are lots of tasks to do. Abe installs the ceiling joists in the kitchen. 

Being 6'-8" tall, he does not have to use his step ladder very much.

And on occasion the architect comes to review progress.

 Here Charlie stands on a scaffold plank to consider the addition of a "diving board"

 off the second level's entry deck.

And, with Bob, contemplates how to waterproof the fly-rafters...

Stepping back, looking up, to see the whole from the driveway...

...and, looking down, to see the tadpoles growing in a rainwater puddle on one of the protection tarps.

CLOUD HOUSE GETS ANOTHER FLOOR AND WALLS ON IT

With the first level's walls up...
...the "balloon framed" glue-lam window jambs could be inserted.

The place is taking on the look of a playground set on steroids.

Wayne bolts the jambs to the walls...


... then, between the jambs, bolts steel angles to carry the metal pan deck for the 2nd level's concrete floor. This will allow for windows to continue the full height of the two floors.

Some sidewalk superintendents came by to see how things were going.

Once all the walls and angles were up level and braced plumb, Jim Sutton and son Mike cut and put up the pan decking.

Nice job. huh! Good old RK Concrete and Pumping was called in again, first to lay the re-bar and weld-wire fabric, then...



...pump and pour...
...and screed a 6" slab.

Mike, at the far end, starts hard trowelling the slab. Not that we needed hard trowelling, but the unexpected sunshine had the concrete setting up fast, and it TOOK hard trowelling to get it smooth.

And smooth they got it. Level too: greatest difference between high and low was 1/8"!

Charlie made a visit, to check on progress, and to simulate being the 45 degree wall which will reflect the view thru the window down the hall.

So, once again, walls were raised, and another brace of 40' glue-lams were lifted: one in back, and ....

... one in front.

Brian starts the task of installing hold-downs to secure the headers to the walls.

Next, he and Wayne trimmed a cross beam to sit in large metal hangers on the headers, ...

... then called in Abe to help lift it in place.

So, this is where we are at...now it is on to finishing up the 2nd Level walls, and starting the first of six (!!) different roof planes.

Meanwhile, where in the world is THIS side-walk super??

A note on the weather...from the above photos, you may be wondering about the purported rainy winter weather of the Oregon coast. Indeed, I had to go back to Feb 10 to find this shot of "Coast View: Rain Lifing"
but lack of rainy photos is also a result of dis-inclination to take photos when raining!

CLOUD HOUSE GETS A FLOOR AND WALLS

Cloud House was last seen getting its four major glu-lam beams set on the ground level's concrete block walls.

Next, in mid-November,  floor joists were laid on top, perpendicular to the glu-lams.

With sun setting, that was close to done.

But when laying the plywood deck, the forecaste was for rain, so 

the crew worked into the dark to get most of it glued and screwed.

The first wall up was the North Saddlebag Wall, 

which has a 38 food radius to it. 

A plank was run out, a nail was set at 38 feet...

... an old tape was cut and  tied to a block of wood, then it was stretched

from the nail, to mark the ends of the joists.

Bob on the right marks the last joist, 

while Abe and Wayne start cutting them.

Meanwhile, down under the deck, Brian fashions a template of the 38 foot arc.

The wall plates were marked with the template, cut, studs were added, 

and the north wall erected.

Note the sandwich wrap around the deck: 

building in Oregon winters means wood gets wet.

 To lessen the moisture in the wood, plastic wrap was placed,  

an under-floor fan system installed, which is run at night, 

pumping air between the plywood and its wrapper

On rare occasions, building in Oregon winters means building in snow.

With the center Angel Walls up, and

secured with large hold-downs,

(remember those tie-rods coming up from the

foundations thru the block walls? This is where they end) ...

the two center beams for the second level were lifted into place. 

Seen from the driveway, the south (and north) Core Walls are up

and sheathed with plywood. Now, just

the South Saddlebag Wall remains to be framed, and,

 of course, the two story high window jamb columns, the steel angle headers,

the ...., well, ....you will see.

CLOUD HOUSE SPREADS OUT

With the first wood framing underway, Cloud House has spread to the west and the east, as seen here looking north from the road.

But before erecting beams, the framing crew first checked the masons' work. Abe, holding tape, Bob inspecting a beam pocket, and Brian on the transit learned the difference between the highest and lowest points to be 5/8".



With the bent plates snugged down, the protruding bolt ends are ground off.


The steel bent plates and shim plates are in place, wating for the glu-lam beams.



The first task for the lumberyard delivery, was to turn the truck without knocking over the port-a-jon!


Jim from the lumber yard works the boom truck, slowly lowering the 1st beam. Brian aligns to the block wall, Abe guides the other end with the tie rope.





The fourth and last beam is lowered onto its plates:



Brian drills out holes where thru bolts will connect the beams to the steel plates.

The bolt heads are countersunk so as not to interfer with the wall sheathing.



The mud sills, so called since they usually are near the concrete foundations and the ground, but here are 9' off the ground, are bolted to the top of the concrete block walls. Measurements showed the block walls only 3/8" out of square in one corner: the mudsill was tweaked to square up the floor.


Next comes the PSL: the two combined will support the main structural walls at the west end.

Wanting the floor deck to be square and level, Abe and Brian again measure to confirm their work:

The sidewalk superintendents on this site tend to be the local hear of black-tail deer. Here a young buck looks the job over.