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.