One of the metal roofing companies not far down the road has occasional scratch and dent items, and if your stars are all in alignment, they might actually have something at the exact time you have need. Don't count on it. Steel roof at $2/linear foot doesn't last long, so when you see it, grab it. All of it. I did, about six months back, in anticipation of getting a real roof over our heads, and that time is now. One slight problem; the rain just won't give me a break.
A Sucker Hole, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term, is a break in the cloud cover that makes you think that it could turn into a decent day…...then as soon as you get started on something good, the clouds return, usually with a vengeance. Hahahahahaha…..SUCKER!
The Ace Hardware store here sells two different colors of large tarp; grey/brown and white. Both tarps are made by the same company, but the white tarps have proven VASTLY superior in both finish and durability. Despite the grey/brown tarp having a moderately reflective grey surface to minimize heat gain, the white colored tarps stay markedly cooler, like 30% cooler, so says my IR temperature gun. Go figure….in any event, relying on ANY tarp to keep you and yours dry is something all done on faith. We've been lucky, to say the least, but crossing your fingers for over a year in a climate as rainy as this one will test anyone's faith.
Now if only it would stay sunny for a few days…..
An actual bedroom, lucky kid.
I've been sitting on that decent sized pile of metal roof for months, and now that I've finally framed in Ellie's new addition, it's time to put it to use. The rain stopped, it's time to go for it!
And, the gods being fickle (at best!).....the clouds came back. In force.
Ahhhhh Hubris, you've gotten me again.
Actually, I got everything buttoned up, just in the nick of time, but only minutes away from a serious deluge. And only a couple of leaks, haha. It beats the tarp though. Next thing to do is gutters. At least now that it's raining again, I can get back to work on my fuigo.
It never ends, this building stuff.
You've got homework! I just found a good book on the shelf I haven't looked at in ages, probably the most extensive I've seen on various building styles around the globe.
ReplyDeleteHome Work: Handbuilt Shelter by Lloyd Kahn
Makes me think of you and how organically the environment is shaping the structures you build. It makes me laugh a little bit to think of how hyper focused I was on traditional Japanese architecture, as if that could somehow be forced to work in the Rocky Mountains. At least we get plenty of dry weather for building here, but the wind can get dangerous and has kept me from finishing a roof for more than a month now.
Have you considered the Japanese approach of scaffolding and temporary roof for construction? Wired pole structure? Where is a nice bamboo grove when you need it...
There is so much that is of value when you study any regional building vernacular. In our warm and humid eastern Big Island climate, the building style has traditionally been one of single wall construction (little temperature variance throughout the year), single story (earthquake!), and large overhanging eaves (lots of rain here). For the Japanese carpentry enthusiasts, the old houses look pretty familiar, probably because many of them were built by Japanese laborers. Lots of nice roofs here, but the Vog and humidity are playing hell with my tools!
DeleteI asked a while back if anyone had access to the old Fine Homebuilding article by Len Brackett ( I think) where he details the twisted wire and bamboo pole method of temporary scaffold construction used in Asia. Coincidentally, It was Mark Grable who sent me pics of the wire twists he used on one of his sheds. You probably saw it when you were there, haha! We got the bamboo.....
I keep trying this over the years, but you need to have the correct, heavy wire; a #8 gauge, dead soft anneal, if I remember. The wrong wire cinches down hard but tends to work harden too fast, snapping when you get it juuuust about where you want it. Probably a good quicky blog post would be in order.
DeleteGlad you are posting to your blog again. Enjoy seeing the progress. Say hi to the females in your life.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brandon! It sure is a difficult thing to start up again, but sooo worth it.
DeleteYou'd like our pig!