Framing Pt. 2 - Walls

March 6

Temp: 55°/ Sunshine

This post actually spans over several days as we have only had a few hours here and there in the past few weeks to do any real building. With challenging weather and busy schedules the framing has been a bit slow, but nonetheless, we're getting close. 

Dad's been helping our high school with their musical sets so has had to spend most of his time over there. The musical is in 2 weeks, so pretty soon, we get him back. :) In his absence, he's helped us keep building by sketching out walls.

The 2 side walls, left to right, have required a bit more time and thought as we are building the roof on a slope back to front. This means, unlike the front and back wall, each stud is set on an angle and a slightly shorter height. We broke the 2 side walls into 2, 10 foot long sections. We also decided to add the zipboard after we have all the frames up. This makes putting the walls up much easier to lift, and we don't have to worry about losing a wall to the high winds we've been having.

The process has gone, Mom and I build a section of wall in the garage, then use the pickup truck to transport the wall over to the trailer. We then back the truck up as close as we can to that wall's area, and lift the wall onto the trailer. We use adhesive and screws to secure the frame onto the deck. These sections really aren't that heavy. All of the walls have holes in the bottom plates for the rods coming up from the trailer (which again is where we'll add the Simpson Strong ties for added strength) so we fit the wall into place almost like a puzzle. We started by adding the back and front walls which we braced with 2x4's to the trailer before having their adjacent walls. 

Mom's friend Pete came over to help lift the front wall with the zipboard already attached as this one was MUCH heavier. His extra muscle was needed and very appreciated. 

Though it's been a bit slower of a start, for me, that's been super helpful. Mom is a really great teacher and seeing the drawings on paper is making everything make a lot of sense. Windows and door were ordered last week so they should be in in the next week or two. Next step will be adding the zipboard to the outside and starting on the roof!