Closure

As temperatures drop, and and winter is officially here, we're anxious to finish closing the house to the weather. Now that the roof framing is in place it's time to sheath the gable ends, roof overhangs, and the roof itself. The goal is to accomplish this before the holidays. Realizing that some extra hands are necessary, John starts making phone calls. David (from next door), says he can be available starting the next day! Krzys rearranges his busy schedule and helps too. Back at the shop, John cuts and primes the gable brackets and pine board sheathing (for the overhang). Meanwhile, Gary is trenching for the underground utilities. More about this will be in our next post.

David and John pose with the sheathed gable ends:

Roof parts -- gable brackets:

Roof parts -- pine board sheathing:

John takes a break from making roof parts in the shop:

Installed gable grackets:

Brackets and pine board sheathing:

Rafter tails and pine board sheathing:

The roof is now ready for the plywood sheathing:

Finally, the roof is sheathed. It's the Afternoon of December 23rd, cold, and windy. The guys comment about hauling 4 by 8 foot pieces of plywood up to the roof in the cold and gusty winds. It's a challenge! And It's done ... well, almost ... John installs the last piece:

(click to enlarge)

On December 24th, the morning is spent applying the roof paper. This will protect it until the final material is installed. Gary, Kryzs, John and David take a morning break to refuel with eggnog and pastries:

Then it's back to the final pieces:

By mid afternoon, they're finished:

Merry Christmas!