Barn, windows, birds

Somehow it slipped my mind to make some updates about the barn. We left town a few days after the last barn update, spent a week in North Dakota, and I got sick shortly after we got home. The ice cream machine has been on the fritz, kids.

In any case, before we left, I had managed to get the windows and door in:

The long windows are simple - I got a sheet of lexan from BBHIS, had it cut to 1x3 strips, cut out appropriate-size holes in the sheathing, put some blocking on the inside, a bead of liquid nails around the edge, and then 1x2 cedar trim on the outside. They don't move, they don't tilt, they just let light in - and they do it just fine.

The door didn't go quite so well; it was a slightly-damaged model from BBHIS, and the only apparent damage was a missing piece of brickmold. Turns out it was just a tiny bit out of square. (or my opening was...) It was sticking pretty badly after being installed, but a few days seems to have settled it in. It's still not perfect, but it's perfect enough for a barn.

The chickens got moved out there shortly after the windows went in, where they insisted they were Not Amused by the change:

Yesterday I finally made time (and felt well enough) to get a small door cut in the wall so they can free-range a little. For the time being, they're in the same pasture as the goats, and their door is not trimmed, but they can get out.

The scene for the remainder of the day was something like this:

"Holy crap! Big blue room! ... HOLYSHITAGOAT!RUN!"

When I left for work this morning one of the bar rock hens was cautiously poking around outside in the grass, so I have some hopes that they're not completely retarded.

As you can see, the barn still isn't done. I need to put in the last few pieces of sheathing on the gable ends, and I've got two more windows, the soffits, and some trim work to do. But it's getting there.

Barn, fascia, soffits

When I last posted (with pictures), I'd just finished about half the sheathing. Since then, the vast majority of the remaining sheathing went up, as well as the roof deck and part of the fascia.

Yesterday's weather forecast was beautiful and we had sufficient coverage at Day Job for me to take a day off without forcing overtime, so I did. I started a little later than planned - around 9 - but got in a bit over seven hours of solid work before I had to clean up for work at BBHIS.

Since I'd hung the barge rafters a few days prior, I needed to cut and install the lookouts.

Here's the barge rafters (2x4s). They aren't purely cosmetic, as they add rigidity to the edge of the roof deck and hold up the fascia, but they aren't designed to be load-bearing members.

Lookouts are chunks of 2x4, cut to length, spaced 24" on center, and nailed in from both ends. Just a bit of extra rigidity. In this picture you can see the fascia has been installed over the barge rafter as well.

After the barge rafters were installed (and before the fascia went on), I installed my soffit vent. There are LOTS of options for this - perforated vinyl, small circular vents, and so forth - but given that this will be occupied by livestock, more ventilation is more better. A roll of 8" wide screen was stapled to the bottoms of the rafters and the back of the fascia. Soffit boards will be installed starting at the back edge of the screen, providing something like six square feet of free vent space on each side of the building.

I got a little ahead of myself here - I installed this piece of drip edge early. As such, it was a hair short on both ends because I didn't account for the fascia on the gables. The other three sides were installed properly, though.

Since I was on a roll, I started the dividing wall for the chickens. It went together quickly and relatively pain-free, although installing it meant using my Big Hammer to convince it. The door was cut in without trouble and hinges and a latch were installed. The sloping wall remains to be done but shouldn't be a big deal.

As I started to run out of time, I decided to get the window openings cut in the short wall. These are 1'x3' sheets of Lexan, which will just be set in the wall openings with a simple frame. Light only, no ventilation. The blank wall on the left in this picture will have two 18x24 plexiglass windows cut in as well; no shortage of light here!

I'm hoping to get the roof done tonight after work - since the drip edge is on, all I need to do is staple down roof felt, cut a vent at the ridge, and zip on the shingles. It's a two-square up'n'over job and I should be able to knock it out real quick. I'll be calling the rental place shortly to see if they have a nailer available for today...

Melty

Ice cream machine is on the fritz; I've been working beaucoup hours and spending as much time as possible working on the barn. Roof deck is done, most of the wall sheathing is up, front and rear fascia are on. End fascia and lookouts need to be put up, then drip edge, soffits, roof felt, shingles, paint again, windows, door, trim.

Given the heat yesterday (90F, with humidity in the same vicinity) I didn't get a lot done. I tried. Even after the sun went down (we live in the shadow of a hill - we're in shade about 90-120 minutes prior to actual sunset) it was still too hot to work. I made the plumb cuts on the fascia and cut a 2x4 into small pieces for lookouts, then decided I was both tired enough and sweaty enough to be a danger to my own fingers.

Tomorrow's forecast is much better - upper 60s and sunny - and I've taken the day off from Day Job in order to see how much I can get done. Here's hoping.

Barn, sheathing

I spent most of Saturday working on the barn, in hopes of having things done before the chicks are ready to move out. I made a fair bit of progress, given that I was working solo.

I started by getting the last set of gable rafters in place, then figured my overhangs and made the tail cuts and squared those off for 1x6 fascia boards. Gable studs went in quickly, and I framed out the other window. Another three sheets of siding went on, and I started the roof decking.

It's pretty impressive how things get tied together and stiffen up as each successive layer goes on. Floaty joists locked down floppy skids, floor decking stiffened that right up; sloppy walls were squared up with sheating, the whole wall assembly was tied together by the rafters, and the roof deck has made the half that's done essentially immoveable.

Yes, this is my first major ground-up construction project.

If I can get one more good dry day of work, I should be able to finish the siding and roof decking, especially if a second pair of hands is around. The roofing itself should only take me a day; two squares of up-and-over is simple. When that's done, I have to frame out the interior walls and half-walls and then put in the windows and door ... and it's done. Doesn't sound like a lot, and truthfully it isn't; if I can put another 25-30 hours in I should be set.

Gable studs, which replaced the jigs I'd used to hang the ridgepole:


South wall, some 1'x3' lexan sheets will turn into windows here:


Northwest view, with the first sheet of roof decking on:


North wall, second window framed in, roof deck on half, and I called it beer-thirty shortly after taking this:

Barn, rafters

I took yesterday morning off from the Day Job in order to work on the barn, as the forecast was moderately OK. Aside from two quick showers, the weather was pretty good, and I got a lot done. As I mentioned in the last barn-related post, I'd fubared my ridgepole height, and was left trying to decide if I wanted to re-cut the rafters to the right angle, or raise the ridgepole to the correct height.

I looked at the issue some more, and decided that since the end wall was built to have a 6/12 rafter sitting across the top, I really needed to correct the ridgepole height. It turned out to be a relatively simple fix thanks to the jig I had the ridge sitting in. I bumped the pole out of the jig and tapped in a scrap of 2x6 cut to length, then dropped the ridge back on and tacked a couple scraps of 2x4 on the jig to make up for the height change.

That done, I put a rafter across the top plate to the ridge, and the angles lined up perfectly. Since I was using the hurricane ties and not bothering with birdsmouth cuts, it became a matter of measuring spacing and tacking up rafters. I should note that this probably does *not* meet building code - hurricane ties are designed to reinforce a birdsmouth's connection, not replace it - but I believe it will be more than adequate for my needs. I'll be putting vertical ties on the inside of the top plate as well, just to be doubly sure.

Doing this as a solo job is NOT easy. After dropping rafters more than once (one bending a cord-wrap-peg-thingy on my compressor, and a second bruising the heck out of my left tricep), I got smart(ish). I put a 2" 6d nail through the top of each plumb cut, tacked the rafter to the ridgepole, then nailed it on with the framing nailer. Then I climbed back down and nailed the hurricane plate to the rafter.

I don't know if there's a "right" order to attach rafters, I put on the first rafter in from the gable on either end first, then just filled down the middle. I got one of the gable rafters done before running short on time, so I knocked in collar ties on all the common rafters and took my jig out from the gable.

Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, I'll be putting in the last set of gable rafters, hopefully finishing the wall sheathing, and maybe getting some of the roof deck down. The gable overhangs are small enough that I don't need to cut lookouts - I'll do a barge rafter and let the roof deck hold up the barge rafters.

Here's the jig I knocked together for the ridgepole - this is removed after the rafters are in so that I can put in gable studs.


Just on top of the wall, you can see the collar ties. These are 2x4s, eight feet long, that are leveled and tacked to the rafter on either end to keep the roof load vertical instead of a horizontal/spreading load against the walls.


End view, with a good look at the saltbox profile. The chicken coop will be the left third that has a floor, the goats at the far (floorless) end, and the remaining space will be space for animal and garden supplies.


I feel like this project is finally starting to look like something...

And I can't thank DoubleTrouble enough for his tip about rafter hangers on the top plate to get things lined up. (Also known as hurricane ties.) Thanks again, friend.

Barn, ridgepole

The weather has turned back to rain and chills, but the chicks are growing fast - the banties are almost four weeks old and the standards are a week behind. The stock tank they're hanging out in is getting crowded, and that Just Won't Do. Solution: damn the weather, keep building.

I got the door opening roughed in last week while the weather was nice, after grabbing a clearance door from BBHIS (missing one piece of brickmold; more than half off retail). Thanks to the weather and my work schedule, work stalled right there.

I spent a little time getting the plumb cut on the rafters over the weekend, and yesterday I put together a frame for the ridgepole and got that installed. Pictures pending.

Then I tried to get a rafter up.

Plumb cut was off. Birdsmouth was WAY off.

I tried again on the other side of the rafter, so I could make a template to cut the rest. Still no go.

After that beam split when I dropped it, I decided it was time to stop fighting and call it quits for the night. Sitting at the table after dinner and doodling on a pad of paper, I figured out why things were so far off... my measurements and calculations were based on my pad-and-paper line drawings, and I had forgotten to include the dimensions of the boards.

My ridgepole-to-top-plate drop is 24", and the run is 48-1/2". Sounds like a perfect 6/12 slope, right?

Except I was calculating from the TOP of the ridgepole to the outside of the wall, not accounting for the height of the rafter - about 6-1/4" with the plumb cut. So the rise is more like 17-3/4", and the run to the *inside* of the wall is about 43-3/4". In other words - the slope is going to be just a hair under 5/12.

I think I may be on to something here. I may end up destroying another 2x6 getting it right, but I WILL get it. Eventually.

Not enough hours

Does someone have a "pause" button for that thingy on the wall with the numbers?

I worked Day Job 'til 3 yesterday, retrieved MrsZ from her office, stopped at my parents' place on the way home to move some tires (Dad is usually quite capable but is recovering from minor surgery and not moving so well), buzzed home, spent the better part of two hours swearing at the construction while I figured out how to frame in a window (next time, do it before raising the wall), nailed up two sheets of siding (also better done before wall-raising), then threw dinner on the grill.

By the time we'd eaten, cleaned up, and sent my parents on their way home, it was past 9:30 and well into the realm of bedtime.

It was a good day, just not as productive as I'd hoped. I'll be framing in another window tonight and trying to get some more siding on, and need to make a swing through BBHIS to pick up a door.

When I last wrote about it, I had managed to dig and level the foundations of the barn. The weather seems to have finally broken (for a few days, anyway), and a friend came over Friday afternoon to help with construction. I'd already put together most of the floor joists on Thursday, then finished them Friday before he arrived.

We put down one sheet of floor decking to square things up (diagonals are within 1" of each other; that's square enough for my purposes), then all the remaining exposed joists got nailed to the skids underneath, effectively locking everything together.





Once that was complete, the remaining two sheets of decking got nailed down:


And then it was time to start framing the walls. Note the step in the wall. Instead of even-length slopes on either side of the peak, I decided to build this in the "saltbox" style, with even pitches and different length.



Working on the installed floor means we have a clean - and more importantly, level - surface to work on. The sill plate was laid out and marked for 16" centers, then studs were cut to length and nailed on with 3" framing nails and the air nailer. A single top plate was then nailed to the tops of the studs, and a second top plate nailed to the first one with 2" nails.

My fearless helper, who made the amount of work we got done possible:



Once the wall was framed, it was raised into place, tacked on one end, squared up to the foundation, then nailed in all the way across and a brace put on to hold it in place:



The second wall was built in much the same way as the first, but note the double stud two-thirds of the way down. Those studs are 3/4" longer than those to the left, to accomodate the difference in height between the decked and undecked portions. The top plate is common, the sill plate is in two pieces.



Shortly thereafter my assistant headed off for the day, but MrsZ came home and helped me knock together the last two walls:




Observers with a clue will notice one critical item missing from this project - doors and windows. We hadn't decided on where to place those yet, so I will be cutting out the frame for those as soon as we decide. Soon.

I put one coat of paint on the sheathing Saturday and sealed the back Sunday (we're using LP Smartside, which is rated for structural use), and hopefully this afternoon I'll get some of the sheathing installed so I can start working on the roof framing. The weather forecast for the next several days is gorgeous, so here's hoping!

Barn, foundation

I finally got all the footers dug, set, and leveled - half-tabs of asphalt shingles are just the right size to make shims for 8x16 concrete blocks. Sixteen footers, roughly 3'6" spacing - I eyeballed them, as these don't have to be exact (they'll be well inside the outer edges of the barn on three sides; the fourth side I was careful about).




Once the footers were set, I laid out the skids and tacked them together. Sadly, a framing nailer is NOT easy to use with the framing plates - it's just too tough to line up the nail and the hole. After jamming my nailer more than once, I went back to good old-fashioned hammering and had the job done in no time. The far area - the 12x4' open area - will be the goats' stall, with a bare-dirt floor. The near area, with the 8' 4x4 skids, will be floored, and one third will become a chicken coop, while the remaining two thirds will be storage and work space for MrsZ's hobbies.




Next step: joists, then flooring and walls!

Barn, Baby Steps (1)

The weather has decided to un-cooperate with me. I got all my building materials (less shingles) last week and promptly started digging the footers and working on leveling them.

In the process, I fell in the pasture, and banged my shoulder/chest on the wheelbarrow handle on the way down. It hurt - a lot. Enough that I only dug out a couple more holes before I said "heck with this!"

Since then, either I've been working or the weather has been lousy. The last day or so has been in the high 30s and low 40s with rain - miserable weather for ANY kind of outdoor work.

But since I promised to photo-document the process, here we go...

Here's the basic site:


The goats have been in that little lean-to for almost two years, and it's beginning to show its age - no surprise, since it's untreated OSB and KD studs. I'll be happy to have that eyesore out of the way.




The rough outline of the footers - just inside the 12x12 final dimensions. Marking out footers proved interesting, as the stupid goat kept plucking my survey flags and wandering off with them.




This is (should be) the tallest footer... I hope.




Gratuitous dog shot; she enjoyed the sun while I dug holes. Lazy mutt.