Collar ties and almost done the roof sheating

With a help from my friend I had productive Saturday.  We had a beautiful, warm sunny day so we decided to tackle the rest of the roof.  The first then I did was cut the notches out for the last two outriggers for where the loft roof hangs out over the main roof.  I should have done it before putting them up.  It is no fun trying to hold a circular saw sideways in a tight area.

Moving on to the sheathing.  It took a while to figure out the layout so I could cover it with the four sheets that I had left. Well it turns out that I didn't do the math right and I'm just a 2'x3' shy of finishing it.

The last thing we finished up was putting the collar ties up for the main roof.  We put up the first and last one and then used a string between the two so the rest lined up even if the height/level was wrong.

Odds and ends

I finished exams on Saturday, all in all I did very well.  The plus side is not I have 3 weeks off to work on the house, oh and that whole x-mas thing.

I've been working on a few odds and ends including that last pieces of wall sheathing.  The worst piece was above the bay window, I finally gave up trying to figure it out on the actual sheet of OSB and brought my measurements inside to Sketchup.  10 minutes later I had a print out with all the measurements I needed, and it even fit perfectly!  Computers make some things easier.

I also drilled all the holes to extend the threaded rod from the bottom plate all the way to the top plate.  I just have to pull the tarps off so I can put the rods in.  Unfortunately I only have 8 rods and I need 13.  I added a 1/2" rod in each of the front corners, it needs to be welded at the bottom.

The South side has the Typar on but not completely stapled down, I have to sneak under it to cut out the OSB around the windows and door.

I also cut 1 1/2" off the top of the first rafters to allow venting and to put 2x4s in to allow for the outriggers, I'm hopping to get these done tomorrow and then I can start sheathing the roof!

Wall sheathing

Sorry about the lack of pictures recently but it doesn't look very different.  I'm into exams so I have more time but I'm catching up on some non-house related errands and we are having a "cold snap" (highs around -6C/21F).

I'm still putting up wall sheathing as I have time.  The bathroom wall is completed with the typar stapled down.  The two long walls just have a few small pieces around the wheel wells and typar.  The bay window wall has one large piece that needs to be measured, cut and installed.

Technical difficulties

Sorry no pictures this week, I tried to use my old camera and they all came out blurry.

School has kept me pretty busy so I haven't had much extra time.  The forecast contains another cold snap and snow so I had to rejig the tarps.  I still have a small leak in the loft area but I'll put up some plastic to fix that.

Both side walls are 98% covered with sheathing.  I'm hoping to find time to finish them and get the Typar up before it gets cold on Tuesday.  If I can get that done then I can heat the place and start working on the interior until it warms up again in mid December.

As you know I've been looking at inverter since starting this project.  I picked up that ProSine 2500W for a couple of hundred but because it ran off 12v I knew I would be upgrading down the road.  I've been looking at the Magnum MS4448PAE inverter because it has a very unique and handy feature.  It will accept either 120VAC or 240VAC and output 240VAC.  This is important because I want to use split plugs in the kitchen.  The picture shows how a split plug is wired.  This allows 15A to be draw by both plugs for a total of 30A but it can only be done if 240V is being used.  If a 120V system was wired this way it would overload the white wire possibly causing a fire.  Split plugs can be used on a 120V system but ONLY if both sides are split and it would require 4 wires.

So back to the story, a couple of days ago I found a Magnum MS4448PAE in the local classifieds.  It's barely out of the box and comes with the control model.  It gets better too!

About a month after I picked up the trailer the previous owner called me.  She had a long shaft outboard (like for a sail boat) that she wanted gone.  It wasn't running and the cooling pump wasn't working but I picked up up anyway.  I didn't have time to working on it so I just put it in storage.  What does that have to do with the inverter?  Well the guy is looking to trade for a long shaft outboard.  Guess I have some tinkering to do.

Finally some sunshine

Last Saturday a classmate lent a hand, we put up some more wall sheathing.  That are just a couple of pieces left to put in but they will have to wait until the roof is done.  I also put up the typar on the bathroom wall to help protect the OSB from water.

I've been using the compressor and saws fairly heavily the last few weeks and combined with the cloudy weather the batteries have been hovering around 50% charge.  Today finally provided a full days sunshine bring them up to almost 100%.  The best part is sun is in the forecast until at least Sunday.  I better make hay while the sun shines!

It may be sunny but it's cold! 

Today I put the two loft walls in place!  They are not nailed down yet but now the tarps are at the final height of the interior ceiling.  The loft feels like it's a good height, even with all the extra wood up there.  I was so pleased with the space I just sat for a few minutes and chilled

As you can see it is a bit of a mess.  I'll have to make some time to clean it up before the weekend push.

Expenses to date: $8,244 (I returned some screws)