There hasn't been an update for a while because there have been some delays with the mason, who is building the foundation. The contractor finally decided work could proceed and the mason could finish up what he needed at a later date.
And then boom! There has been an amazing amount of work done this past week through cold rain, ice, and snow. And during it all, the workmen have had a positive attitude (at least when we were around) and the quality of the work has remained high, or redone. It's all pretty remarkable to see. From six holes in the ground, we now have a porch that is almost framed.
Here are a few pictures of the progress.
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| The floor joists |
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| The day before the workman worked in a cold rain all day. This morning they started with snow. You can see the blocking between the joists to help retain rigidity between them. The plywood is temporary as a work platform. |
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| Each masonry pier has an 8" x 8" wooden post above it to help support the roof of the porch. |
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| You can see how the posts intersect the floor and piers here. |
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| The roof trusses were prefabricated... |
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| ...except for the last few that are tying into the existing roof. This is the one clear day the workers got. It was cold but dry. They were happy. |
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| On top of the trusses goes a layer of sheathing. They are using ZIP brand that has a plastic coating that is waterproof. It's not necessary, but is an extra layer of protection under the roofing materials. |
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| And while some were working on the roof, others were working on the side steps. |
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Meanwhile, the mason showed up and started bricking the piers. While the old brick and new don't match exactly in this picture, they should match much better when they are dry.
Notice between the brick and the wood is a sheet of copper that is a deterrent to termites. Supposedly, termites don't like pressure treated wood, but the copper is extra insurance against them.
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| The mason put plastic around the piers he had bricked to protect the mortar from the rain. Yes, rain and more rain (and maybe sleet or or snow) is coming. |
Until next time...
Interesting about the copper sheeting. We had to get our basement sprayed for termites several years ago--we caught the problem early, thank goodness, but it's good to know about deterrents. The porch is really coming along! I don't remember--will it be screened in?
ReplyDeleteThe porch will not be screened in. It's breezy enough that we don't have too many problems with bugs, so we didn't feel like we needed to be screened. Also, our main view out the back is through the porch and we didn't want to be looking through screen. I guess we'll see when we use it for a while, if we want to add that or not. We are thinking we may want to add roller shades on different sides to block sun and rain. Once again, we'll use it for a while and see how it works.
DeleteI didn't know that about copper either. It's not a requirement, but just another detail that the architect added to the plans.
That is a pretty good sized porch you are adding there! It starting to look like a room! Looks like they are taking extra precautions, with the added water proofing and copper sheets, etc., to make it more durable. Won't be long before you have a "porch warming"! :)
ReplyDeleteSometimes it looks small to me and other times it looks big. We kept the same amount of room that we had on the deck, but it is oriented in another direction. When you see the big size of the framing it certainly looks big. We have a very good architect and contractor who both pay attention to details and have added several to make the porch have quality construction. We feel lucky to have found both of them.
DeleteI love to see how its done. Much more work than I had imagined. Can't wait to see it finished.
ReplyDeleteEverything from the plans to the construction is much more involved than I imagined, also. One thing's for sure. This porch will not collapse if a lot of people want to dance on it.
DeleteMy brother has a truss factory in southern Oregon. He got tired of not being able to get them when he needed them for his contracting business, so he put a plant at his shop site and employs some old friends to make them.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds really smart. A good contractor organizes his materials and workers well. Your brother sounds like a good contractor.
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