18 June 2014

A wicked good thunderstorm overnight left a nice swimming pool in the cellar.  Some earnest activity with the push broom soon lowered the water to wading level...  and then Ian cut and removed the sill and sole plates for the Shop door, so further flooding should only be moderately deep.  Sean and Ian spent the day installing Lower Level ceiling / Main Level floor joists.  The Goodro’s truck arrived just after 8 with the next installment from our kid’s inheritance.  From the lumber thus delivered, I spent the morning mass producing 200 2x8x14⁷/₁₆ blocks that are used to brace the joists mid-span and where they rest on the steel beam flanges.  Sean, in his proper role as adult supervisor, astutely caught a 1″ error in the measurements for the chimney placement that directly affected the joist layout.  Glad somebody on this job knows what he’s doing!!!!  Jim LaFlam stopped by mid-morning to check on progress.  Sweating bullets, inhaling Tums, and with all ten fingers crossed, I cut to length the two posts that will support the long steel beam.  The posts are made from steel filled with concrete… and you only get one chance to get them the correct length… which has to be exactly right or the Main Level floor will not be level.  No pressure!