Third week of framing begins

We were able to set the trusses and ridge beam on Friday. The framers voted to go with a crane and I don't blame them. The ridge beam alone weighs nearly 700 pounds and is 42 feet in length. Plus it's hoisted about 16 feet above the second floor of the house.










They were also able to set the roof trusses over the master bath/closet, and the large attic trusses over the garage. I'm really pleased with the amount of room we have over the garage. It provides about 15 feet across with 8 foot ceilings and four dormers (two on each side).



One more photo gives a good sense of the finished height of the roof. You can see the ridge beam in its final place being temporarily supported by a lot of lumber. If you look closely, you can see a dilemma I have. The ridge beam support at the right of the picture falls right in the doorway of one of the bedrooms. I'm looking at using a steel post here instead of a lot of 2x4s. That may allow me to get by with a sufficiently sized door.















Finally, it wasn't all work this holiday season. My parents spent Christmas with us and, I think, we all had a great time.