Preparing for the Beam and Purlin Roof System
Here's a look at what we've been facing almost every day. It's a real pain to have to remove a half inch of
water off the subfloor before you can get to work in the morning.
The Monsoons are in full swing. The "Boss" used a wet/dry vacuum and removed 45 gallons of water off the
second floor alone one morning.
Work continues on the log gable end. As you can see some days are cut short when the rain shows up. Right
after this photo was taken a bolt of lightning came a little too close for comfort and we decided to call it a day.
We don't need any "electrifying" experiences.
This was a milestone. The last log is finally in place. From here on it's just conventional construction with the
exception of the beam and purlin roof system.
A view of the completed log gable end. Glad it's finished. Laying logs is one thing but laying logs while standing
on 18' high scaffolding is something else. You can see the bracing we are using to support the wall in case of
high winds. We have two supports on one side and one on the other. We don't want anything to happen to this
wall even by accident. The "T" bracing is very strong and is held together with 10" screws rather than nails for
strength.
One of the initial investments we made was to purchase two complete 18' sets of scaffolding. We actually paid
less to purchase this than it would have cost to rent it. When we're done we can sell it and recoup most if not all
of the cost.
While we were completing the gable end the "Boss" was busy priming and painting the 54 steel gusset plates
for the beam and purlin roof system.
We will be starting on the beam and purlin roof system next week so we took one morning to sort and
preposition all the purlins where they can be reached easily. The main beams were moved to the garage floor
area for easy access.
The back wall needs to be completed prior to starting on the roof system. Here is the first "post" that will
support one of the main beams and collar tie for the roof.
Here is the second section. We decided to sheet the wall sections as we built them to save time. This one as
you can see has a large window opening. If you haven't noticed by now this house has very large windows and
lots of them. This is all part of our energy plan. Good cross ventilation cuts down on air conditioning costs
during the summer. All the windows on the first floor except two small ones are shaded by a covered porch to
keep direct sunlight from adding unwanted heat. The large windows on the second floor are mostly on the
eastern side which will help warm the house in the morning and will be out of direct sunlight in the heat of the
day. All glass is high altitude and insulated for energy efficiency as well.
Check back soon.


That's all for this week. Hopefully you will see most of the beam and
purlin roof system installed by the end of next week. Providing it doesn’
t rain too much between now and then.