Center Wall Complete

July 8, 2020

This week I got the center wall finished.

We were quite nervous assembling these fireworks indoors because the fireworks store told us the fuses sometimes light when you cut them.

We built an elaborate fireworks display for our Independence Day party.

The complex system of fuses linking the fireworks together worked great. We lit it once and the whole show played out over a couple of minutes.

The mortars did not reach their full height. We think the mortar tubes were too large. It was intense.

Every time it starts to feel spacious in the workshop area, I find myself filling it back up with more materials.

The next day Ryan helped me pick up 27 sheets of 2 in. R13 rigid insulation. This is the material that will be glued down on top of the rafters providing continuous insulation in the ceiling.

My oldest daughter had the critical job of operating the level to ensure the walls were plumb both directions.

We finished up the center wall framing.

Because I sized the ridge beam to not depend on the center wall, I was able to remove the center wall’s column supporting the ridge beam to make room for ducting.

The header is a bit overkill since I’m no longer using a column in the center to help carry some of the ridge beam load.

I plan to use a laser level to position the collar ties perfectly level with one another.

I also decided the collar ties will be face-nailed to the rafters. This will be much simpler to assemble and still very strong.

The nails in the plates on both sides had to be staggered to avoid running into each other.

Working on the ground and driving over 350 nails by hand was time consuming, but the resulting min-trusses are very light weight and incredibly stiff.

Rough-in Planning
Lobby Design Changes