With a little help from our friends...

A big shout out to our friends Jim and Doug who helped with truss weekend.  Truly, we could not have done it without them!  This was an intense weekend (when aren't they???) and again, Rob didn't think it would have taken this long...

So on Saturday, Jim travelled up from Regina.  He and Rob installed the giant and very heavy header beam across the front of the garage.

Then we installed boards on top of that.

And we sheathed the two front side walls as well as the header beam.  Oh and a quick trip to Home Depot for yet more stuff. And that fiddly work took all day Saturday!!!!

Sunday we were up early and at work by 7:00 a.m. because we thought Doug was coming by (this is the same Doug in an earlier blog that came by to help one morning and I was still in my bathrobe--not going to let that happen twice!). He thought we meant 8:00.  But it was good to be up that early. First, we traced templates for the sheathing for the two end trusses and put the sheathing on before we lifted it into place.

But we had to first put up bracing boards on the wall, so just in case the guys pushed too hard, ithe truss wouldn't flip over the wall and onto the ground!).

So the truss is incredibly heavy and awkward. Doug walked one end up his ladder, and Rob walked the other end up, so it was hanging upside down.  Then with Jim pushing up in the middle, they flipped it up into place. And thus we did that technique for about 10 more trusses, end to end and then flip into place.

Then to brace each end, Rob and Jim had to hammer in metal brackets called hurricanes (I assume the name means the braces are so secure they can hold up during a hurricane).  And unfortunately, both of them kept hitting their thumbs with the hammer--ouch!  Then we were ready to install and flip up the other end and brace.  That also took a long time, as it had to be adjusted into the right postion. 

Then the guys had to brace all the trusses so they don't fall down in a domino effect, level them, and secure them. I did trenching for the gas line relocate which is happening on Monday. And at the end of a 12-hour day, we have trusses.

That is a lot of wood!

So THANK YOU Jim and Doug for your help, your expertise, and your friendship!  We hope you had fun.  (and hey, what are you doing next weekend???  We'll be sheathing the roof if you're in the neighbourhood!)