It’s the start of a new week and our three ‘carpenters-plus’ are pleased to have gotten ‘out of the ground’ last week, that is, to be done with the foundations. They happily admit they prefer working in and with their element, wood, rather than in the sloping mud! Friday topped off a big week. Here’s where they ended up that afternoon, Day 42:

Ready to keep going on Day 43

And a close-up shows the progress too.

It’s deceptive, but the distance between the centres of these hyjoists is only about 430 mm (16.5 in.). The next few days will see these gaps closed with some very important materials.

And so Day 43’s work begins and your photographer is fortunate to get to the site in the early afternoon to record the efforts.

One key event scheduled for today is for the steel fabricators, Mark and Justin, to return and install the 3 beams that will span between the poles for the art studio floor. Here’s where they left things last week, with all poles but one welded in place on the cast-in plates at ground level:

One beam is already installed and tack-welded in place and the middle beam is being readied for installation when your photographer arrives.

The first beam is seen in place at the bottom of the photo, while Justin (left) and Mark talk through the installation of the middle beam on the poles in the centre of the photo.

Just put the beam on top of the poles and weld it in place. Simple. But simplicity is complex and the last thing anyone wants or needs is not to have  thought through every detail before the two men pick up the 80 kg (175 lb.) beam. Because of the trees overhead and the scaffolding itself, access for even a small ‘crawler’ crane to do the lifting is really impossible. After walking the beam down onto the scaffolding from the street, it’s time to make sure the poles are ready.

The steelies clamp a steel block in place (above) on each pole at just the right height both to take the weight of the beam and have it end up in place just where it needs to be. As ready as they’ll ever be, the time for talk and planning is over.

After the count of 3, it’s ‘One’!

‘Two’!!

‘Three’!!!

The clamped-on steel extension pieces on each end of the beam make the manoeuvre as safe and doable as possible. Good quality clamps have their place!

An ingenious method, borne of years of experience. Seeing this unfold is a delight in itself.

Positioned, Mark makes his final, minute adjustments and Justin tack-welds the beam to the post. Later, after all the beams are tacked, they’ll all be fully welded.

Even small tack welds have to have their slag knocked off with a slag hammer or the welds will not be sound.

Two beams up, one more to go.

Meanwhile the carpenters haven’t been idle all morning. With most of the hyjoists  in place on the lower floor of the main house, working from above, they begin measuring, cutting and fixing fibre cement sheet using glue and nails at the bottom of the gaps between the hyjoists. Thick underfloor insulation will be snugly packed between the beams and be supported by the fibre cement sheets. This method saves shoulders, necks and backs from the strain of working overhead from underneath the structure. And it saves time and money. And extra scaffolding rental too!

A pile of fibre cement sheets ready to be fitted on top of the lower flanges of the I-beams

A pack of very thick polyester insulation batts with an R5 rating – but more on that rating later!

Our next post will be where you’ll see how these materials are installed. Stay tuned!