Pool House Expansion Project, Day Forty, 20/11/15

All of a sudden, it looks like a house.

Day Forty, 20 November, 2015

Just This morning, the house magically transformed. All it took was the addition of the zinc roofing pieces to actually be up on the roof.

To get to that point took a lot of work, due, in no small part, to Omar's expert leadership and direction. Here, he's taking a final measurement to figure out the desired overhand of the zinc pieces.

Omar Measuring Roofing Panel Spacing

 Early in the morning, well, around 8:00 AM, the crew is still working to finish the eave extensions.

Working On the Eave Extensions

I just stepped out on the porch of our current house, the Mennonite house, and here's what I saw. The first piece of zinc going up on the roof.

First Panel Going Up

 A little adjustment here and there and it's ready to be screwed into the trusses and cross braces.

Checking the Panel

 Once the first one is up and in position, the others follow along rather quickly, as you can see below.

Three Panels Up

 And, just like that, another one is hoisted up into place.

And Another One Gues Up

Here's a view of the roof from the underside. It's amazing that it's already starting to feel cooler under the roof. That was kind of the idea in the first place. It's nice to see our design actually taking shape and beginning to function the way we hoped it would as we were drawing it in the first place.

Looking At Roof From the Underside

Here, Errol is ready to grab the next piece of zinc as it is pushed up to him. Each piece weighs on the order of 75-pounds.

Errol Waiting For the Zinc

Here they're fitting the underneat foam to the underneath side of the zinc. It actually is adhered to the drip rail, so that it fits snuggly and conforms to the shape of the zinc piece directly above.

Fitting the Inside Foam

The indiviual pieces of zinc, heavy as they are, still have to be manhandled on their way up onto the roof. Even though they're 26-gauge, as they're being carried and positioned, care still has to be taken not to bend or crease them.

Another Piece is on the Way

That piece is working its way up the roof. One slip could spell disaster for the workers down below, so concentration to the task at hand is paramount.

Magically Up On the Roof

And a few tugs to get the piece into the correct position, overlapping its neighbor by about two-inches, it's then ready to be screwed down.

Giving It Some Last Minute Tugs

Even up on the roof, care must be taken so as not to damage the pieces. Once they're screwed down, they then become fairly strong and resistant to damage.

Twisting and Turning It'll Get There

From underneath, watching the zinc move up the roof into its final position, also gives a good view of the diagonal bracing. This really helps make the trusses very rigid.

More Diagonal Bracing

 We pretty much have a roof over the house now.

Almost A Complete Roof

From up on our Mennonite house porch, it looks outstanding. A real roof.

Looks Like A Real Roof

There's many more photos than appear in each posting. You can see all the photos of the construction project on Flickr at: https://www.flickr.com/gp/winjama/0wVc3s. There will be new photos added each day of the project.

Pool House Expansion Project, Day Thirty-Eight, 18/11/15

Roof Work and the Rotoplas Septic Tank

Day Thirty-Eight, 18 November, 2015

The day started with two areas of emphasis, the roof eave extensions and installing and hooking up the Rotoplas septic tank.

The eave extensions entail installing a short piece of lumber that extends out over the roof eave. this allows the roof to provide some protection for the eave, especially the join between the roof and the gable end.

Working On Roof Eve Extensions

 Omar and Errol are cutting out a notch so that the extensions fit flush with the gable truss, which ensures that the roof will fit tightly against the gable.

Omar and Errol Working On Eve Extensions

 Here's some of the extensions in place. It will present a more uniform appearance when it's done, as well as provide more protection for the gable ends.

Completed Roof Eave Extensions

 While the work on the extensions was going on, there was work on the ground. Really, more in the ground, as the crew needed to level out the hole, drop in the Rotoplas, and fill with concrete around the base cone of the tank to provide rigidity and support for the tank.

Leveling the Bottom

 The Rotoplas has been installed over a base level of concrete. It's trued up and braced in order for the various bits of piping to be installed.

Keeping the Tank Vertical and Centered

 The guys constructed a small dam, then began filling the area all around the cone end of the Rotoplas with dry mix concrete, using up the excess rain water that had remained in the hole.

Dry Mix Concrete Making A Collar

To ensure that the dry mix gets around all sides of the Rotoplas, it was easier to just shovel the mix down the back side than try to pour buckets full from the front side.

Adding Dry Mix Around Rotoplas Base Cone

There are several drains from the house that need connecting. Carl and Omar are figuring out how to connect the various bits and pieces to make that happen.

Omar and Carl Determining Best Fit

From the left, the drain for the laundry and bathroom sink come out and down. There will be a screw-on clean out cap added to the opening you see there. Additionally, the drain for the shower is next. It will be joined to the laundry/bath sink drain. This pipe will coninue from the bottom of the tee, along and under the drain for the toilet on the right. After it passes under the toilet drain, it will connect with the drain field from the Rotoplas outfall.

Drains For Laundry and Bathroom Sink, Shower, and Toilet

The toilet drain will have a sewer gas vent installed at the top of the tee that you see. the pipe continues on and is connected to the Rotoplas.

Toilet Draain to Rotoplas

Omar is supervising installation of the valve system to drain remaining sludge out of the tank.

Cleaning Threads For Sludge Drain

The design of the Rotoplas, ingenious in the way it will function, allows you to add water via hose to the tank and send the remaining sludge out the valve system into a small catchment basin, enabling a pumper truck to suck up and haul away the remaining effluent as the hose water brings it out from the Rotoplas into the catchment. Almost two separate systems inside the Rotoplas.

Rotoplas Operation Diagram

Late in the afternoon, the twenty-foot pieces of lumber for the roof truss diagonal bracing arrived. The guys will stack it till it can be installed in the morning.

Bringing In the Truss Diagonal Bracing

One can only work so long in the day, and you just have to get away and relax. There's nothing like a good nap on a warm afternoon to make things right. Just ask Chanel.

Chanel Napping

There's many more photos than appear in each posting. You can see all the photos of the construction project on Flickr at: https://www.flickr.com/gp/winjama/0wVc3s. There will be new photos added each day of the project.