We're at the second floor now...

After passing inspection for the the steel rebar on the first floor columns and beams, the concrete was poured...It's not as exciting as pouring the first floor slab because you don't really see anything!  It all goes in to forms.  The only time you actually see concrete, is when some pours out from the forms.  That doesn't happen often.

So for a few days, everything looked exactly the same, except that there was concrete curing inside the formwork... That hose is shooting concrete.

 But after a couple of days of letting the concrete cure, suddenly, once the forms were removed.... it started to look even more like my drawings!

 Now that all the forms are removed, and the building's shell is starting to be revealed, we need to start doing some of the wood work...










The first step is to install the ledgers.  This is what the second floor trusses will be attached to.  They only have a couple of hours to do this, cuz once the truss delivery and crane arrives, this needs to be ready.









Trusses arrive...I'm trying to stall em while the ledgers are being finished!  I think my exact words were "I don't think these are the right size.. Did someone check these?!"

That didn't exactly work.  They got unloaded anyway.
Heres a small clip of it:
http://youtu.be/uxjQg5TL3P8
I'll load it asap...


 

Wow!  Ellis and the other guy are holding up this stack of trusses with almost no muscles!

The first truss goes up!!!










 Then theres suddenly alot of action...

My steel beam arrives!  This is a steel beam, that supports the loft over the kitchen.  I plan on leaving it exposed.  The crane carries it off the truck and puts it in place so the guys can cut it and install it.

Meanwhile, trusses are being installed and there's so much going on at the moment, that I found it hard to go to work today!!  I watched them work for hours... well, it felt like hours.  It was only about an hour or so, but look how much was done in that short time!

We have a second floor... well, not exactly, but practically.  They followed the trusses with a plywood deck.  I can really start to feel the space now!

With a plywood deck on the trusses, the crane can put the load of the second floor blocks in stacks, so the block layers can get the blocks quickly and efficiently... I'll have second floor walls tomorrow!
Crazy... it's weeks like this that makes me feel like I'll be moving in in a couple months... but I know, its really not til Thankgiving.... maybe Halloween?!

Oh, yeah!  These guys rock...singing Reggae (or taking Adele songs and making them sound like Reggae) the whole time, they do everything in 2 days.

 HOLY COW!  I HAVE A SECOND FLOOR!

Here's a view, I've never shown before... It's the west elevation, looking from the alley. There's no windows there....SO WHAT!?  Heat and neighbors, I have no interest in looking that way, anyway!

Here's the view from the master bedroom to the yard... I can see the kids playing and Cristy out there watching them... I do feel like I live here already!  What are the kids doing, anyway??

Playing in sand, of course!!

I might need a giant pile of sand when we live here... This pile of sand has been the source of lots of fun times during the construction process.  The kids love it!  I've dabbled in the sand myself a couple times, but I'm not allowed anymore!











Next week should be full of excitement, too.  I think we'll have concrete beams, columns and a roof!

Stay tuned...