Wednesday, August 20, 2008

It Fits! It Fits!!

At eight am sharp, the crane arrived. While he set up the rig, I removed the extra tar paper and ice shield underlayments that had been wrapped over the peaks as a temporary rain proofing. Not that we have had any rain lately.



The spacer bar and straps get laid out for lift off.



Looking as light as air, the living room roof lifted off of the ground and floated away.



My future ceiling.



In its final resting place.



The loft section is much lighter. It floated up and then decided to take a single spin and have a look around,



Before settling in to its higher vantage point.



It Fits! It Fits!!



The few deviations from a perfect match were all less than one half of an inch. A lot of these looked to be more from less than straight boards than bad measurements.



Most of the minor deviations were eliminated using clamps to pull the roof and wall plates into closer alignment before screwing the two permanently together.



It Fits! It Fits!!



A sanctuary in the forest gathers more form.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Christopher, it's fabulous!!! How exciting your morning must have been. I know there were many of us out here thinking of you at 8am and wishing you well with "lift off". It has been so much fun to watch the progress of your cabin. I do not know how you have the time to be a gardner, a contractor and then to blog about it! :))

CONGRATULATIONS!

Carol Michel said...

It looks like a real place now. I like the two levels of roof.

Congrats on a job well done!

Anonymous said...

WOW and congrats. It's looking awesome. S

Christopher C. NC said...

Thankyou Siria, Carol and Susan. A lot of the credit really belongs to my father, the building contractor. He is the brains. I am the muscle.

This is a major milestone for me. It really is looking like a house and feels like we are now headed towards the finish line. Of course there is still much to be done. Maybe next spring I can move out of the basement?

Cindy, MCOK said...

Hot damn, it all went together as planned! I'm happy for you, Christopher: here's to the rest of the building adventure going just as smoothly!

Anonymous said...

It looks really nice, Christopher. I bet you're dying to get into it.

Frances, said...

Oh happy day, Christopher! Many pats on the back to you and the contractor, and the crane operator of course, for a job so superbly thought out and measured. It looks like a real dwelling now. We are so proud of you!

Phillip Oliver said...

I know you must be excited - it looks great. Do you have a completion date in mind? What kind of siding will you use?

Anonymous said...

Christopher;

I was out of town yesterday but the first thing I did last night was come here to see if it worked! Contrats, and it looks great! It gives you impetus to keep going with the inside. Can't wait to see it sided!

bev

Anonymous said...

WOW, HOLY COW. It looks great. Breathed a sign of relief. So happy for you that all went well. Also hoping that the rest will be smooth sailing. Maybe sooner, you can move into you dream cabin in the woods. Might even catch one small evening watching the gentle snow drifting down. It's a beautiful sight--I know. Miss it to.

Eve said...

Fanstastic! It is looking so good. I love the double roof but that drop in back is a little scary. : )
It must be a dream come true to do this from start to finish, your way.

lisa said...

Hooray!! I'm so glad it all went well...very cool!

Annie in Austin said...

It not only looks cool - now I can see why you were looking at color schemes for small rural churches...there's sort of sanctuary aspect to your new home, Christopher!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Christopher C. NC said...

Cindy I was thrilled that it fit so well. This is construction so there is bound to be problems to solve.

Thanks Pam. I'll survive until it gets done.

Frances I did an internal Happy Dance. I know the building contractor did to.

Phillip, in my mind I know it will be completed. Realistically June of 2009 sounds reasonable. The siding will be Hardie Plank, a cement fiber board with a faux wood grain in twelve inch wide ten foot long boards. It will be painted grey.

Bev, I am hoping I can get a lot done inside this winter by myself.

Thanks Lola. I know the cozy cabin in the snow will be real this winter, even if it is only done on the outside.

Eve, there will be stairs on the back stoop and I promise not to fall out of a window. Below and under the cabin is my open air basement patio for outdoor living.

Hooray is right Lisa.

It's still not to late to put a gargoyle or some finials on the roof Annie. You know that has been a working idea for a long while.

chuck b. said...

Congratulations! A big day!

It really does look like a country home slash church slash barn. Very site appropriate, and also interesting for being on a slope.

Anonymous said...

Hooray! Sitting here with a huge smile on my face for a guy I don't know, but I am truly happy for you and I'm celebrating this milestone. Funny how the internet can bring people together, if not in physical proximity, then certainly in shared interest and spirit. I came late to the cabin raising, but it's been exciting to watch, and having seen my own home rise from a hole in the ground, I know the excitement you must be feeling. I know you must be awfully proud, too, and justifiably so. Like others, I really like the two level roof line. BRAVO!

Anonymous said...

I have to chime in with Kim. I’ve been lurking at your blog and have been so happy to see you accomplish a dream, even if it wasn’t the dream you had in mind a couple years back. It’s wonderful how you’ve been able to adjust after leaving a tropical paradise, move on, and make something beautiful in a very different climate. The roof-raising is a momentous event. Have you though about putting a little evergreen on top as steeplejacks do on skyscrapers? I also marvel at your gardens. Your energy is amazing.

This seems to want to be posted from Anonymous. I am Lois, Zone 5.

Christopher C. NC said...

Thanks Kim and Lois.

Kim if you watched your house being built from a hole in the ground you know what the anticipation is like.

Lois what I really want on top of the roof is a gargoyle. That may have to wait until it finds me, but I know how the roof is built so I will know how to attach it later.