More progress today.
But first let me show you something I forgot yesterday.
This why buildings are nailed together rather than screwed together. I took these out of the shuttering. They had been in only a month. They were 90mm long when they went in...
They have simply snapped.
Anyway, this morning I ordered the trusses (a mere £1870 including PTG*). A three-week lead time, so I do have time to do a bit of other stuff beforehand, like digging out for services and building the headers for over the doors.
On the way home I acquired another couple of bags of insulation, but got stopped by a bloke in a very clean hi-vis vest and a clipboard asking me what I was doing. I said I had asked and been given permission. "Well, I don't have a problem", (doesn't sound like it), "but if you are going to take stuff make sure it is tidy around this skip. Look at all this stuff on the ground." I pointed out that it was a damn sight tidier now than when I arrived 5 minutes earlier, because I'd picked up most of the bags of plaster so I could get to the skip itself. Anyway, the gaffer who had told me it was OK turned up and smoothed things over. "See the men right for their trouble", was the clipboard man's parting shot. Not sure what trouble I have caused them, but I'm more than happy to show my appreciation. So after enquiring after his tastes, I have to do something I have never done in my life. He would like 40 Regal King Size. Given that I am militantly anti-smoking that is going to hurt.
This afternoon I set out the top and bottom plates. I had a moment of serendipity. The mudsill/sole plate had ended up at 7890mm and so my top and bottom plates needed to be the same. I'd previously cut all my studs at 2.9m from a 3.6m length, so had a pile of 700mm lengths I was planning to use as noggins. But as I started to build my plates, I found that two 3.6m lengths plus one 700mm length made exactly, and I do mean exactly 7890mm. If I had had to measure and cut them for the job they could not have been better. I'm not quite sure how that happened, because a saw kerf is not 10mm, but it was right, so that saved me a bit of time and was very material efficient.
So to assembling a wall.
I clamped the four plates (top and bottom for two opposite walls) together and marked out where the studs should go. From the second stud, I marked off every 2 ft and set a cross to the side of the line where the stud would sit.
I got the Paslode out and - nothing. I couldn't get it to work at all. I figures I'd got something set wrong, so rang up the kind owner and went round to see him. It didn't work for him either. Phew! But we fiddled and shoved and changed the (brand new) fuel cell and got it to fire a few nails. OK.
Got home and - nada. Well the odd hit, but it was, miss- miss- miss- miss- miss- miss- miss- miss- hit- miss- miss- miss- miss- hit- hit- miss- miss- miss- miss-....... Very frustrating. But I persevered and got the job done. Are Paslode's supposed to smell of gas? I can still smell it now as I am typing. Really. Either it is pernickety or I am handling it wrong, but it's not a happy relationship yet.
Are you feeling lucky, punk?
So as the sun sets over Maskery Towers, and I collapse completely knackered, I do have two side wall frames built, all on my ownio.
Ray's back tomorrow, so I have every confidence that the barn-raising is definitely on for Saturday.
*PTG = Pleasing The Government