Progress on the house!

[KJFoster]

Well, we may be slow, but we're getting there. FINALLY got some rafters up on the house this weekend. I tried 4 different books on framing, all told the same "story" on how to do the rafters, and not one of them was right (at least as near as I can figure). Here's what I think happens when new guys build for the first time...

New guy (we'll call him Builder Bob) hears that rafters are the hardest part of framing.

Builder Bob goes out and buys every book he can find on the subject. All books tell the same tale.

Builder Bob says to himself, "I've got a college degree, even graduated with honors - I can handle this." So Builder Bob goes off to build the roof.

But what's this? Seems the rafter didn't fit at all. Builder Bob goes back and researches to see what he did wrong. He finds some obsure detail that he surmises he left out and off he goes to cut another rafter. Confident that this one will be fine.

Not so fast Builder Bob - this one doesn't fit either. Now the score is: Ruined Rafters 2, Builder Bob Zero. So, our hero goes back to the books to "study" some more.

Ah yes, Builder Bob proclaims, I see the error of my ways. I must have forgotten to account for the ridge board! So, back to the cutting saw, up onto the house, and wala - it still doesn't fit. Builder Bob hangs up his framing square and heads for the house, still wondering what went wrong. Score: Ruined Rafters 3, Builder Bob Zero.

Now, with 3 toasted rafters on the ground, Builder Bob is determined not to mess up again. So he takes out some trusty graft paper, sharpens his pencil, fires up the scientific calculator and goes to work.

Emerging several hours later, Builder Bob has determined that all four books he read are TOTALLY wrong and the only reason anyone feels rafters are the hardest part of the house is that they've ALL been reading the same misguided books!

Using his great powers of mathmatics, Builder Bob determines the RIGHT formula and heads off to the half finished house for another rafter cutting party. Out comes his measurements, zip goes the saw, up to the roof our hero climbs, and wala - it's still off! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Builder Bob is now in total denial and heart broken to boot. His trusty calculator has failed him - or has it. Suddenly Builder Bob realizes that he has failed to account for the ridge board. He quickly takes the framing square, draws a line, recuts the rafter and it fits! Great joy in Mudville as all concerned parties unite to celebrate! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

"Speach! Speach!", the crowd yells. Builder Bob calmly walks up to the mic and clears his throat. "Rafters," Builder Bob proclaims, "are the hardest part of a house to build." [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[RobS]

LOL Keith [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] Great story. Yes, rafters are tough. I went through a similar excercise building our mini-barn. My best teacher though was some time spent on Habitat for Humanities houses a couple of years ago. Used trusses, but I learned a lot from a very experienced gentleman about top plate straightness, truss orientation and other little details that may not be apparent to a casual observer.

Good to hear things are coming along for you though [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[TimSullivan]

Yep, That is why I love trusses. Set the last house in four hours over 2500 square feet. Three men and a crane made short work of the roof structure.

[KJFoster]

Builder Bob, "Trusses! Trusses! You bunch of sissy's. I'm a REAL builder, I'd NEVER use trusses!"

Fast forward to two weeks later as Builder Bob proclaims, "Say, anybody know where I laid that phone number for the Truss Company?" [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Wife says we're doing great. Got 8 rafters up and it only took three weekends. At this rate I figure I'm building MY retirement home instead of my parents. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Of course, now that we've got it figured out it BETTER go faster. [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Hi, Builder Bob, I just thought I'd check in to comiserate with you, misery loves company and all. Good laugh, somewhat nervous, re your story. I have engaged the most intelligent, smartest, best GC that I have ever come across to build my house. He figures out rooflines and such so fast I can barely track him...
B U T today after figurin' and figurin' he decided to try again tomorrow to double check his work while fresh and clear headed. I had never seen anything slow him down much less stump him or give him serious pause.

It seems that the 12:12 pitch gable roof section with 12 ft wall height (all open span with steel I beam columns and steel trusses) joins to a 2x6 stick built section with a 12:12 gable roof with 9 ft ceilings, and second floor (captured attic space with dormers but no other second story exterior walls) that is turned 45 degrees to the metal portion. This stick built triangular floor filler section adjoins another 12:12 pitch stick built section alligned with the next two sections (roof ridges all runing parallel but of different heights). The next to last section sits atop a basement with walkout and the last section is ICF.

My GC says he did a roof like this twice before where you come around a 45 degree bend, change wall heights, change ridge heights, have one exterior wall a different height from the one opposite with a hip and a valley that don't quite collide and require a small accomodating section that stays "in plane" with its surrounds but drops the ridge 8 inches. I always did real well on those fold along a and insert tab b into slot c and match to one of the folloing 5 choices kind of tests and I have some trouble visualizing what we are about to see built tomorrow.

I will give it a leap of faith as he has never failed me before. I was about to start feelling like a mental midget (like, gee, I cut it off three times and it is still too short) when I realized of the 5 people present on the site, I was the only one NOT a professional carpenter and the only one coming close to tracking the GURU. We'll see tomorrow...

Aren't we glad we are NOT in old Roman times when they stood the designer under the arch when the scafollding was removed so if it collapsed it prevented that guy from messing up again.

I'm kinda glad I'm the architect, logistician, tractor operator, extra hand, and customer but not the builder.

Good luck to us both... we may need it.

Pat

[KJFoster]

You know the sad part - once YOU figure out where to cut (never mind the formulas), you're so happy that you finally got a good cut that you just use the rafter as a master and cut the rest to match. Never to know just exactly what it is you did wrong in the first place! [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] And, of course, contibutuing to the "myth" that the rafters are the hardest part of a house to build! Or so says Builder Bob! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

I can't imagine trying to figure out your roof Pat - that's got to be a bloody nightmare! [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Well, it is kind of like the camel breeder who explained how he lies on his back and castrates male camels with two big rocks, one in each hand.... kaboom. The listener inquired. "doesn't that really hurt?" To which the camel breeder replied, "not if you keep your fingers out of the way."

Same thing with the rafter nightmare... It could be a real headache, but not for me. That is why he gets paid and calls it work. If it were fun he'd have to pay me. I'll help as best I can (sometimes that is staying silent and out of the way). I sure hope it goes right the first time so we don't have to take an iterative approach of successive approximations. (Newton's method?)

Rember, all's well that ends.

I'll post a picture after it is framed up. I hope to not wear out the visitors to Home Building/Oklahoma Farmhouse with volume of picture attachments. I just got camera back from repair and was way behind in photodocumentation.

pat