August 2006:  On the last page you saw the 'mock deck' corners I had to build so the bottoms of the eave rafters would have a place to rest.  Well that was just the beginning.  I had to find a way to access the very top, outside ends of the ridge beam, so my next move was to build the loft room floors.  A little out of presumed order, I suppose, but it had to get done sometime anyway, right?  So we start with very slick floor joist hangers...

Here you have some views of the partially finished loft rooms.  I only used a few sheets of subfloor on each for getting around safely and having a place to put my ladder.  There was no need to complete the floor now, and I didn't want to hurry that process anyway.

Okay, here's the ugly part.  In order to [safely] get the eave rafters up and leaning against the ridge beam, then nail them in position, I had to be OUTSIDE the structure.  Trust me, I tried to think of any other effective, economical way I could do this, and this was the best method for the money.  A boom truck would cost about $150/hour to rent, including the drive out to my place and back, which is an hour minimum from the closest place.  This platform may look scary, but it's actually very stable and proved to be more than adequate for this job. I'm going to use it for part of the next task, too.

Cost:  $20 lumber - 30 minutes to build, 30 minutes to mount, 45 minutes to move and mount on the other side (which I'll have to do one last time during the next phase).

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