What I did on Friday

This is my kind of work also. Nice pictures and nice execution.

Tell a bit more about picking the entire roof section. I'm guessing that the original top plate and/or double plate stayed with the rafters. You created new walls with single top plate? I see the spreader beam on the crane, but what else did you do to get an even pick on the roof ? I'm a bit surprised that the toenails? held in the ridge.

All the pictures are dark, as you said. Do I see a gaggle (?) of sawhorses in one? Was this to create the stud walls or to hold the roof section?

A good illustration of the need for bracing during construction.

Hey Gary,

Very good! And seeing a plan come together and work out is always a thrill.

To lift the roof both on and off, was the ridge pole strong enough with a two point attach, or did you do more stuff that wasn't obvious?

Take care.

Brian Lawson, Bothwell, Ontario.

ps..They could probably use your expertise in Florida right about now!

Interesting problem, nice solution. Of course, all us have to know the details. Did you pick the roof off, then build the wall frames while the crane was waiting? Or try to prebuild the frames before the crane arrived? What kept the roof section from dropping into the back yard? Where did you make the break between old and new ie take the whole thing down to the origninal deck? Leave one top sill plate on the roof?

I did a somewhat similar job years back. > Many of the readers here are employed in the metalworking business, but

We sawed the trusses loose from the top plates with a Sawzall and lifted only the trusses and roofing. The trusses were mfd. to provide a cathedral ceiling. There was a vertical 2x4 from the top of the cathedral chord straight up to the ridge on each truss. We built a strongback, of 2x10s on either side of this 2x4 for the length of the building, and clamping the 2x4 with throughbolts. We also installed some OSB gussets and 2x4 braces at critical points though the trusses, as well as scabbing any broken trusses. I had planned to use the strongback as the pick point for the crane, but the lead carpenter and crane operator decided to loop the slings around 4x4s that ran right under the bottom truss chords. The load was transfered up through the vertical member of the truss and distributed by the strongback.

Once the roof was on the ground, we repaired the damaged trusses, added OSB to the gable end trusses, replaced all of the fascia boards, and replaced 3 sheets of roofing. The homeowner had used all sorts of nails and poor practices throughout. We found 2" trim nails(yes I said 2" TRIM NAILS) tacking on the old fascia board. He had used the Simpson T shaped cut in bracing at the corners of the walls, but had used #6 or #8 nails to secure it. The T-bracing looked like spaghetti by the time I saw it. It apparently did little to stiffen the structure.

When the roof was picked off the upper floor, it creaked and made other scary noises. When we placed back up it had been stiffened sufficiently that it made no noise at all when picked.

The walls were framed on the second floor deck and stacked laying down, the longer walls on bottom. This was all done in advance of the crane showing up. The carpenters did a good job with squareness, because when we set them up, they fit well with only a small amount of adjustment (beating and cursing) at the corners.

I believe the the sawhorses you see are the temporary walls that built to support the roof while it was on the ground.

Answers to Roy's questions: Immediately behind the garage, there was a tree on one corner and a couple of 4x4 columns for a future deck at the other corner. The tree and the posts are not shown in the picture but took most of the impact of the roof and kept it from going over the back side. The tree lost several limbs and both posts will have to be replaced. We stripped the 2nd floor deck bare and threw away over half the lumber. The walls were mostly unusable.

And no, Brian, I won't be going to Florida. :)