Build Day 8

Day 8 -- Last day of the build.

It was a hectic day.  The goal for the day was to get all of the siding on (at least for the front and sided of the houses) and get the site cleaned up.  Everyone was working on siding - and we did get it (almost) finished.  Both houses still have some places in the back that need to be completed, but other than that -- they are sided.  The roofers came this morning and installed the solar panel clips.  They will install the roofing shingles on Monday.

Here is a picture of the family we are building this home for.  They are Heather Keys, Stephanie Keys (Heather's daughter) and Dorian Dima  (more pics of the wonderful people later).

Some siding work was done from the ground and then from scaffolding.

Other parts of the house required a boom lift to reach where the siding needed to go.

The siding is done and we are taking down the scaffolding.  It's clean up time.

Gail and I in front up the home we helped build

Here is another picture of our home owners and Bill -- our house lead.

Here is the crew that built this home along with the home owners.  We also had help from various community groups throughout the eight days -- usually three of four people showed up each day to help build these homes.

A picture of the home we built -- in eight days.

Remember - Just eight days ago, nothing but flat, empty floors.

Here is most of the Vail Valley Habitat crew that helped and supported us for the eight days.  These wonderful folks did everything from keeping our water jugs full, to serving lunch, to bringing popsicles in the afternoon, to just helping out when needed. 

Well, the build is over.  The homes need to be completed and that will happen over the next couple of months.  In eight days, we took six months off of their normal build schedule.  Now four families should be in their new homes well before Christmas!

Please visit http://www.habitatvailvalley.org/blitz-build for pictures of the build and time-lapse videos of the build process.  It is really interesting to see the work that is done compressed into a video of just a few minutes.  Check back to this site often to see additional pictures and videos.  Also check out the Habitat Vail Valley Face book page for more pictures.

If you are interested in learning more about our group -- Blitz Home Builders -- please check out the web site at http://www.blitzhomebuilders.org . If you would like to know when and where our next build will be, sign up on the web site and we will keep you informed.

Build Day 7

Day 7 -- Only one more day to go!

By now we are getting a little tired.  Okay, that's an understatement!  I think we will both need a vacation from this "vacation".  (At least I call it a vacation,  not sure that Gail would agree with me).

Today was spent on siding, siding, and more siding.  The fascia and soffits have to be put in place before the siding can finish out to the roof line.  Most of the soffit work is done using the boom lifts -- and we only have two of them on site. So that slows work down a bit.  Plus since the siding is put up with nail guns -- and we only have so many of these on site -- that tends to slow things down a bit as well.

Yesterday I posted the wrong picture for David and I hanging doors.  Here is the correct picture.

No, I am not asleep standing up, I am cutting a piece of siding.  Not sure who this siding contractor is, maybe they donated the siding materials, but it has been all volunteers putting up the siding.

Installing soffits using the boom lift.

The roofers were also on site today starting the roofing.

Installing siding from the scaffolding  Here they are calling down numbers (quantity and length) and I am cutting siding to what they need.

Here are the two houses at the end of day 7.

Day 8 -- the last day -- we need to complete the siding on the houses.

Build Day 6

Day 6 -- Another hectic day with people doing all sorts of things.  Most folks today were working on siding.  It really takes longer than you  would expect.

Also, please visit http://www.habitatvailvalley.org/blitz-build for pictures of the build and time-lapse videos of the build process.  It is really interesting to see the work that is done compressed into a video of just a few minutes.  Check back to this site often to see additional pictures and videos.

Here is a picture of Curt and David (a local volunteer) installing the doors for the patio storage rooms.

Fascia boards have to be installed on the edge of the roof before the roofers can install the roofing.  The roofers are arriving first thing Thursday morning, so these have to be installed today.  The work is all done by a couple of people in a "boom lift".  Thankfully, we don't have to install these from ladders!

Once David and I finished with the patio storage room doors we (along with Linda (not pictures) ) started siding the storage rooms on the patios. This is how we finished up the day -- installing siding.

 Here are a couple of children from the neighborhood handing out Popsicle in the afternoon.  This is always a treat!

 That ends day 6.  Tomorrow we continue the siding (hopefully finishing) and continue on trim work.  We may also start framing the upstairs walls, if we have the time.

Build Day 5

Day 5 -- Again, lots of small teams running around working on the houses.  At this point we have started to split up into "specialties", with each team doing the same thing on all four units.  Today we completed the installation of the exterior doors, finished the front patio on one unit and almost finished the patio on the second unit.  Completed the back storage units on one unit. Got the scaffolding set up, and made great progress on siding the houses.

Here Steve and Curt are installing one of the back doors.

 A team working on the porch roof and putting "house wrap" on.

Cutting siding to fit around a window.  Notice in the background that the siding is going up on the side of the house.  This is about as high as they can go before the scaffolding is put up.

Scaffolding is up, so this team con continue to put siding on the house.

Boom lifts (we have two of them on site) make working up high so much easier!

Installing siding on the back of the house.  This piece of siding had to be trimmed in three placed to fit around a door, window, and the porch beam.

End of day five.

Tomorrow we continue siding.

Build Day 4

Today there was a LOT going on.  Groups were finishing up the corner roof framing, installing first floor windows, exterior doors, building the front porch, building the back porch storage rooms, and beginning on the siding.

Here is what the front of the house looked like when we arrived this morning.

Getting the front porch framed.

Installing sheeting on the ends of the trusses.

Filling in the second floor corners.  The second floor of each house has a 5 foot x 5 foot cutout on each corner to accommodate the roof line.  These had to be framed in.

Installing windows.

Working on the back porch storage room.

End of day 4.

Day 5 will continue to install exterior doors, trim doors and windows, and really get moving on the siding. The roof sheeting was supposed to go on today, but it was too windy to try to move those 4x8 sheets up on the roof.  Hopefully tomorrow the winds will quiet down and the roof sheeting can go up.

Build Day 3

Day three of the build (Saturday) was all about getting the roof trusses in place.  However, to do that, we had to put up the second floor walls first.

The first SIP panel was put on the second floor deck via forklift.  Here we are raising the front wall.

After the front wall is nailed in place, the back wall is delivered.

Now the back wall is put in place.

Once the rest of the SIP panels are put in place -- 14 in total -- the party wall is dropped into place using a crane.  At this point we just stand back and watch the action.

Now that the party wall is in place, the roof trusses can be craned into position.  Here is the first truss assembly being raised onto the roof.

Here is a video of the process (it's a little fuzzy -- sorry).

Here is a video of the second truss assembly being put into place/

Here is a close-up shot of placing the second truss assembly.

Here it is with all six truss assemblies in place.

In case you are wondering, this is a professional contractor and crew that is placing the trusses.  Some of them have been on site with us all week.  They will be finishing off the roof as well (which is good because parts of that roof are a 12 12 pitch (45 degree angle) and we are not equipped to be on a roof that steep.

We got Sunday off.  It will be interesting to see what the contractor got accomplished on Sunday.  Back to it bright and early on Monday.  Only five more days to go.

Build Day 2

Blitz Build Day 2

Not a lot of pictures today.  The day was spent getting ready for Saturday -- when the roof trusses go on.

Here is Gail just finishing the repair of one of the "party walls".  The second floor party walls were already made and sitting on site, covered with a black tarp.  Well, someone stepped on one and put a big hold in it.  Gail spent a couple of hours removing the broken piece and replacing it with a new one.

Both of us finished the truss structure we were working on yesterday, and help complete two more structures today.  Here I am, in the middle of a set of trusses.

Work on the house continued with the installation of the floor joists and decking.

That finishes day 2 of the build.  Tomorrow is a big day!  Second floor SIPs are installed, the second floor party walls are put in place, and the roof truss assemblies will be lifted in by crane.