Week 85 (Top Roof Beams Established)

Despite a very dubious long-range weather forecast (which called for isolated/scattered thunderstorms every single day of the week), the weather day by day was good enough to give our two crews a good five days of work.  By the end of the week, the masons had raised the booth walls 2′ above the base of the booth window sills and the rear control room/sound lock walls to 4′, while the framing crew finished the top of the ceiling and established all the major roof beams.  Here’s the finished product so far:

I love how perfectly scaled the 32′ roof line is with the surrounding trees!

And now the details of how we got to this point, in pictures:

The masons began the week working on the Control Room walls.  Here they are finishing up the 4th course of the outer wythe, checking level all the time:

In the mean time, the booth walls are prepared for grouting:

Here’s a wider view:

In the mean time, the masons fill in the ceiling where the diagonal joists have just been laid:

When finished, it has a beautiful glow:

And finally, something truly new in the Music Room: sawdust!

Soon the roof ridge beam is established:

And then other breams.  Look at how gently the roof’s 5:12 pitch slopes from this perspective:

In the mean time, the booth window frames begin to take shape:

Then it is back to the control room to continue raising that wall.  Here’s a corner A block waiting for its mate.  I wonder what the bass trapping performance is of such mated A blocks:

The faster work of the masons (who don’t have to lift the blocks up 24′ anymore) makes quick work of what’s left of our mortar sand pile.  So a new pile is delivered as the walls continue to go up:

Before you know it, it’s time for more grouting.  Here’s the cement ready for the next load:

And a place to put it…Note the multiple levels visible (not the blocks, the levelling devices!):

And while the grouting team does its work, the masons put more blocks into place:

The result?  2/3rd of our fancy rear-wall QRD is now finished:

The forecast for next week is actually pretty good, which is very lucky because we’re doing our critical duct work and closing in ASAP.  A lack of rain is the best thing we could hope for.