by Marvelous Akande
This week was all about the wall!
Monday was Memorial Day, so the group did not meet up for the day.
On Tuesday, we had our floor inspected. Our third-party inspector from PFS TECO came to examine our work from last week to make sure we had followed the stamped plans and relevant building codes. This is part of the program’s recent MA certification as a manufactured building producer that allows our classmates to perform finish work in the second half of the summer before delivering the house to Holyoke. The inspector was very thorough and we made a few adjustments to reinforce our 3-ply girders with additional fasteners based on their feedback. Right after, we put up our first set of walls on the north side of the house and by the end of the day, most of the exterior walls were up!
Wednesday and Thursday were dedicated to framing more exterior walls. Since we are building a double-stud wall system, the process takes a bit longer; we are building twice as many walls! We worked steadily both days to get everything plumbed, squared, level and straight before securing with temporary bracing.
On Friday, we wrapped up as much wall work as possible. We focused on adding blocking in preparation for sheathing and started installing the double top plates to tie sections together and prepare for the ceiling trusses – donated by UFP Site Built – to come next. If you look at the image below, you’ll also notice an open section where the straw bale panels – donated by Rare Forms in Easthampton – will be installed next.
