Our construction journey encountered an unexpected ‘a snow day in July’—thanks to a rainy Monday, as coined by Professor Fiocchi. However, we hit the ground running on Tuesday to make up for lost time. This week was all about strapping—hidden strips of wood (also known as furring strips) that will soon support the finish siding, transforming our framework into a real house. Simultaneously, our team continued with electrical rough-ins to prepare for an upcoming inspection.
On Tuesday, our team continued electrical rough-ins in the secondary bedroom. This entails “pulling wires” which means stapling cables to framing members and/or drilling holes wherever necessary in order to thread the cables to switch and outlet boxes, ceiling lights, etc. Meanwhile, other students prepared the house for siding, completing tasks like painting the tongue and groove vertical siding for the barnacle and transferring the wall framing layout to the exterior of the main house in preparation for horizontal siding. This is a critical step to ensure that the pieces of strapping are screwed directly over the studs, such that an 8 inch screw holds together the entire assembly of 1 x 4 x ¾ inch strapping, Tyvek wrap, 3 inch foam insulation, ½ inch zip sheathing, and into the stud. This is a tedious process, and we had to check and double check our progress.
Wednesday continued much the same, with electrical going ahead and strapping going up. The afternoon brought a visit from Tom Rossmassler from Hempstone, a company changing the insulation industry with low-carbon alternatives like hemp insulation batts. Hemp Batts are a sustainable, high performing insulator that uses byproducts of the hemp industry that would otherwise go to waste. The company graciously donated these Eco-friendly products to be installed in the barnacle interior. Tom guided us through the installation process, highlighting the environmental benefits of the Hemp Batts and informing us about other hemp products, such as Hempcrete. Many thanks to Tom for providing us with this remarkable product!
Thursday marked the arrival of the large French door we received as a donation from R&R Window Contractors. Though it weighed over 600 pounds, our team worked in unison to maneuver it into the building, preparing for its installation. We then continued with strapping the upper walls of the house, painting the Hardie Lap Siding Board (cementious clapboards) another generous donation from rk Miles, and continuing rough-in electrical details. Later in the afternoon, Zack Walters from Graham Electric stopped by to check on our electrical progress. He gave us pointers on how to install the junction box between the lower construct and the detachable roof and how to place exterior outlets through our complex wall assembly. Then Colby Goodnow from Graham Electric stopped in to wire the Main Electric Panel. As the day drew to a close, the gang united to relocate the painted cement boards drying across the front lawn, sheltering them from yet another impending rainstorm.
On Friday, students fine tuned the strapping on the main house, striving for each surface to be as straight, plum, square, and level as possible. This involved adjusting screws to get rid of any bowing in the boards and adding shims as needed. We installed the buck for the double door, finally allowing the placement of the last pieces of polyiso insulation and Tyvek. The midday brought about a sudden intense rain storm, halting our outdoor progress. Most of the students took shelter at the UMass Design Building while others stayed at the site to continue interior electrical work. At the Design Building, we engaged in conversations with Kent and Carl, reflecting upon our processes and reviewing our commitment to affordability, sustainability, and constructability.
Despite the challenges of weather and intricate tasks, we are eagerly looking forward to the next phase of our project—installing the siding. Stay tuned for next week’s post as we showcase the process of how siding turns a framework into a home!
Diana’s arms was covered with paint from carrying the freshly painted boards 
Installing the strapping was a stressful process!