Week #2: Posts, Beams and Floor Joists.

The concrete has hardened for almost a full week, so I can get started on setting up the posts.

I wont be using 6x6 posts. I knew from the beginning that most of the work I'd do by myself, and handling an 8 feet long 6x6 is not an easy task. Instead I will be using built up posts made out of 3 2x6 nailed together. The result will be a post that is 5 1/2" x 4 1/2". Since the post based that I'm using (Simpson Strong ABA66) is designed for a 6x6 post (5 1/2" x 5 1/2") I will fill the remaining space with a wood spacer. On the other end the post will be the exact width as the built up beams, so I will not need to notch the posts to fit.

Since I don't have a set height to build to, I started from the highest pier and cut a post 10" long. I will cut all the remaining posts to the correct length to ensure that the top of all the posts is level. I used a water level (a long piece of transparent flexible tubing, filled with water and some food coloring. I also added a drop of dish soap to break the surface tension and avoid capillary effect) to mark this height and transfer the level form the first post to the remaining three. Once I had my four posts up, I started putting together the beams. Unfortunately the precision of either the water level or my marks was not good enough and one of the posts is off (short) by about 1/4". I realized this - off course- after I had already cut assembled and nailed all the posts to the bases, and taking three pots out is not an option. I'll shim the beam at this post to fix this...

The next day and for the posts for the second beam, I cut one piece for each of the posts first and used the water level as starting point then used a 2x8 (visually checked to be perfectly straight) and a spirit level to mark the final length; then I cut the remaining pieces... Much better!!

Both main beams are 'built up' made out of 3 2x8. Each beam is 20' long; I used a combination of 12', 8' and 10'. (12+8,10+10,12+8) The joints between the 12' and the 8' lands on one of the beams, while the join between the 10' pieces is in mid span (as allowed by code ;o) ) The result is a much straighter beam that would result if I used all 12' and 8' pieces.


The rest of the day was tedious and dirty... back filling the holes and regrading the site around the piers.

Day #3 did not start in a good way... The night before, I connected my phone to the cigarette lighter charger for a few minutes. When I went to sleep I did not turn the switch off, so my car battery was completely drained ;o(. I had to take the car battery off, haul it to the cabin (where I left the generator for the night) and use the generator to recharge the battery. Then I flooded the generator engine so it took me at least half an hour to get the generator going... By the time I got the truck going it was already 11 AM, so I missed the most productive part of the day (before it gets too hot).

Once the truck problem was resolved, I loaded all the wood for the floor joists (13 12' 2x8 and 6 8' 2x8) and got them to the cabin. I started by cutting all the floor joists to length 11' 9" (3" shorter than the width of the cabin); The outer joists are doubled as they will carry the load of the gable walls, so two of the floor joists were cut at 12' (Yes cut, as none of the 12' long 2x8 are actually 12' long). I assembled the outer joists and placed them approximately in place. Next step is to measure the diagonals to ensure that the floor assembly is square.

Some 'small' errors in laying out the location of the foundation are definitely showing up now: to make the floor square one of the outer floor joists would not be fully supported by the beam. The easiest way to cut this corner is to reduce the size of the cabin by two inches...

After the layout of the floor is set and the two outer joists are secured to the beams, I used a length of mason string (hard to see on this picture) as reference for the remaining floor joists.


The next part of the process goes fast, I only marked the location for the second and second to last joists on the beam, for the remaining, I cut a piece of blocking 1' 10 1/2" long (my distance on centers minus the thickness of each joist) and used it for keeping the floor joists in place as I toe nailed them to the beams. Once all the floor joists are secured I nailed the front rim joist to each joist. I could not resist and put a couple of boards to get on, It's an amazing feeling!!! I can't believe that I've gotten so far in only a few days work! It's definitely starting to take shape, and it shakes... I better get off and get going on the cross bracing!!! (this last picture was taking once some of the cross bracing was installed)