Joists; and the Future

Only one hour.

That's how long I was at the property today. It's pathetic, I know, but I will explain. But first, let me just say that the total amount of time I spent on the 'project' was closer to 5 hours. I met with Bill for about 30 minutes this morning, and we went over some particulars for the next steps after joists (which Erin started yesterday). We discussed the actual yurt, which we found out will ship today! Ya hoo! Estimated arrival date is September 18, I believe. So getting more info about exactly what we need to have completed to erect the yurt seemed all-of-a-sudden more important.

Once the joists are completed, we'll do the decking; mom has decided on manufactured decking, which is a wood/plastic composite that doesn't rot, doesn't need staining or refinishing, and looks nothing like wood. Bummer. But I'm definitely on her side with this one - the benefits outweigh the downfalls, in my opinion. Unfortunately, we had originally drawn out and ordered lumber for joists 24 inches apart. Manufactured decking, of course, doesn't follow these rules, but prefers to march to the beat of a different drummer - mainly, a 16" on center drummer. So reworking our lumber list was also on my docket for today. I discovered we'll need an additional 43 twelve foot 2x8s, and 14 sixteen foot 2x8s; added to our original order of 35 twelve footers and 22 sixteen footers. This also includes the additional 153 board feet of 2x8s we'll need for blocking between the joists.

Then, mom, Bill and I discussed the advantages vs. disadvantages of putting the decking on first, or building up the round yurt platform+ floor first. Bill basically left it up to us, and mom and I decided we'll do the decking first. That way, we can leave decking pieces long, extending out into the yurt hole, and then cut them to length with a skillsaw in a perfect 30' circle.

Next step will be laying 2x4s out over the joists (but in the opposite direction) and filling between them with insulation. I calculated we'll need a minimum of 20 - 20 foot long 2x4s. Then we'll put down 3/4" plywood - 26 sheets to be exact. Lastly, the bamboo flooring goes on top of that, and we're ready for erection!


So..... now I'm way ahead of myself. But dang, the whole picture is nice to see! And because Erin unexpectedly went out of town for the day, I didn't make much progress because he'd already started the joist pattern yesterday...and though he made sure to explain it to me before he left town, I got up there and had some major questions. Here's what it looks like:

As we can see, he started laying out and screwing down the joists, and the blocks that run between the joists to hold them in place. He also marked up the girders with convenient pencil lines for me to follow. It is a confusing pattern, with three different places where joists meet up and pass one another, and four different places for blocking. So instead of assuming he'd made a mistake and undoing his work, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and assumed it's all mapped out in his brain and he'll explain it to me in tomorrow morning when he gets home.

So, with nothing more to really do, I wandered through the orchard and ate some apples ~ here are some for you.