Chapter 149...Finishing The Walls On The Store And How To Use A Tape Measure

Mike and I just keep moving forward in between the rain.  I feel like we are turtles but we will win the race:)

Time to get more of the walls up.  After two solid days of rain we have a shot.  Mike and I load up the trailer with the lumber and load the Jeep with tools and go to the store site.  Time to work:)

We only have enough lumber to finish one more 12 foot section of wall.  Might as well get it done.   This time we decide to build the wall on site.  Mike starts off by measuring the top plate and the bottom plate so we can add the wall studs:

One 12 foot wall section is ready to stand:

I help Mike stand the wall and we put it over the anchors that are in the concrete foundation.  While I hold the wall, Mike bolts it down.


Next up.  Mike takes a measurement to cut a header for the door:

Time for the siding.  Mike and I get the T 1-11 sheet and lean it on the wall.  Mike gets ready with the nail gun and ladder:

Back to our routine....I lift the board from the bottom and hold it in place while Mike secures it with nails along the top and the edge.



We get 3 more sheets of T 1-11 up and another 12 foot section is done:

Unfortunately we are now out of wood and need to get more before we can do more work but this is what we did on this very short day:

It rains for the next two days so we decide to take the van to pick up lumber rather than the trailer.  We go in a different direction than normal so we can't swap out the damaged sheets if T 1-11 yet.  We do load up with 2x4's and our two doors.  Thankfully we can take our sofa/bed out of the motorhome:)

Still raining so we leave the lumber in the van.

Next day...ooh finally somewhat clear skies.  We load up 15 damaged sheets of T 1-11:

And take it to town to swap it for good sheets.  Looks the same right, lol?

We go back home to load up the 2x4's and the tools to get to work.  While we are up top the Bull decides to see what we are doing.  He is getting big:

We are loaded up, at the store site and ready to work.  Finally!!!  Mike and I hate this up and down and work for us is fun...yes even when it hurts, lol.

This time we decide to stand all the walls before putting up the T 1-11.  Another one is up:

We have all the top plates and bottom plates ready for the studs.  Each of our studs have to be cut down to 91 inches for them to make our wall.  I measure the 2x4's while Mike gets the top plate to match the bottom plate.

 Have I told you all about the ditty story?  It really helps make measuring full proof when others are helping you.  You know that a ruler has 16 small lines that make up sixteenths, then there are 8 lines which are a little bigger for eights, and quarters, than halves.  Anyway an easy way to have someone measure for you is this:  When Mike wants 5/8 he will say give me a half an inch plus two ditties.  That is a half an inch plus two of the smallest lines.  No one can mess up that measuring system:):)  I'm good at that but I will not tell you how much Mike laughs at me when I use a T(speed) square.  Sadly I am not mechanically inclined but I do eventually figure it out:)

All the long walls are up:

Next we start on the siding, the T1-11.  We have nine sheets to get nailed on.  Almost done:

Oops...that one board that is off the side gave us trouble and we damaged it a little.  We tried to forcefully shift it to line up with the others and that didn't work so well.  Lucky for us we can still use it around the doors since we don't need whole sheets there.  But that leaves us one board short for today.

Not too bad for today.  It was a good work day.  We like days where we can get some things done:)


The next morning we load up the siding for the door areas, the doors, and also the last sheet of T1-11 that we need.

We get the last sheet of T1-11 up and Mike starts nailing the header for the "back" door:

Right after that it starts to rain so the rush is on.

We take measurements around the door way and cut the T1-11 to fit.  It gets nailed to the 2x4 studs:

Time for the door.  After I get all the staples put of the door, Mike and I set it in the frame.  Yay...it fits. Nail that baby in:)

We tried we really did but the we had to stop because of the rain.  We really hate having to go back home with material that should have been installed.  We will have to install the second door when it stops raining.  At least we got one in:

We pack it up and get back home to get the tools and door put away.


Well we made the best of it.  We did pretty good for 2 1/2 days of work.  Just think what Mike and I could do if we had a solid week of good weather.  (((sigh))) I wish.  Oh well...we do what we can.  We are still on track for getting the building completely closed in for May.


I hope you all enjoyed this story and I will write another update soon:)