Having knock-down drag-out fights with inanimate objects is never a good plan.
Yesterday was a really tough day, and we beat ourselves up pretty thoroughly. We both have interesting bruises to prove it. Today we may or may not do anymore construction it all depends on how we feel later today. Also the weather gods might have a thing or two to say.
The first major issue was creating the center ridge beam. We laid two 2×6 fourteen feet long boards end to end, and then overlapped two more boards, one cut in half, so that there would not be two cuts overlapping. We now had a total of four boards put together.
Next step was to move the three concrete blocks with an adjustable bracket brace into place (several inches off their final location), and move the ridge beam so that it could rest in the brackets. A level on the ridge beam told us which bracket needed to be adjusted to make the beam level. This is much easier to describe than it was to accomplish.
The ridge beam is extremely heavy, almost too much for me to carry my end of it, and it is very flexible in the middle, despite a multitude of nails. But we did get it moved and into the brackets.
After the beam is level, a measurement was taken on one of the end walls, to give us the finished height of the center support posts, 4×4 beams which will support the center ridge beam. This way we can cut all the 4×4’s to the same length, and then fine tune their height with the nut and bolts under the brackets to make everything up on top level. Cool concept!
Then the hard part. Getting one end of the beam to the right height. This was the part that was giving me dreams the night before.
Raising the beam at all revealed a nasty habit it has. Twisting flat instead of staying vertical. And when it wanted to twist there was nothing I could do to stop it. Regroup.
We tried to keep it in the bracket farthest from the wall we wanted to rest one end of the beam on – that didn’t work either. More regrouping.
Much thinking later, Dan came up with a plan to brace one of the 4×4’s on the exterior wall, with the bracket board pieces in place. I came up with the idea of using bungee cords to keep it securely in place but not permanently attached as we need the 4×4 post in the middle of the greenhouse, not on an end.
This beam is too long, since it actually touches the ground, but we can shorten it later. The bungee cords worked well and will be so easy to remove when the time comes.
Lifting the beam that high was extremely difficult, and the twisting of the beam was quite dangerous to both of us. Dan came up with another solution. He drove the metal pry bar into the ground, adjacent to the beam while it was sitting in the correct position in the bracket, and then all I had to do was brace it against the pry bar and keep it vertical while letting the pry bar do most of the heavy work. Dan did the heavy lifting, and viola! One beam in the right location!
Center ridge beam put into a brace at the right finished height. Wow, was that hard to accomplish.
By the time we managed that, both of us were pretty well pooped.
Next chore, cut a 4×4 beam and get it in place, and braced. This meant moving the concrete blocks again, using a piece of string as our guide and lining them up. We got the 4×4 where it belonged, and then tried to life the ridge beam into place.
Not a chance. Even with a taller ladder it was too much weight for Dan to handle, and I was of no practical use. I did try to get killed a couple of times during that process, getting into the wrong location while trying to help, and getting yelled at for being in danger. It’s hard to get good help 🙂
Lots of bracing, and post is quite solid. We will need to do this sort of bracing for the other two posts which will support the ridge beam.
After more regrouping, we called our neighbor Gary and asked him to come over and help Dan lift the beam into place. He did, and five minutes later the beam was where it belonged. Wow, that was easy.
One beam, fairly level and only one support beam in its rightful place.
Today we will put the other beams where they belong, and the end supports where they belong. And tomorrow we will start putting the rafters in place.
Progress!
OMG That is so interesting but oh so hard to lift. I know that it will be great to have it done. Are you till going to use your other garden? Thanks again for the update.