Day 27 - Top Hat Trusses Installed

Before dawn - the crane was lifting the top hat trusses into place.

The Top hat trussess completed the roof line.

House Day 26 - Ben Giddens Was Designing the Heat / AC / Ventiltion System - Roof Sheeting Continued

Ben Giddens - AC Man

While Gary and his crew continued closing in the roof - Ben Giddens was busy deigning the AC system. We have decided on a Trane Heat Pump - with a SEER rating of 18. The air handler will sit in the attic in the northwest corner. Because we left an 18 inch gap between the attic floor and the main floor ceiling - all ducts will be able to pass through that space and be hidden. 

Each room will have several air outlets and air returns. That way a room is fully air conditioned - even when its doors are closed. All the ducts will be in insulated space - not being exposed to intense attic heat. 

The main unit will have a variable speed motor. When the heat or AC goes on - the motors will start up slowly. The speed will vary with the amount of service needed. the system should be virtually silent - very important to someone that is hard of hearing. 

Because the house is going to be insulated with Icynene liquid spray foam in place insulation - a 3 ton AC unit will be adequate for the whole house.

We expect the home to be closed in tomorrow.

Enjoying TV in Your Camper Without An Antenna - Going Down the Road

The TV rides in its own cabinet. It slides out for viewing.

Four things I love to do - 

1. Spending time with Lulu

2. Traveling

3. Surfing the Internet

4. Watching Directv and our DVR

Lulu and I have been married 42 years. That sure is a long time. We have a lot of common interests - things that we both sincerely like to do. 

We recently bought a Roadtrek. It is a camper van that has everything - kitchen - bathroom - shower - beds - you name it. But one of the things we like - when camping at some obscure parking meter or Walmart lot - is television. Our last camper had one of those satellite dishes in a dome. It was good - but you could not use it on the road. You had to park and aim to the satellite in the sky. You had to know the exact direction and elevation - just like dialing in a cannon. The satellite dome added another foot to the top of your camper. 

Frank McCourt Gives Georgetown $100 Million

Frank McCourt

A former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers is giving Georgetown University $100 million to found a school of public policy that will bear his family name, the largest donation ever to the nation’s oldest Catholic university.
Frank H. McCourt Jr., who took the storied baseball team into bankruptcy in 2011 and sold it last year for a reported $2.15 billion, has endowed Georgetown’s ninth school with a gift that will expand the university’s footprint in the growing field of public policy scholarship.

Carl and Marylou Zimmerman On Tour Around The USA

My cousin Carl and his wife Marylou were in California visiting the family. Now they are on the way home. In South Dakota - Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse statue - break up a long trip. The trip is being made in their new Cadillac.

House Day 25 - More Roof Plywood Sheeting

Cousin Josh and Gary Wayne just starting the front side of the roof

Cutting off the trusses - for the 2 foot overhang. A large overhang prevents water form splashing up on the sides of the house. It also provides shade.

At the end of Day 25 - 2/3rds of the roof was done

Florida Hurricane Code requires steel support straps all over

Monday was hot again - but no rain. The crew installed another third of the plywood on the roof. Maybe tomorrow the roof will be completely closed in. Gary said today as soon as we get the roof done  - we will be able to work under cover - out of the rain and sun.

The next undertaking will be the attic floor and steps. With the exception of the liquid foam in place insulation - the attic will be complete except for the ends.

Big Bend Truss came to take their truck away today.

We will have one more visit of the crane. It will be used to raise the top hat trusses in place.

Three Stars for FSU Against Nevada

9 - Karlos Williams - first time her touched the ball - 65 TD Run - 108 yard his first game

89 - Christian Green - wide receiver

5 - Jameis Winston - 15 for 18 - 3TD passes - 1TD run

Don't you love those new cameras that allow you to take bursts - then pick out the best one. 

Noles Beat Nevada - 62-7

Finally 600 yards but the first half was tough.

From Seminoles.com

FSU wins the First Home Game Against Nevada

View from our seats. Note - Stadium holds 83000 - looks like about 60000 made the game. Newspaper reported 72000.

Nevada equipment truck. Nevada came for the paycheck - gave the Noles everything they could handle the first 2 quarters.

Our seats in section 32. $10.

The Nevada Wolfpack traveled almost 3000 miles to Tallahassee. It was their first visit to town. The final score will not show how tough the first half was. At the end of one quarter - the Casino Kids were ahead 7-3. FSU was back to their old ways of sloppy play and penalties. FSU pulled ahead at the half 17-7.

House Day 24 - Roof Plywood Sheeting Day

Like father like son - except the son is a lefty. 

You have to admire - Gary - Gary Wayne - Josh - and Joe. Today was unbearably hot and humid. The sun was burning holes in flesh. And they were up on the roof. Josh was down on the ground passing 3/4 inch plywood sheets up 10 feet to Gary Wayne. Gary Wayne had to fight a 6/12 slope - all that sweat - and then lift upward the same 75 pound sheets. The builders were very professional - no complaining - just hard work. 

Gary Wayne had to lift the sheets - then turn and place them where in place - then they had to line up the tongues and grooves. Finally they had to drive 60 Roundrive ring nails into each sheet. Florida Hurricane Code - requires so many nails per board. 

House Day 23 - We Almost Completed the Full Outside Shape

Here is a 3/4 view of the house showing off its classic dimensions. Do not forget - the top hat trusses must still be applied. The roof will be peaked - not flat. With all the rain we get in Tallahassee - a flat roof is foolish. This is the back of the house.

Today was super hot - and it is tough working in the sun up on the roof. Not only were they lifting things up 10 feet - but they had to balance on rafters while doing it.

Because the steps to the attic are 6 feet wide including the landing - special trusses had to be made to leave a 6 foot wide span open. This entailed - doubling - tripling - even quadrupling the trusses there. It made for a lot of extra work.

House Day 22 - Wednesday Is Truss Day

The first truss went up in the darkness at sunrise. The sky was a pretty blue - no clouds - 10% chance of rain.



We insisted on trusses that formed a bonus room. In the attic there will be a room 60 feet long - 20 feet wide - 10 feet high. It will have a 3/4 inch plywood floor. I call it the dance hall. Overhead will be liquid foam in place insulation. Under the attic floor will be all the heat and AC ductwork - wires - gas pipes - etc.  If one had to - they could crawl in an 18 inch high area between the attic floor and the downstairs ceiling. The attic will not be finished - but someday someone could put several rooms up there. 

Truss Day has to be the most exciting day of the project. We are going to finally get to see the full shape of the house. We have plan pictures - side views - front views - back views - we even have an artist rendering - but nothing lives up to the final three dimensional shape - even if you only have one eye.

It started before the sun was up. I had to go to the dentist from 9 to 9:30 - but what we are seeing is art work. Success has a million fathers - failure is an orphan. Right now - this father is starting to brag. I designed the outside - Lulu designed the inside. We specifically did not hire an architect because many of them we interviewed told us we could not do what we wanted. Finally we found Bill Richardson - a very experienced draftsman. He is an expert on the building code - namely what you can and cannot do  legally. We told him exactly what we wanted. He drew it up making sure it would not fall apart.

My Builder Gary Shiver Has Been Nominated For A Tally Award

Gary has been nominated for a Tally Award. More on this later.

House Day 21 - The Roof Trusses Arrived

At about 2 PM - the trusses made it to the site. This load holds the 52 foot long main trusses that make up the large span over the living room. These trusses are shown in red on the drawing below.

Each truss is made up of 3 pieces. The trusses will be supported at 4 spots - the front and back columns - and the front and back walls. There is a large open great room in the house with a 10 foot high ceiling and 40 foot wide open spans. Trusses will support that ceiling on 16 inch centers. Tomorrow the crew plans to install every one of them.

Two trucks arrived with our roof trusses today. The trusses were made at Big Bend Trusses in Havana about 10 miles up the road.

Ken Smulligan - Tamaqua Leader - Died

Copied from Times News

Shock waves reverberated through the Greater Tamaqua Area and emotions were raw as word reached the streets Monday about the sudden passing of a popular town leader and a well-known businessman.

Kenneth Smulligan, 66, president of Tamaqua Save Our Station, and past president and current member of Tamaqua Borough Council, passed away unexpectedly at his Hazle Street home early in the day.

FSU's Biggest Loser - She Lost 50 Pounds

From Seminoles.com

Another Florida Coal Cracker Has Done Well

Allison was one of my former students at Panther Valley Middle School. Her mother Gwen was one of my students and she also worked with me as a teacher at PV. After all those years of slugging it out in the classroom - Gwen must be extremely proud of Allison being named Teacher of the Year at Anderson Middle School in Tequesta FL.

Allison is married to Matt Fredericks - also one of my students from PV who teaches here in Florida. Every now and then they make the long 400 mile drive to stay in our guest house and attend a Seminole football game.

Mother Gwen and Allison.