A Stairway Appears!

Tuesday was blustery and rainy until about 5:00 when the storm system finally moved out over Lake Huron.  Although a few limbs came down hear my home, we did not get the extreme winds which bedeviled Wisconsin yesterday morning.  By days end the sun was shining, and the Weather Channel's grim outlook at 6:00 a.m. — three solid days of rain — has also moderated.   Now we're supposed to have mostly sunny skies today, a bit of rain Thursday, and more sun Friday.  Well, maybe.  I'm learning that forecasts up here have a shelf life of about 12 hours!

Indoor work moved ahead yesterday.  At mid-afternoon Dave was up in the rafters nailing in hurricane straps.  Their name aptly describes what these metal strips do.  Each connects the end of a truss to the wall below, making it more difficult for a hurricane-strength wind to peel the roof off the house.  Is that overkill in this neighborhood?  I think not.  Consider that a couple years ago Presque Isle Township had a storm which featured straight-line winds of 90 mph.  An Atlantic storm earns a hurricane designation when its winds are 74 mph or higher.

Dave nails another hurricane strap.

A hurricane strap — the metal piece at center — keeps the roof
on during a nasty storm.

Kyle spent a good share of the day building a temporary staircase to provide access to the second floor.  To date the crew has used ladders or clambered up and down jungle-gym style on the house's skeleton.  Stairs are more dignified, not mention safer.  The stairs grew during the afternoon, first from ground floor to landing, and then from landing to second floor.  Kyle cut and nailed in the three stringers, and then fashioned and screwed down the treads.  (DIYers take note: his battery-powered impact screwdriver drives in screws without stripping the heads, and backs them out just a neatly.)  This is not a stairway to heaven, nor is it built to code.  But it will serve for now, until replaced with the permanent stairway.

Three stringers make this a study staircase.

Kyle screws down another tread.

The stairway stretches up to the second floor.

The last few treads are put in place.

This temporary stairway is like the permanent one in that it has no risers, i.e., the vertical boards connecting one riser with the next.  Thus you get a sense of how the final stairway will work.  Having no risers, light from the stairwell windows will shine through the treads, giving the impression that the stairway is floating in midair.

The windows will let light shine through the stairs.

Kyle consulted the local code and found that we do not need a "Tyvek inspection."  The function of house wrap (Tyvek and other products) is served by the SIS panels.  That means the subs can start doing their rough-in immediately.  In fact, that work will begin this week.  To get ready for the plumber and electrician Dave and Kyle continued sealing window openings on the west and south sides, adding boards to brace the Visqueen and taping the plastic to keep it from flapping and tearing.

Dave, backlit by the sun, installed wood braces for the Visqueen...

...and then he (outside) and Kyle taped down the
south window in the master bedroom.

With the stairs in place I got to see the upstairs for the first time in a couple weeks.  There were a few surprises.  For example, the guest bedroom upstairs has a much larger window than I expected from looking at the plans.  From bed one will have a commanding view of the trees on Lot 5.  Also, my office is a bit larger than it seemed from the plans, although free floor space will shrink when I add a desk, chair, bookcase, filing cabinets, etc.  I've decided to eliminate the interior door; doing so will make this a kind of nook and visually enlarge the small upstairs hallway.

The guest bedroom has a huge picture window.

My office will be larger than I expected.

The master bedroom.

I had tea yesterday with Kathleen and Tim, neighbors on Kauffman Blvd.  Sadly, last week a tumor claimed the life of their 10-year-old German Shepherd Brutus.  He adopted Kathleen at seven weeks of age and then learned to share her with Tim a few years ago.  Brutus had a special fondness for the UPS driver who always brought him a treat.  Now he is buried along the Esau lakeshore.

Tuesday ended with the sunset painting the clouds over my property a lovely pink, while the last of the storm system moved across the south end of Lake Esau. •••

Sunset after a stormy day.

The last of the storm system passes south of Lake Esau.