The pile of wood under the light blue tarp is a complete frame for my temporary roof. Today is the day to put it up and get the site under cover.
First job was to clear the floor for the scaffolding tower that needed to roam about inside. The eight pillars are leaning on the fixed scaffold like drunkards, and the remaining timbers have been stacked all around it.
These pillars are pretty wobbly by themselves. They are designed to fit along the walls and in the corners, so they do not have all-round supporting bases.
The first rafter goes on, propped with a piece of 3x2. Hope there isn't a sudden gust of wind........
It's 11 o'clock. All four rafters in place. The two at the ends are propped, the middle pair are stable enough to stand up by themselves - as long as I don't get a domino-style collapse.
Afternoon: I am adding some battens to make a very lightweight deck to support the tarp. I'm using 22 x 50mm battens set on edge and nailed to the rafters.
I unfolded a 7 x 9 metre tarp on the deck at around 5.00 this afternoon, and encountered my first real problem. Some of the eyelets on the tarp were missing. On inspection I found that ALL the eyelets were unpressed; they could be flicked out with a fingernail. Completely useless!
Luckily, I had just the tool for the job. When I modified a tarp for the dome or bale shelter, I bought a eyelet stamp and dye. I had to go round the edge of my new tarp and stamp every one of the 64 eyelets. In situ, on the roof. In a strong wind.
So it was about 7.00 when I finished. But it's quite an impressive structure to have built in a day, without help. It looks like my building is already there! Though the truth is, this is all temporary, and if everything goes to plan, I should be taking it down again in about 4 - 6 weeks to reveal a straw building within.
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