Roof and skylights done

Day 4 (and final day) of roofing...One of the best contractors to work on the house so far -- an honest hard-working family man with considerable metal roofing skills -- made sure all penetrations on the roof was weather tight.

	Paid
roofing materials, delivered	$3,380
roofer (specialist + assistant + misc supplies)	$2,200
gutters (materials + installation complete)	$670
ROOFING total cost	$6,250

	Paid
four Velux Suntunnels + two extension tubes	$864
standard Velux FCM 2246 skylight	$177
miscellaneous skylight materials	$19
SKYLIGHT total cost	$1,060

StuccoWrap

Some people say Tyvek StuccoWrap is crap, while their website claims all sorts of superiority. Interesting. Everything here is an experiment anyway, so we'll see.

I was able to install it solo using a special roll dispenser jig (double hinged on long pole).

Five windows

Andersen Series 200 gliding and casement windows -- no more cold breezy nights! Flashing is Grace Vycor Plus, which is an excellent product. Lower flaps are left loose to lap over building paper.

Total cost (self-installed with assistant) = $1,989.
Trim boards will be counted with stucco.

Valley to gutter

Day 3 of roofing...I hope that valley end cap won't cause splashing off the corner. Vent pipe is existing (was there before the addition).
These guys work through sunset 'til darkness.

Suntunnels

While the roofer was here, I had an opportunity to (correctly) install Velux Suntunnels over several spots in the existing house. Locating the holes was my task. Weatherproof flashing was his. The Decra tiles make it very tricky. It took special tools and some strong yet skilled fingers to cut it exactly the way it should be cut.

New roof tiles

Day 2 of roofing...
Professional roofers are oblivious to 40 mph winds.
(Not evident in the photo, but trust me, it was scary up there)

Cost of framing

The line separating hired labor from my own personal efforts was pretty much the old exterior wall. I did nearly all the framing inside of that line, while contractors did everything outside of it.

	Paid
framing contractor	$8,500
roof trusses	$1,080
miscellaneous (closet/ laundry areas, roof tarp, etc.)	$160
framing total	$9,740

Battens for roof

Day 1 of roofing...
Battens and counter-battens are almost complete for the Decra metal tile roof that will match existing. Gutters were installed earlier today by other guys. It's important to have the gutters precede the roofing for this particular type of roof because the first course of tiles needs to lap into the gutter.

Before anybody came, I had all roof penetrations prepared, including the kitchen exhaust flue (foreground in photo at right), tankless water heater flue (middle ground), three new plumbing vents (background), and four skylight tubes (not visible).

Roof tarp

The hazard of doing construction in winter-spring is always rain.I'm at a stage where part of the existing house had to be opened up, and rain would ruin the old insulation, drywall, interior walls, etc. The newly framed part is less of a concern because it's all exposed and would dry up quickly.

I hope my stapled plastic will hold up for tomorrow.

Interior shear wall

Transfer of shear (lateral seismic load) requires plywood on the entire inside gable wall from top chord of roof truss to the mudsill that's anchored to concrete.

Interior framing

While the team of five amigos rushed through the framing of the addition, I completed all the interior walls. My studs are kiln-dried and mostly nonstructural as they define the walk-in closet and laundry areas. I only had to get that outermost wall built before they took down the old exterior wall (replaced by the reddish 4x16 LVL visible at top left). It was temporary shoring of the existing ceiling joists and rafters.

Room addition layout

382 square feet added for various potential uses, depending on how it's finished.

Framed

Day 5 of framing...
99% framed. Inspection caught some areas missing shear wall panels, and foundation vents haven't been cut, but overall, it's near ready for the next stage, which is roofing.

Sheathing

Day 4 of framing...

Today was a marathon for them -- sunrise to sunset of framing!

Scissors trusses

Day 3 of framing...
Scissors configuration adds even greater volume without fancy attic venting. Top chord matches existing roof pitch at 4.5 :12, while bottom chord is maximized at 2.5 :12. Total cost of factory roof trusses = $1080 delivered.

Partially framed

Day 2 of framing...
Nine-foot plate (height) at the new room -- for nicer volume, better clearance at entry door (overhang) and simpler construction next to existing eight-foot plate.

Pony wall

Day 1 of framing the new room...

Powder room framing

Little by little, I've completed the wall framing for the powder room. It came together while supervising the plumber who installed pipes underfloor, between studs and in the attic.

Still needs a few more nailing pieces...

Powder room layout

Also known as "half bath" -- one toilet and one sink.