When we installed the grade beams I didn’t have complete confidence in the stick level readings. So on Monday, I rented a builder’s level (transit) and took some readings. We checked the elevation of the floor at each pier and found there about 3/4″ height difference between the highest point and lowest point. Using a car jack we jacked up the floor and inserted shims so that now there’s less than 1/8″ variation in elevation across the floor.
The rest of the week was devoted to the rafters. First I cut end details and birdsmouth cuts so the rafters can sit on the plate beams. Then we sanded and then we stained. The rafters are going to be exposed on inside of the cabin so we reasoned that it would be easier to stain them when they’re two feet off the ground rather than when they’re installed at 16 feet.
Here’s the time lapse of the week:
And here are some stills with details:
We took elevation measurements of the floor at each pier to determine a baseline
Jacking up the floor to insert a shim. We use 1/2″ treated plywood scraps and thin metal plates as shims
The pier in the middle was the only tricky one to get to.
Cutting rafter end flourish.
Making birdsmouth cuts
We laid out the cut rafters so we could sand and paint them.
Sanding rafters.
Staining rafters. We’re using a semi-transparent stain so you can still see the grain.
