10/9/04 We've Got a Second Floor
If the rain would hold off and we could get two days
work in, we could get a lot more done. As it was, the second
floor went in pretty quickly and we have to start thinking about
the stairs and roof lines. I was exhausted by time we finished,
but it's neat to see progress. Click HERE to return to older pictures
 

With the lower framing on around the windows it almost looks like the battlements that will form the top of the tower. We're starting to think that a cannon or two would look kind of cool...

 

From the outside you can see where the second floor joists will attach.

After helping put this part up I was quite sore the next day. Those pieces of plywood didn't like bending, and I've discovered I can hold a 4X8 piece over my head to hand up to the next floor. Oh, and the nifty little stairs on the right let us get in and out through one of the window openings.

 

From the inside looking out. We're a little disappointed that the second window points at the garage. We'll have to decorate the garage (maybe some trees along the back), so it looks like a quaint European building....

That wall will come out and we'll access the tower from the kitchen/dining area of the main house. One of our discussions focuses on where the stairs are going. I'd like to keep them in the left of the picture with a bit of a curve around the side. The other option is on the right, where we have the greatest amount of flat inside wall. Decisions, decisions.

 

It rained most of the weekend, so Saturday we got a bit wet and Sunday we didn't get to work. Still, with the joist holders the floor/ceiling went up fast and it's nice to see what the second floor room will look like.