4/9/12

So today I was assigned to a small group and we were to finish the head top weatherboard on the last external wall of the house.I grabbed my tape and hooked it onto the end of the existing weatherboard and measured to the scriber on the outside of the window,then I ran a full length with a mitred cut just above the window.A small peice was checked out using the Jigsaw.I chizled the back of the board so that I could fit the flashing into it.Once I had all the cuts up to my standards I then primed up all the fresh cuts.Then used jolts to fix it to the studs.

Second Bedroom of the house.

Then me and Brad went and started Gibbing the walls in the second room of the house.We cut the first sheet of gib to the correct length for the sound proof wall.Since it was a braced element I had to go along and measure up where the screws were to be placed.The pattern went;50mm 50mm 50mm 75mm 75mm 150mm 150mm ect then back down in the same pattern as you get to the end of the braced area.After the first sheet was put up we then continued with the gluing to the studs and dwangs.The hotpoint boxes were all cut out accurately with a gib saw.Then screwing off around only the outside of the sheets of gib.The glue when setting grips the gib and pulls it in to place.We have a 5mm tolerance at the bottom of the sheet.Having our rules underneath to hold it up is fine as you get the right amount of lee way.


6 Metre lengths in the lounge/Kitchen.

3/9/12

So today we started off in the classroom with Mark and went over a series of different internal wall linings.We catogorised each product that is used and can be used for carpentry.

Joins for the Gib to Form a groove.

-Bracing Areas                                   
Braceline Hardie Flex
Tough Line
Concrete
Aqualine
Freeline
MDF
PlyWood

-Wet Areas
Aqualine
Aqua Tough
Treated Ply
Panel
Hardie Glaze

-Fire Rated Areas
Gib Fyreboard
Rabboard
Villaboard
Concrete

-High Impact Areas
Gib Toughline
Fibre Rock aqua tough
Concrete
Steel

-Noise Rooms
Gib Noise board.

Us lifting the Gib into place.

We had to learn all of this for when we go out and work in the industry.After the class we went back to the build.We had all the sheets of gib in the house all laid out on dunnage.Me and Brad had done the ceilings in three rooms and then moved onto the lounge.I used my tape and measure from the internal walls to the light socket as to where we are to cut the gib for the wiring.Then glue was blobbed on at 200mm,400mm,800mm and 1000mm.Then the sheets were lifted up and fixed to the ceiling battens with the screw gun.3 screws per row per sheet.Since the lounge is wider then 6metres we were shown how to do a join that is need for the person doing the plastering.We used covebond which was mixed up in a container.12 litres of water to a 20kg bag for the exact amount to a bag.We mixed up the right amount and smered it onto some small offcuts of gib and then sandwedged the 2 sheets of gib together.2 nails were used to push the joins up a few mm's giving the gibstopper that groove for the tape and plaster to set in.

28/8/12

So today we installed the rest of the batts in the exterior walls of the house.There were 2 types of batts for the build.Batts for the walls and batts for the ceilings.The way I get the batts all nice and snug is by putting the first corner in and cutting the last part on the dwang and stud.With a 10mm over hang for the hole making it a nice and tight fit without creeses.The insulation will be useless if the batts aren't installed properly.There can't be any gaps at all.



Batts to be put behind the wiring.

We had all the batts in before 9am ready for the inspector to arrive and assess the building for our inspection.He showed us the small device for measuring the moisture content in the timber.The device had 2 prongs in the end which you stab into the timber to get the reading.He tested each wall in the house,It needs to measure around 18.  3 above or below.The house passed with flying colours.




Installing Batts.

After smoko,me and Brad went and continued with the top weather boards so that we can continue with the corner caps of the house along with the beads.The gib will be arriving today so we will be ready to start that and possibly have it finished next week.

21/8/12

So today I had to go up onto the roof and finsh the last side.We laid all the sheets of iron out on the ground and marked it all out with a straight edge and whiteboard marker.We don't use pencil as we found out that the water will make it rust because it is made out of graphite.Once all was marked out,we then used the nibler to cut the marked lines.We then used the offcuts from the otherside of the building.I used the same pattern for the screws.screw one in,miss 2,screw one in miss 3.Chalk lines were used again to ping where the purlins are under the sheets.

The corner scribers are all cut to the right lengths and primed up.The batts all arrived today,So we will be getting stuck into the flashings,and batts tomorrow.Then we should be doing Gib and the rest of the flashings.

14/8/12

We went upstairs for a class session with Matt this morning.We went back over the types of wood that can be used in the building industry.There are 3 different catagories that we put them into;Indigenous,Exotic and imported.We went back over these as we have a written assessment to do tomorrow.

After the classroom went headed back to the e shed where we carried on with the build.I continued with the scribers,I have got all my scribers within reasonable distance on the weatherboards.I had to go and nail off the remainder of the wall claddings on the house.Me and Conan went to the Joinery room with Matt and ripped down some weatherboards on the table saw.Then we marked out where the window openings were on the board.I also learned how to make head flashings for the windows.I used snips to cut the flashings to the right lengths.Then they are nailed above the windows.The weatherboard that is cut to fit can then be put up and nailed off.

13/08/12

My first attempt at making my first scriber.

So today we got straight into the build,We had no more paper for the roof so that was left on hold.I was shown how to do scribers for the outsides of the facings for the windows.I measured the facing boards and added another 50mm on top of the overall to give me plenty of over hang.The bottom cut for the scriber was cut at 15 degrees.I made a 30mm guide that I leaned up against the side of the wood and tacked it in place.Then used the guide to mark down the sections that need to be cut.I used the table(ripping)saw to nicely cut the sections out.Once I had a nice tight fit then primed up the cuts and put it in place then tacked it,checked it,then nailed it off home.I repeated this for both sides of the window.



Scribers for the outside of the bathroom.

Everyone else was installing foam around all the windows and doors.This is to prevent drafts of cold air entering the house from the outside,and to keep warm air in the house.We will be ready for batts this week if they arrive.Then Gib can be chucked in,once the walls have been checked for square again,The rest of the roofing iron should be put up and done leaving us with the flashings for the hips and ridge.

7/8/12

So yesterday,we started off in class with a small session of catch for the rest of the class.Steve came in and took the session for the morning.Me and Brad were already up to date with our assessments,Moodle,Blogging and quizzes.So we were instructed to go ahead and move on to the house.My first task was installing facing boards for the outside windows on the weatherboards.I had to cut go ahead and cut some weatherboards into small packers,Phil made a scriber for the blocks to sit nicely to,then a strip of timber is nailed to them with finishing nails.Then the facing boards are nailed on.The bottoms of the facing boards are cut on a small angle to sit flush with the outside sill under the window.Our boards were to overlap the outside of the window by 10mm.This is to prevent weathering from getting in from behind.We were going to move on with the head flashings for the windows but it turned out that the flashings we were sent were the incorrect lengths.

After Smoko we moved back on with the roof.Me Mark,Brad and Takey went out and carried on.We had all our sheets at 60mm from the face of the facia board,The overlap is needed for the run off into the guttering.The longer the better as water cannot run back up under the roof causing the materials to rott and or weaken over time.The tool used was called a "nibler" This was used to cut the sheets of iron for the roof.We used a chalk line to ping a line to have something to follow to give us a nice finished cut.We then fixed the sheets down with techscrews,These are not to be over tightned as these can put pressure on the sheets and burst the rubber seal under the screw.The offcuts we have can then be used on the opposite end of the house as the overlapping patterns will be the same but different to the ones you have just cut them from.We no longer staple the building paper down as we just lay it under the sheets of iron.The iron is more then enough to hold the paper down.And once its screwed down they ain't going anywhere.

31/7/12

Today we finally moved on to the ROOFING!We started with crimping the ends of the iron at the tops,as this prevents water from getting into the house under the ridge caps.We cut the paper to,4900mm for the underlay of the iron.Our screw patterns for the top and bottom are 1 in then two gaps then one in ect.For the intermediate purlins,It was 1 in,2 spaces,1 in,3 spaces ect.Less screws are required for the middle purlins.We used chalk string lines to mark down where our screws are to be placed.I had a rattle gun with the tech screw piece.The screws are not to be fully screwed right down as the pressure can crack the rubber seals underneath the screws causing small leaks.

To get the first sheet straight,We done a 345 on the roof,marked 3 on the top purlin and 4 on the sheet of iron,Then matched it up to 5.We then tacked the sheet in place with a couple of nails.Another way of checking it for square is to have a string line up the top of the roof and one at the bottom of the roof,then you can move them around till they fit nicely between the string lines.

The other part of the class went ahead with the exterior window facing boards.We will be doing that tomorrow when we rotate.The tools we will be using are routers,chizels and many more.Primer will also be used to keep the freshly cut timber treated from the elements.

30/7/12

So today I got stuck into the Fixing,for the window facings and flashings.I measured the distance between the weatherboards then went to the joinery room with Cam and ripped the timber to 45mm by 45mm.With some of the window headers,I had to use packers so that the face of the H1.2 timber was flush with the window.The facings will be ready to put on tomorrow.Then we can nail up the window top sill flashings.



Fixing for the window flashings and facings.

In class this morning,we went back over sealants and roofing.We were told that for the top of the sheets for the roof that we use vice grips and bend the valley parts of the sheets back,this prevents water from entering the top of the building under the flashing caps.The sheets are to overhang into the gutter by 50mm.The overlap of the iron is 2 valleys.The over lap for the builders paper is 150mm. The top and bottom of the roof has a screw on every rise. and a screw on every 2-3 rise to every purlin.I will set up a string line at each end of the roof,Top and Bottom So that I can line up the sheets of iron nicely and straight.We start off with one full length sheet then carry on.The overlaps of the sheets are determined when we know the main direction that the wind blows for that area,but in our case,We will do whatever as we are building indoors and don't know where the house will finally be placed.

Packers making the timber flush with the window.

24/7/12

So today,I cut the final piece of facia.I had to put blocking off the soffiet bearer so I had fixing for the join for the facia boards.Primed up each end.Then sat it in place and used a hand drill to predrill the holes for the jolts.Now the final soffiets can be set up and finished.I then moved on to the second to last window of the house.Used flat heads to sercure the flashing down to the sill of the window.We had to roll over the edge of the flashing as the space we had was a tight fit.8mm packers were used at the left hand side of the opening with 5mm at the other end.I used a straight edge spirit level to get the sills all level then put the final packers in the last slot,After this it was all screwed off.My rule was used against the edge off the sill and the face of the wall,this was done as the gib is 10mm thick.

Nailing off a beam for our scaffold.

The Standards and putlogs and blocking.

After lunch me and the other half of the class went on to making our own timber scaffold set up.Ours is 6 metres in length.The set up contains components off;Putlogs,Standards,Kick rail,mid rail,top rail and 4 rows of scaffold boards.These have to be set up on a building site if the building exceeds 3 metres in height.This is to ensure that we as the builders are safe for when it comes screwing off the iron sheets for the roof.The kick rail is there to prevent tools,paint,power tools,basically anything that is sitting up there.

In our morning session upstairs Matt taught us about what materials that can be used with each other,Metals and plastics for roofing.And other things around the house,I never knew how badly corrosion can be untill I looked at the chart we were given stating what can be matched together and what can't be.Plastic can be attached to a roof of corrigated gav iron as it can rust it.The minerals in each metal can have a positive or a negative effect on each other.It is important to get the right materials for the right job.

23/7/12

We all started down stairs in the classroom today.We have started our next assessment which is sealants,These are;Sillicone,Glues,Paint.Sillicone can be used on

-Metal Roofing.
-Flashings and downpipes.
-Lap joins in zincalunme,colourboard and other bhp decorative sheet metal.
-Skylights and extraction units.
-Air conditioning.
-Sheet metal.
-Aluminium,Brick,steel and Concrete.

Paints stop timber and sheet metal from rusting or rotting in weathered condtions over time.If timber is cut and the insides are exposed then paint,(primer) is then used to seal the timber to prevent moisture and rott from weaking the structural intergrity of the materials used on the job.

Sillicone basically fills gaps where water can have access to on the outside of the house.For roofing,under ridge caps and flashings for fireplace flues.This stops the capillary action,keeping the inside of the house safe from water.

After the classroom session we continued on with the build.I got stuck into the weather boards on 2 sides of the house,Cut lengths at 1955mm for one width of the house.Primed up the ends then put the boards up to the line on the building paper.Grabbed a level and sat that on top of the board then moved the other end to the correct height and nailed them off with the finishing air compressed gun,We nail the boards to each 600mm center stud.One half of the class went ahead and got into the scaffolding exercise that is required for an assessment.I will be doing that later on in the week.Mostly all the boards are up around the house now,We are ready to install flashings to the tops of the windows.One side of the house has been put on hold as the meter box needs to be put up on the house,once that has been sorted we should have it all done and ready to move on to roof iron.

17/712

We went upstairs yesterday,And drew a few pictures of eaves and verges,We had to label all the members of each roof.An eave are soffits,just like on our ucol build.Verges and the overhang on a gable ended house where the soffit plates are not level with the soffit plate.We started to install the windows,The top of the window sill was measured from one end to the other then measure the window opening,What ever the gap is on one side of the window is divide it by 2 and pack one side of the window opening.We had a large selection of different sized packers to use.

We had to get the weatherboards nailed off right under the window openings so we could fix the window flashings down to the window sills.We used flat head 1 inch nails to nail it down.We then had 2 people grab the window and lift it into opening.For the flashings for the doors and lounge openings,We had to chizle the lip on it so we could slide the doors into place.When we had them in,I used my rule and sat it up against the sill to get it flush,10mm for the gib.Then packed them and drilled the holes.I used a rattle gun/drill for screwing the sills off to.Then a level was used to see how plumb the frames were for the openings.Once all the windows are put on the house we then can carry on with the remainder of the weatherboards,there is a 10mm gap from the window frame and the boards,This is so that air can travel,stopping capillary action in the openings.We are now able to run the boards all the way up to the soffiets.

16/7/12

Back side of the house.

We went back over scaffolding today to refresh our minds about the names of the members.We then went ahead with the house build.Me and Haydn carried on with the Soffiets,Got all of the ones done that we had access to.200mm centers for the nailing off to the soffiet plate and 830mm centers for the outriggers.The boards slot into the plastic tabs.After this Me and Brad continued on with weather boards.We managed to get ,most of the boards up for half of the house.The cut ends were primed up.Then the boards were nailed to the studs.The next thing we done was grabbed a straight edge and ruled down the boards as to where the studs are behind the boards.Then i used the builders square,and adjusted it to 35mm and marked off where the holes were to be pre drilled.Jolt head 3 inch nails were then nailed in to fix the boards to place.

lounge Window

Window Flashings were also being put in by another group,Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get stuck into them aswell just to speed things up a bit.The Ceiling battens are basically all in place now and ready for the gib.We should have the windows all tacked and nailed in.The top flashings will be finished tomorrow.

I think we will be starting to build a timber scaffolding in the next week or 2 for our assessments which will be good.

11/7/12

So today we got as far as we could with the Facia.We are now waiting for the last piece to arrive to finish it off.I set up a string line with dodge and blocks to re check the outriggers.Some were out due to the timber warping,so i nailed some packers to the end of the outriggers to get a nice straight facia on the house.I then moved on to doing soffits.They were marked at 200mm centers for the flat heads to be nailed into the soffit plate.Then found the centers of the out riggers which were 900mm on the width of the house.and 600mm on the length of the house.Plastic slots were cut at 605mm for the soffit cement board to slot in to.

Getting the Facia to the correct height.

All the Facia that we have done.

I had ago at weather boards as well.The building paper was already chalk lined ready for me to put the weather boards up onto.Brad,used the skilly to cut a slot out of the board for where the back door was.Our ends were painted with primer to prevent rott and swelling by outside conditions.We should have the rest of the weather boards finished next week when we return,along with the Soffiets and facia when the rest of the materials arrive.

A few of the walls have been straightened on the inside as well due to people removing the internal bracing when they should not have.Now the rest of the ceiling battons are being nailed off ready for gib.

10/7/12

Matt taught the class about how water can get into an external wall on a house or a shed.Whether it be weather boards or iron cladding.There are 4 ways water can get into a wall.

-Capillary Action.
-Kinetic Energy.
-Surface Tension.
-Gravity.

Wind can push the water up into the cracks or grooves in the weather boards or iron cladding.Gravity lets the rain run down the boards on the outside,Whilst Capillary action is when water is obsorbed and seeps it's way up through the timber.There are 4 ways to weather proof a house or building.They are known as the 4 D's.;Deflection,Drainage,Drying and Durability.

Materials that have absorbant properties,Bricks,Clay tiles,Stone,natural roofing and twitch.These obsorb water,while the remainder of the water drains down the face of the materials.A ventilated Cavity allows the water that penetrates the cladding to drain down the inner face of the outer skin.A water proof wall wrap acts as a second line of defense against water ingress,A wall wrap must breath to allow vapour to escape.

Ceiling Battons.

After the small session in class.We all vacated back to the house build.We started fixing the weather boards to the house,Matt made up a guide as to where the chalk lines were to be snapped to on the wall wrap.Then galv Jolt heads,75mm were used.All the joins were mitred.They were directly fixed as the soffiets were 600mm wide.Therefore no cavity batton was needed for the build.Most of the ceiling battons are now installed.They were spaced at 600mm centers.As the Gib boards are 1200mm wide.The windows arrive this Friday ready for us to go ahead and put them in.We will also be finishing the remainder of the facia and soffiets then onto the rest of the weather boards.

9/7/12

We started off in class working on a subject,Scaffolding.And what it is used for ect.Scaffolding is set up on a building site around the construction or erection of a building.It is very useful for us as builders needing to work on high points of the build,For example,Me and Brad used portable scaffolding on each side of the house.We needed it for the installation of the outriggers for our soffiets.

There are many parts to a scaffold set up;Ledger,Standard,Hand guard,midrail,Kick rail,putt rails,Sole boards.These are some of the components involved in scaffolding.

Aluflex which was attached to the lounge opening.

Aluband along with the plastic corners.

Aluband.

Soffiets.

Once we got back to the E Shed.We went ahead with facia.We got our entire side done,Then we moved onto one of the 7.2m sides of the house,turned out the outriggers were all different lengths,So we had to remove them and re cut them to the correct lengths,A dodgem block was set up as well.A spirit level was used to level the outriggers in place.Then used a nail gun to fix them to place.A few of the other groups were setting up ceiling batten,for the inside.While another group is doing the soffiets.Cement board ws used.200mm centers for the nailing with nails to the soffiet plate.with a nail into every outrigger.Flat head nails were used.Regan and Tom were laying down aluband,Plastic corners were also nailed in before the aluband was laid down,Add 200mm to the bottom length of the band at each end,so 400mm in total.Then clean the surface it is being attached to.After this remove the film on the adhesive surface then place it onto the building wrap around the buildings openings.Once this is all laid out,attach a stip of 50mm by 100mm to each of the corners on a 45 degree angle to prevent the tape from moving or coming off while continuing with the build.

27/6/12

So today,We started off with a small blog session in the e shed.I then went back to the house build after and finished doing the bracing for the corner/Hip purlins,I cut them on a 10 degree slope with a 45 degree angle cut.I nailed them off with a nail gun using 4 inch bright galvs.

Facia going up.



Wire stapled down to the purlins.



Me,Brad and Takey getting the facia to the right height.

We went back into the E shed after smoko to endure a 2 hour session of assessment related work on the laptops in regards to the Roofing section of the build.I basically have caught up with most work and have passed all standards so far.After 12pm me and a few others started with Facia.This was my first time doing it,The end of the Facia was cut on a 45 angle and the top of the inside groove was to fit flush with the bottom of the outriggers that are attached to the Soffiet bearer.I used my rule to slot into the grove and sat it flush with the outriggers.I used a electric drill to pre drill the holes for the 3 inch galv nails.We worked our way one out rigger at a time.After each one we sighted it down the other end.Each end of the facia was coated with a selant to prevent rott in the timber.

26/6/12

So today we learnt how to work out the length of iron needed for our roof build.And how many sheets we needed to cover the entire roof.We worked out that we needed 24 sheets for the job.We also worked out the amount of builders wrap we needed to.

We moved back to the build,Me and Brad finished our side of the house installed all the outriggers to the soffiet bearer.We used blocks to lever the outrigger just above the stringline then nail them off into place.Once that was done we helped the others out then I moved on to measuring and cutting out bearers to fill in the gaps under the width side of the house.I skew nailed the two pieces of timber together.Then clamped them under the Boundary joists then nailed them home.Using 4 inch galv nails.We did this so that there is a fixing for the weather boards to be attached to.Brackets and straps will also be used to stop movement making the building a lot more stable and sercure.

Other members of the class were told to screw off brackets to each of the piles under the house.While the rest of the class were fixing up a few hurricane ties that were all mangled,Half of the ties weren't fully nailed off.Then all the rooms were checked for square and the walls checked for plumb.A straight edge and level was used for this.So now finally the house out riggers are all finished.

25/6/12

So today we revised over roofing member names.Basically the same stuff as last week.We then went over on how to deal with new roof trusses when they arrive on site.They are usually to be stored next to the Build/Foundation.And flipped up the right way so that they can easily be grabbed and lifted up onto the top plates of the build.There are usually 3 people that deal with the carrying of the trusses.2 up on the roof pulling them up into place with one guy down the bottom lifting them up.Another good thing is to measure the bottom cord of the trusses to see if they match up to the width of the top plates of the house.

We then Carried on with the builders wrap.The wrap was then stappled off to the top of the top plate,150mm clearance was left at the bottom for the next layer of wrap.



After Building Wrap.

Soffiet Bearers,Outriggers.

So when we went back to the build me and Brad installed the soffiet bearer to the exterior walls,2208mm from the bottom plate of the exterior wall to the bottom of the soffiet bearer.We tacked the bearers in place then used the measuring tape to lift them up or down then nailed them home.After they were nailed off we sighted them down the side.We used a portable scaffold to move around on which made the job a lot easier.After that we then installed an outrigger at each end of the roof,used a level to get them leveled then used the nail gun to sercure them,Then ran string lines to each end of the house with facia blocks ready for our next outriggers to be attached to.Our lengths for the outriggers at each end are 552mm.

Tomorrow we will finish the outriggers then hopefully move on to the facia.

19/6/12

So this morning we went up stairs to learn more about Trigonometry.We were given a few mathematical equations that we had to solve.We used SOH CAH TOA,Sine,Cosine and Tangent.We were given an angle to work with along with a side to a triangle.For example,16 degrees with an adjacent of 300 and we are to find the Hypotenuse,The longest side.So we use CAH.300 divide by cos16 = 312.08, This is how you get the H side in this equation.

Sides of a triangle.

To find an angle,It is a little bit different.If we have two sides,Lets say,For our opposite,we have 1080 and for our adjacent,we have 7200,We go 1080/7200 =0.15  Then 0.15tan-1 which will give us the and of 8.53.





After the session in Class we resorted back to the E-Shed.My assigned group was to continue with the Gable Roof exercise.I started with making the Raking frames for the build,Then moved onto making the Outriggers,There are 3 out riggers on each side of the Gable roof,They are evenly spaced out and nailed into the rafters on the inside of the roof so that the fly rafters can be attached at the end of the roof on the outside.They also have plumb cuts at the top so that they can evenly join up to the Ridge board.With the Raking frame,We have studs that run from the bottom plate to the top of the raking plate with the top being on a 40 degree angle.For the center stud,we have 2 40 degree cuts on the top so that it sits flush within the top of the raking plates.Once all fit nicely we skew the nails through to sercure it all into place,I used 3 inch nails as this is only a small exercise.

Tomorrow we should have the task complete,All we have left to do is the purlins down the far end along with the fly rafters.Then we can get back to the house build.Mostly all the purlins have been installed to the house trusses,Attached with 2 4 inch nails top and bottom and a purlin screw in the middle,The nails are hit in on angles to prevent uplift of the roof in ruff weather conditions.

18/6/12

So this morning,We all lined up for class with Mark.We went back over the session we had last week in regards to the Roofing.Rafters and Trusses.We went over various terms for each section of a rafter set up.

After smoko we were split in 2 groups and one half of the class were to proceed with the Purlins while my half were put on the roof making task,we went back over SOH CAH TOA,We were given an angle for our roof,ours was 40 degrees.The width of our building was 2000mm,and the length was 2400mm,we halved the width,so 1000mm,We needed to find the length of our rafters.So,The method we used was,CAH as we needed to find the longest side.So Cos40 x 1000,That gives us the lengt of the Longest side,(The rafter).We used a sliding Bevel to transfer the angles to other rafters.A hand saw was used to cut them down to the correct lengths.We then had to cut out a piece known as the birds mouth.Matt showed us how to do this,For our roof,I measured out 1288 and marked a line,Then from the line I transfered it with a sliding bevel with 40 degrees.Then moved the bevel to the end with the builders square and adjusted it then moved it back forming the piece(Birds mouth) which is to be cut out,Once it was cut out,the rafter can frimly sit flush onto the top plate of the building.

Outriggers being nailed off.

Working out how to cut out or birds mouths.

Once all the rafters are cut,They are evenly spaced then attached to the ridge board at the top.We then skewed the rafters down.Tomorrow we will finish the building exercise,The Purlins should be attached and the raking top plate will be finished.Then we will be ready for marking.

13/6/12

 So this morning we went to the second house located on the corner of Keith street and Tremaine ave that second semester had not finished.We were to install the wall Gibb.We piled into the UCOL van and headed to the work site.Once we arrived we waited for the truck to arrive from ITM with our resources.After that We got shown how to put gibb up.Mark showed us what to measure,and what screw patterns that were to be used in a braced area.


Add caption



When using a screw gun in a braced area,measure 50mm,50mm,50mm,75mm,75mm,75mm,150mm,150mm,75mm,75mm ect.Start with smaller gaps at the start and slowly progress using bigger gaps for your screws.Before screwing the Gibb up,We used gibb fix adhesive,(glue),blobs at 200mm distances on dwangs and studs.Then I put my rule down on the ground for the gibb to rest on givng me a 10mm clearance at the bottom,Once all nice and firmly placed to the studs then screw it off.

Jib that i cut for the small bedroom.

First wall done.

When it comes to putting up Gibb with openings and hotpoints.measure where the opening and hotpoints are to be placed.Use a keyhole saw to cut the gibb,Without making a mess.then for the wider openings a handsaw is used.

12/6/12

This morning we went back over Trigonometry and Pythagoras in regards to the Roofing and trusses.We went up stairs and started with the session.SOH CAH TOA was shown to us,this is used to find angles,and sides in a triangle,and a2+b2=c2 is used for finding a missing side.These formulaes are highly accurate and useful on a building site.A lot of time is saved using these methods.They are Plain and simple,easy to remember.SOH CAH TOA are drawn up into 3 triangles to make it super easy to find out which one to use for what ever problem that may occur.

Purlins being nailed off and checked for straightness.

Once we had gone over the mathematical side of things we then moved on with the build down stairs.We had to then calculate the amount of rows of purlins needed for the roof.We set up the first row down the end of the trusses,at the top end we measured 150mm down,then got the inside to inside measurement of the length of the trusses and divided it by 815mm,the overall measurement was 3605mm in length.We lended up with 6 rows of purlins,We also cut the hip purlins to the right angle and since they were short,we cut them over a trusse so they can be joined over something sturdy.Most of them have been installed to place.Two 4 inche nails were used to nail them down at the top and bottom.A purlin screw is to be put in the middle.

Purlins.

Soffits will then be installed once we have everything else sorted.

11/6/12

Today we finally moved onto the roofing side of things,We sat down in the class and went over some roof definitions;


Collar ties- Holds rafters together(have to be 1.8m apart or every third rafter.)

Ridge Board- Where the rafters meet at the highest point, (needs to be dead flush on the bottom of it)

Common Rafter- Forms the shape of he roof(must land 100% on ridge board) 

Start Rafter-Is the same length as a common rafter.

Cleat- Stops immediate movement under ridge board.

Hip Rafter- Forms apex of hips, jack rafters fix to hip rafters. (has to be bang on straight, on a equal pitch roof it should be 45 deg) 

Jack Rafters- Form hip shape (braces and straightens the hip rafters)

Dodgem block for the trusses.

Dodgem block for the trusses.

Ceiling Joist- Stops the walls from falling out under pressure.  (1.8m max spacing)

Cripple Rafter- Fits between a hip and a valley

Outriggers- Form eave of gable end (canter leavers off racking top player)

Short Hip- Connect change of height in ridge board

Valley Rafter- Form the valley of the house

Under Purlin Strut- Take weight from under purlin and transfers it to sterdy beam

Load Bearing Wall- Takes immediate weight from struts To under purlin struts

Mark drew up a few pictures to help most of us get our heads around it.After we went through all of this,I went over the road to the UCOL library and hired out the Rafters and Trusses book,Just to make things much easier for study.


After Smoko we progressed on with the build,We installed the remaining jack trusses.Then we were told to center the trusses at 830mm centers.We then set up a string line on the outside with a dodgem block,The blocks had to be nailed in place as they moved because of how tight the stringline was.A few of the trusses were then moved from side to side to get the adjustments right,Then they were fixed down.Tomorrow we should be nailing down the purlins and calculating the right amount of rows needed for the structure of the roof.

Picture showing the names for each section of the roof.

6/6/12

So today we finished off the First aid course with a guy named Neville from Red Cross.It was a 2 day course on how to save people who are involved in different unfortunate situations.For example;Car crashes,falls,drownings and many more.I learn't about CPR and how to do the Recovery position.To do the recovery position,You grab the persons left arm,lay it flat on the ground,The grab their shoulder and hip and pull them over till they are on their side,Then grab thier leg and pull it inwards so they can support themselves and thier head will be facing downwards preventing the person from throwing up and choking on their own vomit.
We used dummys and were shown where to place our hands for the chest pumps,Its 30 presses to 2 breathes.We had also been given these face plastic sheets which were to be placed over the mouth of the manican and blown into twice every 30 compression's.We had to complete multiple scenarios in regards to serious accidents.Once we had done these I got marked off and signed showing that I can do these important steps,We as first aiders abide by the DRABCD,;

D – Danger
Check for danger – to yourself, others and the injured person. You can’t help someone else if you become hurt yourself. Only move an injured person if it’s absolutely necessary to get them away from danger.
R – Response
Check for any physical response – is the person conscious? Squeeze the person’s shoulders and ask for their name. If they respond and are conscious, check for other injuries.
A– Airway
If the injured person doesn’t respond, look in their mouth – is the airway clear of foreign material? If not foreign materials are present, leave the injured person on their back and open the airway by placing one hand high on the injured person’s forehead and supporting the chin with the other hand. Gently tilt the head backwards, lift the chin and open the injured person’s mouth.
B – Breathing
Check for breathing. Look and feel for breathing by searching for chest movements, or by placing your head close to the injured person’s mouth and listening for the sound of breathing or feel for their breath on your cheek.
If breathing is apparent, lay the injured person on their side in the recovery position, call 111 for an ambulance and regularly check the person for signs of life.
If they are not breathing, ask someone to call 111. Open the airway by tilting the head backwards,
Pinch the soft part of the nose closed. Lift the chin and hold the person’s mouth open.
Take a breath and blow steadily into the mouth – watch for their chest to rise. Repeat twice.
C – CPR
Check the injured person for signs of life. Is the injured person breathing, responding or moving? If there are no signs of life, start CPR.
If the person if an adult, or a child older than 1 year old, place the heel of your hand over the lower half of the breastbone in the centre of the chest, with the other hand on top of the first.
If the injured person is an infant (1 year old or younger), place two fingers (index and middle finger) over the lower half of the breastbone. Press down 1/3 of the depth of the chest.
Give 30 compressions and two breaths (30:2) to the injured person. You should complete five sets of CPR (five sets of 30:2) in about two minutes. Continue CPR until the ambulance arrives.
D – Defibrillator
If a defibrillator is available, apply it and follow the voice prompts.

Once we had finished with the first aid,Me and a few others got back out to the house build and installed the Jack trusses along one end of the house.A level was used to Plumb/level up the trusses.

30/5/12

So this morning,I went back over all the internal walls to see if the walls were plumb,A few were out mostly because the Trusses were put up yesterday.One wall was out 15mm at the top.The tack was removed and the wall was moved to the correct position.Then the air compressed nail gun was used to nail the wall to the blocking.After all the walls were checked for plumb.Me and Regan were told to rip some timber down at 21mm and 25mm thick lengths of 1995mm for packing in the lounge door frame,To do this we went to the joinery class to use the table saw.

We then nailed the packing lengths to the frame and removed the trimmer studs,A 10mm cut was made on the bottom of the lounge door frame so that when it comes to cutting the bottom plate for the door so You don't go cutting into the finished floor.The frame was then stood and tightly fitted between the hall way walls.A straight edge and level was used,then we used the 3.4.5 method to get a 90 degree angle,1200mm at one end,900 at the other and from each end point they should meet at 1500mm.Then the frame was nailed home.

After lunch,Me and a few others decided to fit the end dwangs to the frames,since all the walls are Plumb and square.For this I used the as powered Nail gun.I had to mark where some of the new dwangs were to go as there were no marks on some of the studs.

29/5/12

 So to start of the day,We went upstairs to learn about trusses,there are so many trusses/roofs to choose from,I learn't what a hip roof was,It is a roof that is pitched on all sides,On a slight angle.Here are a few definitions in regards to trusses;

Valley = Where two roof planes meet at an internal corner.
Apex/Ridge=Top point of the roof.
Hips=The angles that glide down on the roof.

After our little session in class,Me and a few others were to complete the finishing touches for the opening in the lounge for the sliding doors.I got the router out and clamped the guide that I had made for the straps to the stud and boundary joist.The router was set to the right depth,I nail punched in existing nails to stop the router from hitting the nails.Once the the timber was routered into I put the strap in place and nailed in 6 galv nails in each end of the strap,(More can be put in if the builder chooses to)

Next up I had to grab a nail plate and mark a pencil line around the outside at the top plates down to the stud next to the opening.Then chizled out the chunks and nailed the plate into place so it was all nice and flush with the exterior wall.

After lunch we returned to find out that we were to be blogging till 3pm,After this we finally got to install the roof trusses,now it's starting to look like a house.We followed the roofing plans provided by ITM,These are constructed by them and advanced machinery.Not any odd person can build them,You have to be qualified to be able to.The first truss is lifted up and tacked into place,then another one at the far end is tacked to it to prevent it from falling.The same process is done at the following end.Once both ends are even,a string line is then attached to the tops making it easier for the others to be set up.Next up,Perlins!

28/5/12

Big opening in the lounge/Kitchen

Mark went back over on how to use Moodle and Blogger ect,Due to a bunch of people who have not been keeping up to date with their work.Once we went back over this we had smoko, After smoko we moved back to the house build.I had a look at the board to see what my group was assigned to doing,(half of my group was here) me and Jesse,had to cut the lintel to the length of 3720mm,as the architects had botched up the plans,I ripped 2 90x45mm timber in lengths of 2315mm for the new studs,2 trimmer studs were cut at 1965mm,So double studs finally come into play in stead of blocks.

New dwangs will be made to match,I used a Skilsaw to cut the lintel down to the right length,Made a minor mistake then Cam came and showed us how it was done.A spirit level was used to get the studs all level/plumb.We then realised that the lintel looked slightly bowed.So I set up a dodger block.By the time this happened it was time to pack up and get ready to blog.Tomorrow we will have all the studs in the correct spots and nailed down using 4 inch reds steel nails with the paslode nail gun.And if the lintel is bowed then bracing will be installed and used to pull the bow out.

Amended Plans to comply with NZS3604

2 Trimmer studs along with a stud,another is yet to  be  put in place.

23/5/12

Me,Tom and Phil went out to Mt Bigs school with Dave today to work on an extentionFirst off we stopped off at Placemakers to pick up a few items such as nails,6 sheets of ply,H4..My jobs were to get measurements of the studs lining up with the rafters that slope on 8 degrees.Skilsaw was used on an 8 degree angle to trim the top of the stud so it would fit into place.4 inch nails were used to hold them in place.Dwangs were 355mm in length and were hand nailed in as the nail gun had no battery left.The ply on one side of the building was nailed off and finished.Now that the studs are all in place along with the dwangs it is ready for ply.

We then returned back to class,All of the house walls are now erected in place.I measured the large opening in the lounge for the big window.Turned out that the top of the opening was out 15mm and the bottom was out by 60mm,Which is a massive problem!,I used a sabre saw to cut through the nails holding the studs in place.Ear protection was used while cutting.Once these were out we re-marked the bottom plate.Hammered the studs to the right spots and nailed them into place,ready for the window to be put in.

Cam and Matt then picked up that the top plates on the exterior wall on the wet area side was out by like 5mm.This was fixed so now we have to string line our internal walls and then get them all plumb.A peice of 4x2 was used to move the exterior wall while we got the doger block all sorted and in place.

Exterior Walls.

One of the main walls in the hall way.



Photo taken from the lounge.



All walls are stood.

The walls went up quite fast as the numbering made it easier,We later on found out that the linen cupboard wall was not made up,So we are now in progress with the making of that wall.The internal walls are braced from the top plate to the exterior top plate.

22/5/12

So this morning,We went up stairs to have a quick revise over the different timbers we use in our country ect,After that we then went on to learning about the different treatments for timber that we use for our builds.H1.2,H3.1,H3.2,H.4 and H.5The higher the the number the more protected the timber is against Boreing,Fungus,Dampness basically rotting.H5 are used for piles and fencing along with H4.

H1.2 is mostly used for framing,It is protected from the weather above ground,But with an exposure to moisture.It is protected from borer and fungal decay.

H3.1 and H3.2 is exposed to weathering above ground level with periodic wetting,basically protected against Fungi and borers.
Also used for decks and external beams as long as it does not touch the ground.

H4 is exposed to the weather in the ground or in fresh water,ground contact or conditions of severe weathering,mostly used for fence posts and landscaping timbers.

H5 The highest treated timber,Used for ground contact.To be used for piles posts for decks.

We were given a small chart with a summary as to what each treatment does.Once we had been in the class for an hour we moved back to the EShed where we done our first Wall assessment.After this Me and Tom set out to correct yet another few walls,The first one have the lintel put in the wrong way and the second being that they used 90x45 for a lintel over a wide space when 6x2 was ment to have been used,plus gal nails were not used for the lintel.I cut the 6x2 up to the correct length,1670mm then used galv nails,nailed in at 300mm centers,4 nails for each 300mm row.Each row to be shot in different directions.This is done so the lintel has no way of coming apart at all.

After this I then finished nailling in the Second top plates,After the walls were plumb,A few others went around and used the plumb bob,We then braced From the inside and removed the outside braces as they will be an obstacle later on in the build.

21/5/12

We all started with 1 hour session in class in regards on how to use a plumb bob and how to straighten our frames using bracing.I never knew how to use a plumb bob or what it was untill today.It is quite an interesting tool to use.It is set up at the top of the Top plate,A nail is nailed in for the string line for the plumb bob to be attached to.The string is to overhang over the timber.A 100mm gap is something managable measurement to be used.A rule is then used to measure from the inside of the string to the outside of the exterior frame at the top plate.Once that measurement is gathered then the next one is to be taken from the bottom plate.If it is 103mm at the bottom then it is out.which would mean the bottom plate is sticking out an extra 3mm.

Dodger block-3 blocks with the same width and a string line with a nail at each end.

If there is rain and or wind then it is practical to use a bucket fill of water(Plumb bob in bucket) as this stops it from moving when trying to get the measurements.This is a highly accurate way of finding plumb for the walls.

Spirit level and straight edge is used at each corner of the building to get level,then bracing is nailed in at the top and can then be used as a guide to move the wall backwards and forwards.So that the right position can be found,Once this is done then you can brace to the boundary joists to keep it in the correct position.For the bigger spaces.Such as the lounge,bracing will come into the middle of the room(sercured to blocks to the floor) as the outside of the house will need to be wrapped with builders paper.It is also vital that the internal walls are inside the house before the last exterior wall is sercured in.

After being in the class room we went out to the workshop to continue squaring up the remaining walls.Once we had done that,Me and Brad,were given the task of setting up a dodgem block,on the outside of the wet area exterior walls.We removed a quarter of the tacked nails in the bottom plate then used a block and ran it between the string line and bottom plate to see how much we had to move the plate.At 600mm centers we nailed the plate down,A dogyu was used to move the bottom plate to the right spot.Then the nails were used.

16/5/12

Started the day with Pulling frames apart and moving studs to the correct places.New dwangs were made up for the walls as a few were quite messy and split.Once this exterior wall was done I moved on to with routering out the Large lintel in the lounge to fix a nail plate in place so it was flush with the timber,6 (35mm) gavlnised nails were required at each end of the strap to comply with NZS3604.These straps are there to prevent uplift in weathered conditions.The top jack trimmer studs and studs are chizled for a nail plate to be put in place.

Guide made for routering out a 4-5mm deep cut.

Nail Plate installed from top plate to stud and jack trimmer stud.

Once this was done we were instructed to measure the top and bottom plates to see if they were at the correct lengths,once this was done we then measured the diagonals there were a few frames that didn't match up so I used a sledge hammer to knock them to the correct place,once all measurements matched up a brace was then nailed diagonally to the frame on the out side.2 (100mm)hand nails were used to sercure the brace at the bottom and one at the top.Once these are all braced we then stood the frames up,They were pushed firmly up against the already standing wall then nail gunned together.Nails were then put into the bottom plate to the floor.Once we had atleast 3 walls standing,We made up the second top plates,Clamps were used to keep the timber from bowing.The second top plates overlap each wall to structure it and to keep joins away from other joins.

15/5/12

So today we started to install the sill trimmers to the frames.For the wall I was working the window sat 800mm from the bottom of the house.So 45mm taken off due to the bottom plate and another 45mm taken off from the sill trimmer,so 710mm in length for the jackstuds.The sill trimmers are H3.1 Treatment,This is to prevent the wood from rooting if water does get through some how.We have limited timber for the Sill trimmers so extra care is needed when measuring and cutting.There is also a 10mm on each side of the windows for a bit of lee way for packing.I also went and cut all the Trimmer studs and jack studs.3 nails were used at each end of the stud to hold it into place.

Exterior walls.

Half of the exterior walls were stood up today and braced to the flooring of the house.So now we have more room to work with,with our internal walls.Tomorrow I will go over and check that our studs are at 600mm centers on all framing as I have come across a few with the wrong centers.

Sill Trimmers.

The tools/powertools I used today;Nail gun,hammer,square,Radial arm saw.Ear protection was used when using the Radial arm saw.

Exterior walls.

Exterior walls going up.

Walls being braced.

Earlier in the day,we had a session in the class room with Matt,in regards to the different timbers that are used in the building industry.We learn't the difference between Soft and Hard woods.Along with Exported and imported timber.Small samples were handed around the class,Radiata Pine is mostly used as it is a quick growing species compared to other timbers,It is easy to mill,easy to work with and is easy to treat.