Today was a long hot day for Max and Randy. They again were up at 4:30 and on the job at 6:00 where they continued to work on framing all day.
Randy and Max framing the ceiling of a closet
We used long boards to push the truss beams into position
Fastening the truss beams in their final position
By the end of today we had the balcony floor joists in place and 4 of the 5 truss beams sandwiched together.
Framing at the end of Thursday
Anne and Debra didn’t have to be there until shortly before lunch to start preparing for tonight’s dinner – spaghetti was tonight’s entree. However, since they were both awake at 4:30 they decided to do laundry and other mundane items around Aunt Helen’s house. They got another closet cleaned up before leaving for the church.
In the sanctuary, most of our volunteers wrote a note of scripture and signed the studs, headers etc. since it was the last full workday this week and some were leaving for home tonight. The messages will all be covered after a few more days of work but God will know it is there. Who knows when a repair will be done or a wall will be opened for some other reason and they will find an encouraging word from scripture. It was another good day! Hope yours was too.
Lillian, one of our younger team members, drawing a picture on a door header.
Our scripture on the framing where the water fountain will be
Today was an early day for all of us. Up at 4:30, depart home 5:30 and begin work at 6:00. Debra and Anne had to be at church at 6:00 this morning because it was their day to prepare breakfast for everyone. The other days they have been able leave home 8:00 or 8:30. It’s the early wakeups and long days that make Constructors so much harder than NOMADS. But, most people work Constructors for only one week so we can work those hours for one week. Don’t think we could do it for five consecutive weeks like a few people do each year.
The project is really moving forward. Today the fire-break drywall installation and mudding was completed. Both bathrooms in the vestibule framing was completed and some of the headers installed. The major accomplishment of the day was the moving of the truss beams that will support the balcony in the rear of the sanctuary inside the building and carefully placing them upon the walls. It took careful orchestration of people and lifts to accomplish the task. The work on installing the fire blocks in the walls is continuing as well.
Max and Keith, a volunteer from the church in Lebanon, MO where we did our first Constructors for Christ project, installed and mudded the last of the firewall drywall. 36′ high is the highest Max can remember installing drywall
20′ walls take lots of fire blocks
This is how we carried the truss beam sections across the parking lot to the building. Five of these sections will be sandwiched together to form a beam to support the balcony area at the back of the sanctuary.
Preparing a truss beam section for lifting
We used a forklift to lift the truss beam sections onto the walls where they were placed in a temporary holding position.
Many of the door headers were installed today
Using a laser level to make sure the walls are plumb
Framing at the end of Wednesday
After Anne and Debra cooked and served breakfast and cleaned the kitchen, they returned home and painted the hall and master bath at our house. We are pleased with the results and it checked two more items off our to-do list. Slowly making progress.
A work day for Constructors for Christ begins at 6:00 am. Breakfast is around 7:30, lunch around 12:30 and we stop work at 6:00 pm. All three meals are provided each day. They are prepared by team members who choose to work in the kitchen instead of on the construction site. Those members are divided into three teams and each team prepares one meal a day. Today Anne and Debra’s team prepared lunch. Every meal is always delicious. Usually the team members prepare desserts but the members of the congregation at Pine Grove are providing those this year
Out on the constructions site today was much like yesterday. Some worked on installing fire blocks in the walls, some worked hanging and mudding drywall and some built corner posts and t-posts for the interior walls. Today we started building and erecting the interior walls. Another productive day in God’s service.
Some spent most of the day installing fire stop blocks in the tall walls
At times today three lifts were being used to hang and mud drywall
This afternoon we started building the interior walls.
The crew raised all the first floor walls on the ladies restroom side of the building.
One of our young volunteers learning to drive nails. He wanted to build something for his mother, so one of the ladies on the team helped him get started with this necklace holder.
Sunrise on the way to the job site this morning. we haven’t seen many sunrises since we have be off work.
Our 2020 Constructors for Christ officially started last night with a dinner provided by the congregation of Pine Grove Missionary Baptist Church and our initial meeting. We have about 42 volunteers this year for week one. Most years we have closer to 60 volunteers.
Week one is normally “framing week” but this year Max and Randy worked all day on hanging drywall. The wall between the new construction and the older building has to have two layers of 5/8 inch drywall as a firewall. Otherwise the older structure would also have to have a fire suppression sprinkler system installed –at great cost.
We got about half of the drywall up today.
Randy and Terry taught two of our youth volunteers how to cut drywall.
Even though once the interior walls are finished the fire walls will be completely hidden, they still have to be taped and mudded to make them more effective at preventing fire spread.
Framing at the end of Monday
At dinner tonight the church member who is overseeing the work (and worked with us all day) remarked how he never imagined how much would be accomplished in just one day.
Anne and Debra didn’t have to be there until shortly before lunch to start preparing for tonight’s dinner – spaghetti was tonight’s entree. However, since they were both awake at 4:30 they decided to do laundry and other mundane items around Aunt Helen’s house. They got another closet cleaned up before leaving for the church.
