The new trusses (light in color) along side the old trusses in the atticChuck Pukanecz wrote the following today,
"There’s been so much talk of trusses and structural issues that it was almost easy to forget that we’re actually getting a new durable permanent roof surface over the nave. But on Friday, roofers are expected to cover half of the roof, from the 13th Street side back, with the permanent new EPDM rubber roofing.
A team of seven Carpenters and laborers have been moving forward swiftly and have completed three sections of the roof, installing new, built-up wall plates and installing the new light-weight wood trusses that will bear the load of the roof. A fourth section should be done by Friday to allow for the roofing material to be installed. That’s half of the main job done. And in just 16 days, workers are expected to have the rest of the trusses and sheathing installed and have the crane taken away.
“Schedule-wise,” said construction manager John Farrell of JS Cornell & Sons, “I feel good about it.”
Today, during the every-other-week construction progress meeting with the project team, we started finalizing details for an OSHA-approved harness system to protect workers (namely Sexton Victor Psoras) who have to ascend the roof for maintenance like clearing gutters of leaves and debris.
The team also got a glimpse of a template for the new gutter position and size, and took a climb up to the roof to consider gutters and the possible removal of a third, old, defunct chimney.
We also began reviewing an RFP for a painter contractor so the Vestry can consider the value of having exterior painting done this summer while the scaffolding is still in place.
Some good news helping to move things along is that it appears the worst surprises of the existing, 170-year-old trusses have been uncovered. The first several that were viewed from above had some hidden, and severe deterioration at the very outside joint that was impossible to fully examine until the roof surface was removed. Those had to be formed out and reinforced with fiberglass rods and an epoxy fill so they could hold the new steel plates and tie rods that are being installed along the entire 65-foot span of the lower chord to relieve the load on the old wood.
Finally, after a good bit of designing, redesigning and weighing of options, it’s been decided that the valley where the nave roof meets the chancel area furthest from the 13th Street side of the building will be rebuilt onsite. There was a last-minute consideration of using pre-fabricated trusses in that tricky area, just as have been used so effectively in the rest of the roof. But time constraints have the team favoring going back to the plan to build those trusses in place."
