October 27, 2004 - Updated
Barn Raising > August 2004 Project
This past summer, before the start of the MBA program, I decided to take a few weeks off to relax and work on some non-academic/non-career focused projects. One was a barn raising - working alongside my Dad and brother. The other was the laptop project - mostly in the evenings or when weather prevented us from working outside.
It was a great time to get very unused muscles back into shape (now since atrophied) and spend a good bit of time with family.
The following is a series of pictures showing construction progress from this summer - click any of the photos for larger images.
Within a few hours we had the primary support posts set into the holes, which had already been dug and footers poured.
Aligning the posts and leveling them took quite a bit longer...and the sand arrived for the base before the eventual concrete flooring.
Cross pieces were put on for mounting the siding and to provide quick stability.
Yup, that's me trying to nail the base edges of the second floor.
And Dad and I are setting a base board. Note the OSHA-certified use of the ladder. :)
We used solid oak floor joists for the second floor. They weighed about 120-150 lbs each and Dad and I carried them up with just the two ladders. At least I was impressed with the effort!
