The first real sense of seeing the interior space and the spectacular view from the office window was thrilling to see. We could actually witness the results of many months of planning, designing, and building our ADU (accessory dwelling unit).

Heavy Lifters

Still, more heavy construction work was ahead of us. Two steel beams arrived from the fabricator and stared us in the face: more calculating and logistics on how to erect these 800-lb gorillas. It took a few days to prepare the existing structure and get the necessary equipment to erect them safely.

Headers and Footers

After getting refreshed over the weekend, Team J&J erected the two steel beams. With help from the rented lift and a portable scaffold, each beam was placed to form a 3′ overhang over the deck. The overhang provides additional floor space for the upper level and also shading for the windows on the first floor.

Once the steel beams were placed, the edge beams to support the upper floor were installed between the steel flanges.

With so little tolerance to work with in joining all of the angled walls, the wood beams required several attempts and shaved edges in order to fit them inside the steel flanges.

Finally, a perfect fit!!

A Footnote: Multi-tasking in the Front Row Seat

Felix continued to dominate the box seat to watch his crew staying on the job. While he kept an eye on them, we watched his new skills as he learned to enjoy the freedom of feeding himself!

Onward and upward! Next in store will be floor joists and stud walls to finish the first floor, and window installation. Stay tuned for more fun, and don’t forget to comment!