Loft is in...windows are in!

I was so excited by my hardware discovery yesterday coupled with the extremely warm weather (60F/15.5C) we are having I knew I needed to take advantage and just push hard. So, I stayed up all night to get the loft installed and lined up some help installing the last few windows today.

First I had to figure out how to install my hardware in the tree....at first my head thought i needed to carve out a big hole....but that was my old design....this new one was even better as all I had to do was carve out a U. It took me some patience and various tools (chisel, regular large drill bit then finally a paddle bit) but I happily worked on it through the night until I was able to drive it all the way in.

Named the tree Ursula in honor
of my U-shaped hardware

A sweet moment pounding her in and she finally fit!

After installing the hardware Ursula was ready to go! I bolted her into the floor and readjusted my loft frame to utilize her as a support. My only problem was that I was lacking one more two-by-four to complete the end of the frame.....and I had put so much time into it by this point I really wanted to see it finished. Home Depot was closed and I searched my basement without any luck. I resolved to hitting HD in the AM first thing to get a board so I could have it all assembled before my friend showed up. Then, low and behold, there in the dark as I shown my light on the ladder to climb up and close up shop for the night I found her! A lone piece of 2x4 beneath my raft waiting, begging for me to use her tonight!

Me in utter disbelief that I got the exact length
of 2x4 I needed when I really needed it!

 See my manifestation powers really are getting honed! ;-)

I was so excited I got a second wind and went all the way! I stained the plywood so it would look acceptable as the loft floor (i even stained the underside of it since it will be exposed down below).

I stained all the joists that would be exposed to keep the feel in the place consistent with the roof beams, then I assembled her and laid the plywood on top to be fastened down later.

sanding away the print

staining the loft joists

staining the loft floor

still staining, and cutting

pretty proud of my calculations for fitting
Ursula into the loft floor!

OMG! I actually have a loft now!

I FUCKING LOVE IT!

It came together so nicely! I am beyond thrilled right now! Now my friend and I will have a platform to install the loft windows, making our work that much easier!

old hardware above, new below.

 In the AM (after a few hours of sleep) I got things
cleaned up and organized and fixed the
hardware on the kitchen window.

leaking like my weeping eyes...nothing that can't be fixed!

Another great thing about the thaw is I could see there was one wall that had some leaking issues. Luckily I was able to see this and correct it before it would be too hard to spot. I hadn't caulked or sealed the other octagon window so I did that as well as when on the roof and sealed the hell out of the loft roof edge on that wall. About 20 nails and a thick bead of silicon and I'm pretty confident most of the leaking is fixed. The rest seemed to be an oversaturation of the T1-11 which will be taken care of once I paint the outside with the elastomeric paint.

Finally it was time to install the window...and I have to say, because of the forethought and more experience that I had with the previous ones....these went surprisingly fast! Fast enough to get it all done by noon to have lunch with my girlfriends!

Dave installing port side loft windows

Finishing off the starboard loft window!

 so grateful for the help!

thanks Dave!