TO TOP IT OFF part 2

TO TOP IT OFF part 2 - the cupola

Building the cupola was very challenging for several reasons. First of all Jim was 29' off the ground from the front yard and maybe 40' from the back. Falling was not an option. He only had a barbed wire fence and rocks in the back of the house to break his fall and the possibility of tumbling into a big ditch on any of the other sides. Needless to say when he was up there I was pretty nervous. After all, this was going to be OUR dream house not mine along!

Also, the aluminum roof became even more slippery as he tracked up clay from the yard and created saw dust when he trimmed the roof panels.

Lastly, it was very difficult to see where to attach the ridge boards and create a symmetrical 15 sided cupola because the top of the roof was partly shingled and covered with roof paper.

Jim - "I have great respect for people who do this for a living."

Feeling good about a job well done!

 Jim adding the fascia board.

During his unnerving adventure with the cupola he added a safety rope to help prevent falling all the way to the ground.

Josh returned after Jim was done and added roof paper and a frost shield which goes along the outer rim of the roof because there is no insulation in that area. The frost shield helps prevent ice from building up. We will need that when it starts to snow, and with the cold front that came through today it feels like that may be any day now. We did live in Florida for the past 25+ years - anything below 70 is cold! 

Josh and David seem to like the idea of a safety rope. The next time I saw them on the roof they were wearing mountain climbing gear and hooked into the rope.

Josh and David installed the ridge shingles and started to add shingles on the cupola.

Deltec, helped out by giving us the name of a good fabricator and Jim placed an order.

It will be an exciting day when the cap is installed.