I have several production deck builders who’ve have asked me for ideas on keeping their projects dry enough to keep building during rainy weather. We’ve had an exceptionally rainy spring here and their jobs are backing up. If you absolutely had to keep cranking the jobs out and it wouldn’t quit raining, what would you do? Any blue tarp or poly magicians out there?
Tks,
Al
Replies
Helly Hansen...... Green or orange
t From the land of 100"rain per year
I worked with a framer once that insisted he didn't work in the rain....
always made me wonder how he ever build anything.
then I figured it out......that rule only applied when the boss wasn't around.
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Set up a knockdown tarp (the kind with the frame) for cutting area. Cool weather, go for the raingear an keep moving--you'll get soaked anyway from sweat and condensation, but will stay warm (and wear wool or poly, not cotton). In warm weather, I just go in shorts and t-shirt, and get soaked. Beware of hypothermia if you go this route--it can happen to many people on a 75 degree day when wet.
On my framing crew, we normally try to get the roof dried in (felted) before we do any inside work...that way, if it does rain, we can work relatively dry on deadwood, ceilings, etc. I have, however, put on my gore-tex jacket a few times to stand under the eaves and nail brick ties on in a downpour. In the summer time, I do like someone else said, and just get wet. Nylon running shorts ("river shorts") like Umbros dry out much faster than denim or khakis, BTW.
Quality before Quantity
Since this is for guys who specialize in decks, I can see how it's a problem. Our forecast today was for possible showers late in the day. I was looking forward to our twentieth day of good weather this year.
so it started raining about ten thirty in the AM.
Anyway, since a lot of decks are right under the eave where water is cascading anyway, it must be a real drag for those guys. Those "cover-it" franchises (you know like advertised in the back of POP Mechanics Magazine or in roadside booths - with the aluminum frame and heavy poly tarp cover?) can order one made up as a half frame. What would be the ridge would attach to the side of the house. This might be worth the investment if they are doing small decks and doing the same size multiple times.
Excellence is its own reward!