The interior of the second floor is still in progress, the floor is still concrete, the floor finish is going to be one of the final things to be installed. The electrical and mechanical wires are intalled and run through the spaces in the floor joists. We can also see the plumbing pipes.
The man working is a carpenter and is working by the emergency light because the lights in the building have not been turned on yet.
This is opening by which the gypsum board was being transfered and we can see the stacks on the right. The header of the opening and the studs of the wall are visible, as is the plumbing work. The cavity on the left could be an elevator shaft, the cables are clearly visible.

This is a view from the interior of the 2nd floor, we can see the detail of the the floor trusses. The main trusses are running horizontally and the bridging trusses connecting the main trusses are running from front to back -they help spread the load of the structure. Above the trusses is the decking which runs continuously across the floor.
This is the interior of a stairwell, we can see the framing of the walls -the rim joist of the 2nd floor and the steel studs of both the 1st and 2nd floors. The man that is walking is steping onto the landing between the 1st and 2nd floors.
Between the steel studs there is wood blocking for the handrail. The handrail on the left has more elements, the balusters are the vertical members, and each articulated member is a post(it isnt butted up against a wall, but an empty cavity -unsafe, needs the balusters and posts)
From this angle we can also see a stringer of stairs leading up to the 2nd floor, the treads are the horizontals and the risers are the verticals.

This is the view of a window from the interior, the weather proofing that is nailed to the exterior is pulled through the rough opening before the prefabricated window is installed. The main frame is made up of the head, the side jambs and the sill. The sash is the window frame that holds the panes of glass, it is made up of the horizontal members -rails, and vertical members -stiles. Connecting the panes of glass are the muntins. This is an awning window and its operator is on the bottom, resting on the sill.

We can also see the interior framing of the wall and the window. The wall studs are running vertically, butted against the window are the jack studs and next in line are the kingstuds. Under the window are the cripple studs, all the studs are sitting atop the bottom plate.

The man in the back is applying the stucco finish to the piers, he is using a hawk and trowel. On the right side of the image we can see that he has not yet applied the stucco to the final pier, it just has the scratch and brown coats on
Batt insulation is used in between the wall studs and between the floor joists

This is an image from the stairwell, the electricians have installed the gas pipes, and these pipes will be hidden from view after the steel studs are covered. The block of wood is placed between the joists to allow for stability for the pipes.

On the interior of the building the workers were putting up a stucco finish. Here we can seethe gypsum lath of foam that is being put up over the rigid insulation.

Here we can see the different stages of the finish, on the right are the intermediate stages, and on the left is the finished coat. The bottom right corner are the water meters that have already been installed for what will be an apartment complex.

This picture shows the interior finish of the walls, there are two layers of a concrete/plaster mix that are laid before the finish coat of stucco is applied.Over the sanded gympum lath the plastic netting and scratch coat were applied, then the brown coat was applied, and for the finish the stucco was appliedThis is the closeup, the tight netting is visible, and the dinstinction between the intermediate and final layers of stucco is apparent.

This is the detail of 2 windows that have just been installed. The main frame is made up of the head (top piece), the sill (bottom) and the jambs (sides). The frame that hold together the panes of glass is made up of rails (horizontals) and verticals (stiles), between the windows is the mullion (which has not been filled in yet) above rests the lintel and below is the exterior sill which is sloped to direct water away from the window.
Around the window we can see how the bricks are cut accordingly and it is evident that the window is in a preplanned location (as it always is)-every other row of bricks ends just at the window frame.
In this picture we can see that the top half of the building is farther along than the bottom half. In the top we can see the vents that are made in the brick for fans -most likely for a kitchen. Because brick expands there is an expansion joint created between the two brick sections. On the lower level roof we can see that there is roofing felt laid out as a vapor barrier and it is pulled over the edge a little bit to prevent the seepage of water below the roofing materials into the sheathing. On top of the lower level are stacks of either gypsum board or foam insulation ready to be installed.
The man in this picture is sanding down the foam that has been applied to the exterior in staggered blocks. On top of the foam will go layers of stucco for the finish.

This is a window in a wall that has not been clad with the exterior brick. It's important to note the order of installation. After the weatherproofing goes up the windows are installed to maintain the air and water tightness. The frame of the window is make up of the horizontal members which are the jambs, the vertical at the top is the head and on the bottom is the sill. The frame that hold the panes of glass is made up the stiles (verticals) and the railes (horizontal) members. The intermediate pieces are called the mullions.
This is an example of an awning window: as seen only the bottom portions open up, these windows are good for rain, they direct it down and away from the building.
This is a gable end that is not covered brick. We can see the finished soffit on the left and into the interior of the soffit on the right. We can see the rafters coming out from the roof. The side of the eave (horizontal edge of the roof) we see is the fascia. We can also see the flashing that is sitting atop of the rake (sloping edge of the roof), flashing is used as a water barrier. On top of the roof we can see the sheathing and on top of that the felt paper and shingles.
A bag of portland cement, a component of mortar and plaster.

This picture shows the masonry veneer that is being put up over the rigid insulation and the windows that have been put into the rough openings. The frame is made up of the head jamb and side jambs. The exterior sill is sloped and drains the water away from the window. The muntins are the pieces connecting the 4 panes of glass. They are most likely just attatched to the exterior and interior of 1 continuous pane. The sash is a frame made up of rails (horizontals) and stiles (verticals) that hold up the panes of glass.
This side of the building (gable) is finished on the exterior. We can see how all the different parts come together. The exterior brick is laid and the rough openings have the windows in them and the roof is framed aswell.
On this end of the building single hung windows are installed, only the bottomportion of the window slides up to allow for air circulation. The sash is the frame consisting of rails and stiles that hold the panes of glass together. The muntins are the pieces of the frame connecting the panes of glass. A top the window is the lintel, and below is the sill (directs water away from window) and between the 2 windows is the mullion.
On the roof we can see the peak where the ridge beam sits on the interior. From this view of the gable we see the rake which is the sloping side of the roof (eave -horizontal). Under the fascia -which is the horizontal strip under ther roof, the cornice is at the meeting of the roof and the wall, under the cornice is the frieze board which is the transition from the roof to the brick veneer. Under the peak the is a louvered window that is used as an air vent for the interior of the roof/attic.
The concrete blocks delievered prefab to the site ready to be put up on the exterior wall.
The concrete blocks that were seen in the stacks are being put up on the exterior wall -over the rigid insulation and the weather proofing. The concrete blocks are cut accordingly to creating the running bond that is seen. They are not butted up against the weatherproofing but rather there is a 2in gap between to create a drainage system inside the wall. The moist mortar can also be seen in between the concrete blocks.

The gypsum board is being transfered into the building through the opening. We can see the structure of the building exposed through the weather proofing. Under the weather proofing we can see the sheathing which is used to tie the building together -connecting all the sections into one cohesive unit. Also visible are the rim joist of the 2nd and 3rd floors and the floor joists of the 3rd floor ( because the ceilings haven't been put up yet)
Manufactured doors delivered to the site, going to be installed on the 1st floor. The jambs are the vertical parts of the door, the head is the top, and the threshold is the part on the floor. The hinge attatches the movable door to its frame (2 hinges on each door)
This picture also shows the foundation of the building. We can see the cement foundation coming above ground level, at the top of the foundation sits the sill plate.
Looking closely we can also see one of the stakes that was used to mark the original foundation.

On the exterior 2 men we nailing the felt paper on to the ledge that is set up to frame the brick veneer, the vapor barrier is meant to prevent the leakage of water into the building. The paper is nailed to the wall and is turned up following the shape of the ledge. The felt paper is being put up over the rigid insulation, and under the weather proofing.

Stacks of gypsum board, waiting to be delivered directly into the building.
Type X gypsum board is 5/8 in thick, it is used as a method of fire resistance, and contributes to much of the fire resistance rating of a building. ASTM is incharge of conducting tests to determine the fire resistance of gypsum board. To get type X rating the wallboard has to achieve at least a one hour fire resistance rating
Type X wallboard is made with noncombustible fibers, they maintain the integrity of the core as the wallboard begins to shrink.

Gypsum board being delivered directly into the building, onto the floor on which they will be installed.

Description: In this picture we can see into the room and we see the framing and the beginings of interior work. On the celings there is a layer of attatched rigid insulation. We can so see the rim joist going across and being attatched to the floor.
At this time there is also a fire sprinkler system installed -its going to effect the type of construction and the effects of building code and zoning laws.

Description: We can see the wood framing of a section of the roof. The rake is the edge of the roof that runs down a slope, the eave continues onto the side. And the soffit is the underpart of the roof system. Finally the fasica is the wood piece that is presented along the exterior

Building fires are often hot enough to weaken steel, steel frame must be protected -fireproofing. The steel beam and columns are encased in plasters based on lightweight aggregates reduce weight and increase thermal inslation. Can aslo use spray on materials (cementious). At the base of the column is part of the foundation, at the end of the column will have a dowel and an key to unite the footing with the wall

Masonry bricks are strapped onto these cubes and shipped out. Typically 4 in horizontally and 8 veriticality. Bricks can be solid, cored, hollowed, and frogged -lighter, easier to handle and they are just as structurally sound.

Description: This is a single wythe wall of concrete masonry bloocks. A wythe is vertical and the horizontal line is the course. The wall is held together by the mortar. This wall is in the running bond sytle in which the courses go straight across in a staggered fashion. CMU's are very fire resistant

Description: The stud wall is now being clad in a brick and concrete masonry veneer, it is laid out in the running bond style. The brick forms arches with its rowlock. There is almost a scaffold set up for the work on the higher level, it is covered in rigid insulation.

October 30, 2007

Description: We can see many unfinished surfaces in this drawing. The house wrap or typar covers the walls and it has its own flashing for windows and doors, which is easier and more safe for the construction workers.
There is a pile of bricks on the right hand side of the wall and it is unfinished, we can see the paving bricks ready to be laid, we can see the horizontal (courses) and vertical (wythes) already laid in the running bond style Description: This picture has two openings, they are both framed with trimer studs and a top plate. There are cripple studs all along the top and are finally interuppted by the header which is turned on its side. The openings themsemvse are framed with lumber all along the inner profile.