Here is a look at one of the window headers recently finished in between heavy rainstorms. Following the methodology described a couple of weeks ago, insulating foam board is cut to shape and tacked up to the 2x4 supports until it fills the center of the header space. Plywood is then cut to shape and screwed in over the insulation. Metal lath is then cut to shape, stapled to the plywood and bent back over the edge until it connects with the window. Next...
...we hand trowel cement into the metal lath to make our edge. I usually spread a layer of nylon mesh over the plywood and then trowel the cement on top of that until it meets the edges of the walls and blends in. Working against gravity with cement tends to be pretty messy and I spilled a lot before figuring out that a plastic dustpan filled with cement and held under the sill makes a nice "palette" for my fresh cement and also catches most of what I drop.
Sills and spills being properly addressed, let's turn to the thrill of getting close to finishing our roof. This sheet of nylon mesh-covered insulating board is being used as a cricket (an architectural feature designed to channel rain runoff on a roof) to shunt water away from a low spot on the roof. Today, we happen to be racing against an incoming weather system to get the cement troweled on with enough time for it to set up before the deluge.
Since we've got more rain coming in, it's a good thing we've been able to make some progress on the drainage ports through the roof parapet (called sepas by the Spanish). Note the construction methodology laid out here: Block underneath, 6 mil plastic, a bit of insulating board being used as a cricket, chicken wire, nylon mesh and cement. The key to avoiding leaks in a flat roof is to get the water off of it quickly, hence the use of crickets and the angled chute leading to the drainage block. Listen - did you just hear thunder?
A combination of impending rain and cold beer in the refrigerator at home impels your humble correspondent to wrap up work for today, but not before taking a look back at how well our roofing is coming along. This must be the part where the thrill comes in...
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