Building the Boathouse - Part 3

This morning Brenda and I drove down to the lake again to check on the progress of the construction project.  We have not been there for over two week due to our schedules and the rainy weather.  We just can't see driving down to sit in the rain.  

It was fairly cold today with the temperature never getting over the low 40's, but it didn't rain.   When we arrived the lake was flat and a good bit of work had already been completed.

Here is a photo of the dock and boathouse before Alfredo and Poncho began work on the roof rafters.

The roofline will be a hip style with the longer ridge line perpendicular to the shore.  Pancho (on the metal beams) was not as surefooted as the more experienced Alfredo.

Placing the ridge beam was slow going.  They cut the appropriate rafters from long 2x6s and nailed them in place with a compressed air hammer.  With one side constructed they placed the other side rafters in place and nailed the flimsy beginnings together.

As each subsequent rafter was nailed in place the entire structure became more sturdy and began to take shape.  

We left before today's work was completed, but we believe they probably completed the rafters and may have added the plywood sheeting.

We picked out a Slate Gray color for the eventual metal standing seam top layer.  We wanted it to match the metal portion of the roof on our house.  The metal handrail, the grate,  and all the poles supporting the roof and boatlift will be painted battleship gray.

The handrail will add a sense of security for children and their mothers as they walk (or run) out to the boathouse.  The dock is 8 feet wide and "feels" plenty wide enough to stroll along.  I am glad we chose the wider dock so that traveling along it on a golf cart would not be a problem.

The front of the boat slip was originally too broad and left very little room to maneuver a golf cart between the front of the slip and the poles just to the left.  I asked Larry to add more decking while still leaving the slip 21 feet long.  If we ever own a boat that is nearly that long and feel it is too crowded in the slip, I can cut out additional deck boards without weakening any of the underlying support structure.  There are plenty of steel 4x4s and wooden 2x10 joists under the deck.