Out of the depths

On Wednesday morning, Feb. 18, the framing crew had put up plywoood sheathing on the west end of the classroom wing from floor level extending up to the roof trusses. They were also building wall sections that would eventually be raised to form the clerestory above the fellowship area. But that's about a week away.

Inside the narthex, Warren realized that the only way to remove the old ductwork from the old furnace was to cut a hole in the narthex floor. It looks a bit brutal but it got the job done. The ductwork that came out through that hole sits in the sanctuary ready to be carted off for recycling. Warren said he found a good place for that. Unfortunately, the stuff can't be re-used in our building: the furnace and vents will be in different places than they are now. It's much more efficient to build the ducts anew.

In the second photo of the old ductwork, note the window in the background. There will be two more windows like this on each side of the expanded sanctuary. If these and the new ones end two feet higher above the floor, we won't be required to use much more expensive tempered glass in them. Warren is discussing replacement options.

In the last photo, one of the ladders legs sits on a square concrete pad. Support for a new weight-bearing wall will rest on that pad. Earlier, Warren got under the floor, broke through concrete that was already there, built the pad's frame and poured the pad. "If only I had realized I could have just cut a hole in the floor ..." the work would have been a lot easier.