1005 West Fairview Ave

On friday the walls were raised with minimal complication. The walls, bulit in two sections each, were on the ground with the edge on the foundation slab. Orignially the plan was to raise the walls with human-power, but they proved to be too heavy and a crane was brought in.

First the moisture wrap (which goes under the entire foundation) was secured onto the edge of the foundation, and caulk was applied so that once the walls were in place a moisture-proof barrier would be created. 2x4s were placed under the edge of the wall, so that as it was lifted, it wouldn't get punctured by the sill bolts.

Straps were wrapped around the top of a section, and the crane lifted it up. The wall was suspended in the air just a few inches above the perimeter, and when all the bolts were lined up with the holes in the wall's frame, the wall was lowered, checked to be level, and wooden 2x4 braces were put into place to keep the wall from falling forward or back. Then washers and nuts were put on the sill bolts to hold the wall down.

The only difficulty came with the first section of the north wall when, as it was lifted, a few points of connection in the joists came apart. The wall was lowered, everything was re-secured and it was successfully lifted into place on the second try.

On Saturday, a wall-raising ceremony, or Weihefest, was held. A traditional evergreen branch was tied to the peak of the roof, and we celebrated. Numerous people attended from all corners of the community including school board and city council members, city employees, neighbors, even visitors from other states (architects and students) came to partake in this community event.

Talented local photographer Nick Mann took the photo shown here, as well as a number of pictures, which you can see by visiting:

http://www.pbase.com/urbana_photographer/passive_house_march06