
Office: 360-874-2311
Fax: 360-874-0287
pioneer [at] pioneerbuildersonline [dot] com
Fax: 360-874-0287
pioneer [at] pioneerbuildersonline [dot] com
Portfolio
Browse some examples of the craftsmanship we put in to each project. Click on the thumbnails to see each gallery and examine our work for yourself.
- Parent Directory
- IMG_1516|caption|Master bathroom..jpg
- IMG_1520|caption|View of North Lake..jpg
- IMG_1524|caption|Master bedroom..jpg
- IMG_1526|caption|Great Room..jpg
- IMG_1528.jpg
- IMG_1531|caption|Looking back at the entry..jpg
- IMG_1539|caption|Entry..jpg
- IMG_6459|caption|Set up the footings after we poured the walls on lot 35. Both houses are about 70'w x 47'd..jpg
- IMG_6460|caption|Interior footings for shearwalls in the crawlspace. Some of them will get concrete walls and the footings parallel with the joists will get a wood framed shearwall that will match the top of the joists..jpg
- IMG_6462.jpg
- IMG_6465|caption|First step is to find the highest point. We'll lift the footing up 1(*2" higher than that point. This way we don't lift it too much, but still maintiain the code minimum, 6" deep..jpg
- IMG_6471|caption|After we run around and lift the outside level and nail the stakes, we then level across with a 2' or 4' level and nail the opposite side..jpg
- IMG_6473|caption|2 #4 bars in the footing. Next county over requires just one bar..jpg
- IMG_6509|caption|Yesterday at 12 we poured the footings, then snapped lines, set clips and tied the rebar. Today we raced to set up the walls for inspection. I went down to talk to the inspector about what time he'd show up..jpg
- IMG_6511|caption|Matt and I got to the job at 7 and scattered panels. Then we set up one corner and my brother showed up to help us. Him and Matt set up most of the founation, about 1(*2 by the time I got back 1 hour later..jpg
- IMG_6512|caption|Interior shear walls on the footings and then where the joists cross the interior stemwalls, we block between joists with 4x10 material and run all thread down to the holddown bolts that are hanging there by the blue anchormates..jpg
- IMG_6515|caption|We use a line pump to place the concrete. I'm on the right and that is Gordon on the left. Super nice guy. It is a laid back pour using the line pump and a lot cleaner than using a boom pump or tailgating it..jpg
- IMG_6522|caption|All told the footing was about 17 yds and the walls were 13. I was 1(*2 yd over on the order today. Last week I was over by one pier pad amount. It is a fine line between getting the order dead on and having too little concrete..jpg
- IMG_6531|caption|Here is the foundation mostly stripped..jpg
- IMG_6533.jpg
- IMG_6534.jpg
- IMG_6536.jpg
- IMG_6537|caption|We use the Simpson MASP mudsill anchors. They are about $0.80 (*pc and super easy to put in and only require 3 nails per tab. I much prefer using them than J bolts..jpg
- IMG_6540|caption|My first time in an excavator. Our dirtman left the key to it so Matt could start backfilling. We didn't get that far because we were playing with the tractor :-)..jpg
- IMG_6545|caption|Matt in the machine. He is a lot better at it than I am, but that isn't saying much at all :-).jpg
- IMG_6547|caption|Dirt man started backfilling this morning..jpg
- IMG_6548|caption|He gave us a key to the machine and the lock over the controls :-). Haven't gotten to drive it... yet.jpg
- IMG_6552|caption|This afternoon Matt and I installed the mudsill. Tomorrow we'll frame the floor..jpg
- IMG_6556|caption|We worked half a day setting girders and got one shearwall framed. It rained on us the whole time. But at least it wasn't too cold..jpg
- IMG_6557|caption|You can see the shearwall on the far end. It should plane about 1(*8" below the top of the floor joists, and it does on the back side next to the girder, it sits abougt 1(*4" too high in the front..jpg
- IMG_6558|caption|We were short some joists for doublers and blocking..jpg
- IMG_6560|caption|We pushed it yesterday and nearly got the floor framed..jpg
- IMG_6562|caption|Got our underfloor inspection and finished everything..jpg
- IMG_6563|caption|All thread sticking up so we can sheathe around it. Then we'll cut it off at the right height..jpg
- IMG_6564.jpg
- IMG_6565|caption|All ready to start sheathing..jpg
- IMG_6566|caption|Wall package is all stacked up on the hill out of the way..jpg
- IMG_6568|caption|Betto is going to frame with us a little until the other job is ready for trim..jpg
- IMG_6569|caption|The floor took forever to sheathe, but its ready now. We'll snap lines in the morning if it isn't too wet..jpg
- IMG_6617|caption|Lines snaped, plates layed out, window packages cut and kingstud(*trimmers put together..jpg
- IMG_6618|caption|Matt layed out plates, and I cut window packages. Window packages are on the cart where they can be moved around and the exterior walls studs are in the middle of the floor..jpg
- IMG_6622.jpg
- IMG_6623.jpg
- IMG_6624|caption|Bryan (brother) was helping us out and I thought it'd be a good job for him to learn to drive the forklift because its got some hills and obstacles..jpg
- IMG_6625.jpg
- IMG_6627.jpg
- IMG_6630.jpg
- IMG_6631|caption|We decided to frame the rakewall w(*out the rafters. I still cut rafters to use to lay it out but we framed it with a double top plate. It was stiffer to lift so that is how we'll do it from here on out probably..jpg
- IMG_6635.jpg
- IMG_6644|caption|Not a whole lot of progress. Been a few months since we framed, and it'll take a couple of days to get back into the swing of it..jpg
- IMG_6646|caption|Got our new Max high pressure guns. A little more than 1(*2 the weight of the framing guns we were using. Jobsite is a lot quieter now without the big compressor going all day long..jpg
- IMG_6647|caption|Friday morning, the weather is nice. I'm counting the hours till I can take off and go see Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in Seattle..jpg
- IMG_6648|caption|Right when I'm supposed to be home packing and trying to catch the ferry, we get the rakewall done and are lifting it in. It set down right over the all thread sticking up..jpg
- IMG_6656|caption|Garage slab was poured in the front, so we moved to the back and set the rear porch beams..jpg
- IMG_6665|caption|Of course why lift 6x12s when we can connect them and lift them with a machine..jpg
- IMG_6666|caption|Matt got it really close, I just got on the ladder and tapped them out until they dropped into the hangers. We then cut the posts and set them..jpg
- IMG_6667|caption|Betto is framing with us again today since the trim package is late on another job..jpg
- IMG_6670|caption|Its easier to frame the garage openings by attaching king studs and trimmers to the header and sometimes the intersecting wall plates..jpg
- IMG_6673.jpg
- IMG_6677|caption|Betto can hold that pose for at least 2 seconds!!.jpg
- IMG_6680|caption|Running across the garage is a 6 3(*4" x 25" x 31' long glulam..jpg
- IMG_6681|caption|I'm pretty sure it didn't take 30 minutes to put in 5 screws. Siesta maybe?.jpg
- IMG_6685|caption|This house gets a section of floor for storage, so we snapped a line 9 1(*2"down from the top and nail on the hangers before lifting the beam in..jpg
- IMG_6687|caption|Because of the load on the beam, the plan called for glulam posts. Nice and lightweight and perfectly straight..jpg
- IMG_6689.jpg
- IMG_6693.jpg
- IMG_6695|caption|We framed and sheathed the garage walls, then cut out the holes for the beam and posts to drop in. I cut the holes a little tight so it took some wiggling to get the beam to set in..jpg
- IMG_6696|caption|All set to start putting in ceiling joists Monday..jpg
- IMG_6699|caption|North Lake in the background. It isn't very big, but we can boom through the trees with the forklift and if it gets hot this summer, we just might turn the forklift into a high dive.jpg
- IMG_6700.jpg
- IMG_6702.jpg
- IMG_6704.jpg
- IMG_6705.jpg
- IMG_6707|caption|We had a pretty nice day today. There is a chance of snow tomorrow (saturday), lightening, hail and even a chance of a funnel cloud!!.jpg
- IMG_6712|caption|42 2x12 in the racks. Matt is cutting with a really dull chain.... .the rafters that is :-).jpg
- IMG_6721|caption|Put a new chain on and it cuts like butter. Slightly cold butter, but butter..jpg
- IMG_6728.jpg
- IMG_6731|caption|Last rafter in the run an its still perfectly 45 degrees..jpg
- IMG_6732.jpg
- IMG_6734|caption|The rafter length left no large waste..jpg
- IMG_6737.jpg
- IMG_6739|caption|A good chisel tooth chain leaves "ribbons" of wood. Not the sawdust you'd normally see cutting with a chainsaw..jpg
- IMG_6741.jpg
- IMG_6743.jpg
- IMG_6747.jpg
- IMG_6750.jpg
- IMG_6755.jpg
- IMG_6759.jpg
- IMG_6761|caption|The very best part of gang cutting!!.jpg
- IMG_6769|caption|Most of these rafters land on walls inside for a cathedral ceiling. So I'm cutting off the tails for all but the last 10 rafters..jpg
- IMG_6777|caption|The saw tends to want to climb out of the stock and make it difficult to stay on the guide. I'm pressing against that handle of the saw pretty hard..jpg
- IMG_6781.jpg
- IMG_6783.jpg
- IMG_6787|caption|A 38' 1 3(*4" x 14" LVL Ridge..jpg
- IMG_6788.jpg
- IMG_6801|caption|We built the rakewalls so that it would support the ridge and make it easy to stack the rear porch and the living room..jpg
- IMG_6804.jpg
- IMG_6805|caption|Matt is sliding the ridge into the pocket of the rakewall in the entry(*living room..jpg
- IMG_6807|caption|He is a bit of an animal which....jpg
- IMG_6812|caption|...is a compliment..jpg
- IMG_6814|caption|Late in the day and its just easier to boom in while he nails the rafters. That way we don't have to set any scaffolding..jpg
- IMG_6817.jpg
- IMG_6820.jpg
- IMG_6828.jpg
- IMG_6833.jpg
- IMG_6834.jpg
- IMG_6835.jpg
- IMG_6838.jpg
- IMG_6842|caption|Started out the morning racking 28' green doug fir 2x12..jpg
- IMG_6845.jpg
- IMG_6846|caption|You can see these things are still wet..jpg
- IMG_6852.jpg
- IMG_6855|caption|layout for the birdsmouth and tail cuts. Had to shift the lines about 3(*16" after the headcuts were made..jpg
- IMG_6856|caption|My favorite sweatshirt and it isn't mine..jpg
- IMG_6866|caption|Setting the second highest ridge. We attached one post, but the other post is going to land on the kitchen wall. It is just easier to leave the ridge on the forks and set some rafters and the hip..jpg
- IMG_6868|caption|Once a couple of commons were set and the hip, we set the other post and then used the little platform so Matt could nail the valley..jpg
- IMG_6870|caption|The two of us set the 28' stock (26'9" to the tails) and the 30' LVL hips and valleys without the forklift. Roger Clemens B12 shots really do work!!.jpg
- IMG_6875|caption|Time to get something to eat. After break we'll cut some jacks and put them in..jpg
- IMG_6877|caption|Starting to take shape. Hope the weather is nice Monday because now we are on the fun part, cutting and stacking..jpg
- IMG_6878.jpg
- IMG_6879|caption|Spent some time this morning adjusting the middle height ridge so that the rafters in the back would plane better. Then filled in the rafters on the right and overframed and framed a valley in the back..jpg
- IMG_6880.jpg
- IMG_6881.jpg
- IMG_6882|caption|Jacks and hips cut and ready to go in tomorrow..jpg
- IMG_6883|caption|Upper ridge will post down to the glulam on the forks which will span the great room..jpg
- IMG_6888|caption|This morning we set the glulam over the great room that will support the ridge that I can't lift..jpg
- IMG_6896.jpg
- IMG_6902|caption|The rafters here in front are cut from 30' green 2x12 and we felt it'd be easier to nail them into the ridge and use the forklift to hold it while the roof gets assembled..jpg
- IMG_6907|caption|The tires are just touching the wall..jpg
- IMG_6909|caption|We set the hips and king common on the far left using the platform and now we are getting ready to set this hip..jpg
- IMG_6911|caption|We have the platform in place and tilted so we can shoot the hip up and lean it on the rails. It is an 1 3(*4" x 14" LVL 32' long..jpg
- IMG_6912|caption|Things weren't fitting just right, so we pushed the hip we just set to make everything plane and it put a bow in the hip. We'll straighten that tomorrow when we nail hip to valley jacks..jpg
- IMG_6913.jpg
- IMG_6917.jpg
- IMG_6918.jpg
- IMG_6920.jpg
- IMG_6921|caption|I love the look of the framing on hips..jpg
- IMG_6922.jpg
- IMG_6924.jpg
- IMG_6925.jpg
- IMG_6926.jpg
- IMG_6927.jpg
- IMG_6932|caption|Finished the overframing in the back and then moved to the front..jpg
- IMG_6935.jpg
- IMG_6936|caption|Finished the valley jacks and the hip to valley jacks and straigthened the hip..jpg
- IMG_6940|caption|Tomorrow we'll frame the gable above the front porch and then the valleys. The dormer over the entry will be the very last thing we do after the roof is sheathed..jpg
- IMG_6941.jpg
- IMG_6945.jpg
- IMG_6951.jpg
- IMG_6955|caption|Started out the day laying out the supported valleys..jpg
- IMG_6961.jpg
- IMG_6963|caption|It doesn't take but a minute to bevel the valleys. Normally I wouldn't but it seemed like it would help place them on the hip..jpg
- IMG_6965.jpg
- IMG_6980|caption|The ridge is just a little high, so we sprung the hip up a little and that helped, but we left the ridge about a quarter high..jpg
- IMG_6982|caption|It probably would have all worked out well if the hip wasn't cupped. Sometimes LVL comes out so perfect and other times its cupped..jpg
- IMG_6983.jpg
- IMG_6984.jpg
- IMG_6985.jpg
- IMG_6989|caption|Got the first gable framed in and the hip to valley jacks and then took lunch..jpg
- IMG_6990|caption|Framed in the second one and got the last long rafters in. We had hoped to go home early today. Took us all day..jpg
- IMG_6993|caption|In order to set the last hip jack, I had to run the extension ladder off plywood on top of the ceiling joists. Figured while up here, might as well take a picture..jpg
- IMG_6996|caption|Monday we'll frame the opening for the dormer and then frame walls under some of the rafters in the storage room, then we'll start blocking and next week this thing will be sheathed..jpg
- IMG_6997|caption|That's me in my green Duluth shirt. Pretty good camouflage..jpg
- IMG_7003|caption|This picture was taken through a window with the screen on. I was too lazy to remove the screen and get the window open. This is a big roof for two guys to frame and we are beat..jpg
- IMG_7004.jpg
- IMG_7005.jpg
- IMG_7006.jpg
- IMG_7009|caption|Spent the last couple of days blocking, framing gable ends, and hanging subfascia and fascia..jpg
- IMG_7010.jpg
- IMG_7011.jpg
- IMG_7013.jpg
- IMG_7015.jpg
- IMG_7020|caption|We are just about ready to start sheathing..jpg
- IMG_7021.jpg
- IMG_7022.jpg
- IMG_7027|caption|We'll start sheathing the 8-12 side because we can use the cutoffs to get the longer(*more acute 12-12 hip and valley angles..jpg
- IMG_7028.jpg
- IMG_7029.jpg
- IMG_7031.jpg
- IMG_7032.jpg
- IMG_7035|caption|Steadily getting there..jpg
- IMG_7108|caption|Dormer walls going together..jpg
- IMG_7110|caption|Layout for the tail. This way all the cuts can be made from the same side..jpg
- IMG_7111.jpg
- IMG_7122|caption|Birdsmouth for the shallow side of the hip. The line on the left represents middle of the hip. Then another line parallel 1 1(*8". Measure down from the top of that line the HAP and make the seatcut..jpg
- IMG_7124|caption|Flip the stock over and put another parallel line "uphill" from the plumb line representing the middle of the hip. This is the layout line that you then measure the HAP to locate the start of the backing bevel for top of the hip..jpg
- IMG_7125|caption|12" HAP to the short point of the bevel..jpg
- IMG_7128|caption|Back on the shallow side, showing the HAP..jpg
- IMG_7129|caption|Drawing the line on the top edge of the rafter is actually the outside of the wall line below. When the hip is in place, that line will be directly over the outside of the wall..jpg
- IMG_7130|caption|Top of the hip after it has been backed..jpg
- IMG_7132|caption|Hip offset layed out on the plates..jpg
- IMG_7133|caption|Shallow side of the hip..jpg
- IMG_7134|caption|Steep side of the hip. You can see that the layout line on the hip is directly over the wall..jpg
- IMG_7135.jpg
- IMG_7140|caption|Believe it or not, Betto isn't posing :-) He is a finish carpenter so he is a little more deliberate about nailing..jpg
- IMG_7144|caption|Everything fit tight, but we were fighting some cupping..jpg
- IMG_7148|caption|Subfascia is in and the hip portion is framed..jpg
- IMG_7149.jpg
- IMG_7153|caption|Fascia hung 2" high and all cut ends primered..jpg
- IMG_7156.jpg
- IMG_7160|caption|Really bad picture but it was bright enough to show the equal overhangs and the hip slid back from the corner..jpg
- IMG_7164.jpg
- IMG_7166.jpg
- IMG_7167.jpg
- IMG_7174|caption|The roofers nearly have the house ready for tile. They'll finish the battens and then set the valley metal and its about ready for tile..jpg
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