I'm glad I didn't leave the tarpaulin until last.

It took me up to 4.00 pm to install the purlins, even though in most cases I just had to mark up from the cleats, drill, bolt and also drill through the top plates and bolt.

I'm not sure why it all takes so long - I had expected to knock the installation over in an hour.

I did, however, have to spend about an hour planning the corridor joist positions.

In the middle of the building, around the wet areas it is difficult to locate positions where a purlin has a space to sit on either side of the corridor.

I ended up working it out but I have to choose between a spacing of 600 mm or 300 mm.

I have gone for 300 mm because this section has to carry a roof bearing frame above it.

This is using up more right angle cleats than I anticipated.

Between 4.00 pm and 7.00 pm I managed to cut, drill, bolt and install a C150 purlin in to one side at the top of the stairwell.

The first job next week (or maybe Labour Day holiday) is to install the other side.

Monday (public holiday)

I was out on site at 6.30 am and tip toed around until 9.00 am installing the second stairwell purlin.

Alex and friend visited me on bikes at around 10.00 am.

All up it probably took me about 4 hours to install this purlin.

Very tricky - I needed to drill mounting holes in the existing PFC, trim the purlin to length, coach screw a bracket on the outer edge and pin the purlin to the underlying plate using 5 more smaller coach screws.

After this was completed I gingerly climbed up on to the loft floor (so far) and move the upright stand from the front of the house to the middle where it should do a much more disciplined job of supporting the protective tarpaulin.

For the rest of the day I worked my way through the stock pile of Z150 purlins.

This was rather disappointing - when I stored them away about 5 years ago they were all shiny and clean.

After the minor flood we had about 3 years ago they are now tannin stained with minor surface oxidation.