The challenge in this project was to establish a new roof support structure which over the hundred year history of the building had sagged around the original farming’s bearing points. In order to do this, new bearing points and structural elements had to be added from the basement up through the entire structure, all while the store and bakery remained open. Photo above shows the second floor steel beams on site after being brought through a fire door by crane. Each pair will be welded together on site and then set into the openings in the floor which have been cut out to expose bearing points underneath.
The ace building straightening crew from Bender Construction of Beaver Dam, WI came for a day with their awesome set of screw-jacks to push the old framing back to its turn of the 20th-century positions.
New white pine timbers from the sustainable forest of the Menomonee Tribe were placed to support the sagging site-built girders.
After a few days of air sealing and vapor barrier work a new ceiling of plaster base is installed on ¾ inch strapping.
Here the Gimme plaster crew embarks on the full tilt boogie of plastering about 2500 sq. feet of 14-foot high ceiling. 2½ hours later they were having a well earned lunch of Earthcrust Bakery’s famous pastries.