Rain in July? Is there no way to avoid rain in the greater Seattle area?
The project schedule was carefully planned to have wood framing occur in the driest months of the year, July and August. But “summer” 2011 has been surprisingly rainy, including a whopper of a thunderstorm on 18 July 2011.
Fortunately, Model Remodel is on top of things. Lumber waiting to be installed is wrapped with tarps and up off the ground. Lumber that has been installed is protected with tarps. And if rain does get on the floor deck or concrete slab, then the contractors use squeegees to push the puddles away and fans to blow dry things out. Fortunately, most morning drizzles are followed by sunny afternoons, so drying usually occurs the same day. Still, nail heads show telltale rust indicating they have gotten wet.
We really wanted to keep the lumber dry to avoid any mold problems later. Under a microscope, wood is like a bundle of straws and they wick water and tenaciously hold onto it. I like to think of framing in the rain as wearing a cotton T-shirt in the rain. Both get wet and must be actively dried out or they will mold.
It will be a relief to get the roof on this building to help keep the weather out.