As we go to and from church and around town preparing for Christmas, you may have noticed much was happening at Redeemer. Trades people have been on site working right up until Christmas Eve. Much is happening out of sight from the two construction cameras:
- Installation of the roof trusses for the music wing expansion began in the days leading up to Christmas. These trusses follow the same ridge line that sits above the existing rehearsal room and run south over the new, second rehearsal room.
- Most visible was the plywood roof installed on the sanctuary trusses. The “red” non-combustible plywood is pressure-infused with fire-retardant chemicals that make the plywood more resistant to fire ignition and prevent the spread of fire and smoke if one were to develop.
- Next came the installation of a gray waterproof membrane that will cover the entire roof. The roof over the town square expansion and the roof ridge that runs down the center of the sanctuary were completed before snow fell on December 23. An even stronger ice-and-water shield will be installed in the valleys and eaves.
- Installation of matching roof shingles will begin the week between Christmas and New Year. While the membrane will make the sanctuary waterproof in the short-term and allow for the installation of drywall, the shingles will provide the final roofing surface.
- With the sanctuary water-proof, the installation of insulation can begin over the next week in the sanctuary roof. This insulation carries an R-49 value. This insulation provides a vapor-barrier, noise deadening and of course insulating properties during summer and winter.
- The masons have been hard at work, mostly out of sight from the construction cameras. The front (south) elevation has now been completed, which will allow the steel trusses to be assembled above the new front porch. The masons will also install “thin” bricks above the music wing and along the back (north) sanctuary elevation.
- In the lower level we have received city inspection sign-offs for the in-wall rough plumbing and electrical. This will allow dry-wall to be installed in the lower level once the roof membrane is completely installed.
- Heating and cooling ducts have also been partially installed in both the lower level and in the sanctuary “rafters” (i.e. inside the recently installed roof trusses.) The ducts above the chancel have been installed and will shortly run down both sides of the nave. In the sanctuary all these ducts are hidden behind ceilings and walls.
- Finally, the ten windows that will fill the narthex with light have recently been delivered to the site. The order lead time for these windows was an astounding six months! The six large sanctuary windows will follow later.
