I was sore. Tired and sore. Cranky, tired and sore. Sheeting takes a toll on the body as well as the mind. For as simple a task as it is, it weighs upon you. The physical labor is fleeting. The monotony of the task lasts long afterwards.
While it took me 10-15 minutes to measure, cut and place each sheet I was left to my own devices in my mind, and that was dangerous. Frustration mounted, and being physically tired didn’t help. I envy people who can enjoy these sort of laborious tasks without getting frustrated; I am not one of them.
The problem was, as has been since, is that I know I am on a tight schedule. A job that should take a day far too often has taken several, and that adds up. Even throughout a single task such as this, I could see progress happening. I could see each sheet dwindling the open space left, but I couldn’t help becoming forlorn over the length of time needed to do so.
Day 16 I was not in a good place, and I was happy to see it done. With each sheet placed I was that much closer to completing my task, and I was happy to do so. And then a curious thing happened. I might have been delirious from working in the sun all day, but I began to cherish each sheet as it was finished. I began to count down how many were left. I was renewed.
Once every last piece was put into place, all I had to do was run my router along the top plate to trim the waste; I was done. Ever since the first sheet began to go up I was excitedly anticipating the framing of the rafters, for framing I do enjoy. That, and it would be the first physical sign of true progress in what I felt was a stagnant period.
Oftentimes throughout this build I have felt this period of stagnation. Where, it feels as though I’ve been stuck at the same level of progression for far too long. Luckily, it only takes the completion of a simple task to open my eyes to the bigger picture and how far we’ve come. On day 16, it was finishing the sheeting. I was now ready to start framing the rafters.