Hi Tim!
I just found your website and hope you can help me. I'm about to start a small concrete block structure to house my "garbage cans". My question: How do you attach the framing (roof) to the blocks? I know I need to run a piece of lumber around the top, but how do you firmly attach this to the top run of blocks? Your answer is anxiously awaited! Many thanks and Richest Blessings.
Debbie Scragg
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Debbie,
An excellent question! You do this by installing anchor bolts in the cores of the concrete block. An anchor bolt is a one-half inch diameter piece of steel that has machine threads at one end and a 90 degree bend at the other end. The threaded end sticks up above the top of the last row about 2.5 inches. You embed the bolt into the block with wet mortar and chips of broken block or clean small rocks. You can slide the wood plate over the bolts after 24 hours and hand tighten the nuts onto the bolt. But do not tighten with a wrench for at least one month as the mortar must get very hard.
It is very important for the block walls to be parallel and square. This makes it a breeze to frame the roof. If you goof up, you can cheat a little by squaring the 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 plate that will be bolted to the block walls using the anchor bolts.
Tim
W3ATB