Day 56 : Richtfest

"Richtfest" is a major milestone in Germany when building a house. It means that the roof framing is complete, also known under the term "topping out". It is usually celebrated by installing a little fir tree or wreath, decorated with colorful ribbons, on top of the roof frame and entertaining the construction crew, friends and neighbors with speeches, toasts, and food. There is candy for the kids ("distributed" parade-like, meaning thrown into the crowd from the roof). And of course there's beer for the adults.

This is how a "Richtfest" may look like:

 

We did not have an elaborate ceremony like that, but I brought a case of beer for the crew and we will celebrate the occasion in private later today. I managed to get on site while the crane was there between 6:00-8:30am. There was another major rain shower last night, so the ground (and the lumber) was soaking wet and there was fog in the valley. The fog was a nice backdrop to the sunny skies, but it made for some dirty boots.

Another team from GMP pulled power cables from the road through the pipes to the site. The meter sits half way along the driveway. Otherwise it would have been too long of a distance for a single run. Power is not hooked up yet, though.  

Here are some photos of the truss installation in the morning fog: