Mark: I hope you guys are doing well. I've been following you and Anna over these last many cold weeks. My wife and I are getting closer and closer to joining you guys in Virginia and enjoying some of our own adventures.

I may be too late to be of any help but in the past when I've had to work with plywood or sheetrock overhead I've used a "deadman," which is nothing more than a 2x4 nailed to another in the shape of a capital T. The vertical 2x4 should be 1 1/2 inches shorter than the ceiling to floor height with the balance being filled by the horizontal 2x4. One person can work without help if he has a deadman to assist. It's a lot easier on the had too....I've used that route too on occasion when I was too lazy or in too big a hurry to knock together a deadman.

Hope I'm not too late to help.

I'll be up in Blackwater next week for a few days and won't get a chance to see you but hope to get back up in late March or early April and hope that I can get you enough notice so we can get together for lunch again.

Dennis

I'm not sure what I'll do for my ceiling. I might see what it would cost to have somebody do it -- maybe the roofing people. If it costs too much, I'll see if I can rent or build a drywall lifter.

I just Googled "homemade drywall lifter" and saw some gismos that might work.

ok here's what you do, it's called a dumb buddy, take and measure the length you will need, take a 2x 4 that length, then add a piece across one end, m,aking a T
then you put your ceiling board in place using the dumb buddy as your helping hand you can also use a few shims if needed, this is what a lot of contractors use, there you be son mom

Eliza: Some panels went smoother than others and some required serious back strain due to the awkward angle.

Mom: I like the idea of a "dumb buddy" helper but Huckleberry already has that job under control. If we were doing a bigger building I might have tried one, but we had to do a considerable amount of adjusting and it really helped to have my fingers up there moving and pushing as needed. I was able to reach the lower panels from the floor and a step stool and we've only got one more high one to finish and the rest will be over the loft area.

Dennis: Good luck in Blackwater next week, hope you get enough good weather to get a few things done.

Roland: I like this idea the best. It appeals to my inner Rube Goldberg side and will keep that one in mind for future projects of this type. Eye bolts are so useful!

Rehoot: I hear you about hiring this type of work out....but it's so hard to find dependable workers these days. I hope you've got trustworthy help that will be semi sober and show up when they say they'll be there. I remember paying a guy in Las Cruces to build a cinder block wall and it seemed to take forever with several days in between each session.