Filling in the spaces.

Finally back to work on the Kuti.

Now it's time to fill in the spaces between the rafters just under the roof and above the wall top plate. We wanted to make double sure that we are rodent proof as well as keeping out wasps, ants and other small pests. We also want to allow for some venting of the insulation area under the roof and over the ceiling. This opening is 10 inches from the top plate to the underside of the roof sheathing. I used 5/8 CDX, thinking it thick enough to resist warping. I cut one sheet into 3 pieces 16"X96". I then tacked one of the pieces flat on the wall touching the bottoms of the rafters. I alligned one end at the NW corner of the building. Using a straight edge I mimicked the width of the rafters and drew my lines for cutting at each rafter. I took the board down and completed the lines to a depth of 10 inches. I cut these out using a combination of skill saw and jig saw. Next I measured half way left to right and top to bottom of these cuts. Using a 1 5/8" hole saw I cut holes at each of these points. I then cut 3" squares of 1/4" hardware cloth to use as rodent defense and 5" squares of metal window screen fabric to use as insect defense. Laying the hardware mesh centered on the screen I folded the screen edges in and over the mesh. Then using roofing nails I fastened the screen/mesh to the backside or inside of the board and proceded to install on the building. The area will be caulked before painting or staining. Be careful and pay attention to the lines drawn using the straight edge along the sides of the rafters. If the rafters are not plumb it will give you false cut lines on your fill in board. You must compensate for warped or angled rafters.