Timber Frame Tractor Home

[wroughtn_harv]

It could be worse Kevin, you could be like me and keep on keeping on while being paid to stop. One of the problems I have is overdoing every project, giving everyone a Mercedes when they've ordered a Mercury.

Your cupola has influenced one on a gasebo I'm currently building for an attorney in Dallas. All I'm doing is the steel skeleton off of a drawing by an architect.

 

[patrick_g]

Kevin, There are too big impediments to finishing the pole barn (#1) we are doing with green wood. Although last year was a record drought exceeding the worst of the dust bowl era this year is a record setter for most consecutive days of measurable precip and most rainfall this season to date since records were kept. As I write this we are under a flash flood watch, severe thunderstorm watch, etc.

I am NOT in danger of "attack" by water and the basement is staying perfectly dry with no waterproofing painted on the walls, and no membranes.

However, it is so muddy that the guy on whose property we are building the barn can't get electricity to his new well, or recently moved in trailer house. He lived in the trailer and built a house, lived in that house for three years and recently sold it and rented it back for a month to give him time to move the (now a rental) trailer to near his new building site. Unfortunately the rain has left him homeless and we have run out of lumber.

As soon as we can get back into the woods with equipment (trucks, trailers, tractors, OURSELVES) we will start logging again. The guy milling for us seems to get first pick on the lumber and his figuring is suspect and I am strongly in favor of my friend and I going together and buying our own mill.

Anyway...the short answer would be that the "game" has been called due to rain.

I'm anxious to get his done so we can start #2 (mine.) I have some landscaping to do by dozer which couples in with site prep for my pole barn which is not designed yet... and I have a telephone pole to set near the not totally decided pole barn location (ham and ranch comms antennas.)

We couldn't foresee and were surprised by the continuation of the rains into mid July, very non-typical. If the frequent excessive rains stop or at least significantly taper off by the end of the month or AT LEAST BY MID AUGUST we'll get going on this again. I still want to make hay. The first attempt left 3/4 of the cutting in the field rotting in the frequent rains and it is OVERDUE to be cut again with no respite in sight.

I see knots of good ole boys gathered up discussing something furtively. I'm not sure what but one of the words frequently overheard is CUBIT!

Pat

 

[khd]

It could be worse Kevin, you could be like me and keep on keeping on while being paid to stop. One of the problems I have is overdoing every project, giving everyone a Mercedes when they've ordered a Mercury.

Your cupola has influenced one on a gasebo I'm currently building for an attorney in Dallas. All I'm doing is the steel skeleton off of a drawing by an architect.

Yeah, I know what you mean Harv, its a sickness. Very nice looking gazebo, I have to keep that pic away from the wife or my next project will be started before I finish this one.

Kevin

 

[khd]

Kevin, There are too big impediments to finishing the pole barn (#1) we are doing with green wood. Although last year was a record drought exceeding the worst of the dust bowl era this year is a record setter for most consecutive days of measurable precip and most rainfall this season to date since records were kept. As I write this we are under a flash flood watch, severe thunderstorm watch, etc.

I am NOT in danger of "attack" by water and the basement is staying perfectly dry with no waterproofing painted on the walls, and no membranes.

However, it is so muddy that the guy on whose property we are building the barn can't get electricity to his new well, or recently moved in trailer house. He lived in the trailer and built a house, lived in that house for three years and recently sold it and rented it back for a month to give him time to move the (now a rental) trailer to near his new building site. Unfortunately the rain has left him homeless and we have run out of lumber.

As soon as we can get back into the woods with equipment (trucks, trailers, tractors, OURSELVES) we will start logging again. The guy milling for us seems to get first pick on the lumber and his figuring is suspect and I am strongly in favor of my friend and I going together and buying our own mill.

Anyway...the short answer would be that the "game" has been called due to rain.

I'm anxious to get his done so we can start #2 (mine.) I have some landscaping to do by dozer which couples in with site prep for my pole barn which is not designed yet... and I have a telephone pole to set near the not totally decided pole barn location (ham and ranch comms antennas.)

We couldn't foresee and were surprised by the continuation of the rains into mid July, very non-typical. If the frequent excessive rains stop or at least significantly taper off by the end of the month or AT LEAST BY MID AUGUST we'll get going on this again. I still want to make hay. The first attempt left 3/4 of the cutting in the field rotting in the frequent rains and it is OVERDUE to be cut again with no respite in sight.

I see knots of good ole boys gathered up discussing something furtively. I'm not sure what but one of the words frequently overheard is CUBIT!

Pat

Watching the weather channel this morning I see its still raining. It has to quit sometime and you'll get back to working unless you start seeing animals pairing up. Maybe we could do a little trading, I'll trade you some of my parched "steel wool" lawn for some of your mud.

Kevin

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Yeah, I know what you mean Harv, its a sickness. Very nice looking gazebo, I have to keep that pic away from the wife or my next project will be started before I finish this one.

Kevin

The architect asked if I could come up with a design for the walls of the cupola. His idea was some metal grating of some kind, it was up to me. I took one look at your cupola and knew instantly what I wanted.

The carpenters will place a two by eight rough cut cedar facia on the plate I've prepared for them. They will install a tongue and groove cedar ceiling on top of my steel framework. On top of that they'll put down plywood decking and then Prestige Plus thirty year shingles to match the house.

I took on this job because of the challenge of all the compound cuts and welds. Challenges are what makes my clock tick tock. It's become somewhat of a nightmare because of the rain, more today and we've had what happens when the GC is a good guy and has one member of the team that isn't a team player. One sub has jumped in and got his stuff done totally screwing everyone else, but, heck his stuff is done.

 

[patrick_g]

Harv, I had never heard the Mercury-Mercedes comment before but had been accused by a prof of mine (Navy commander teaching comp sci classes at night) of always delivering a Cadillac when he ordered a Volkswagen bug.

Nice gazebo but kinda crowded up, a tight fit to the fence, pool, etc.. That guy needs a bigger lot.

Pat

 

[khd]

The architect asked if I could come up with a design for the walls of the cupola. His idea was some metal grating of some kind, it was up to me. I took one look at your cupola and knew instantly what I wanted.

The carpenters will place a two by eight rough cut cedar facia on the plate I've prepared for them. They will install a tongue and groove cedar ceiling on top of my steel framework. On top of that they'll put down plywood decking and then Prestige Plus thirty year shingles to match the house.

I took on this job because of the challenge of all the compound cuts and welds. Challenges are what makes my clock tick tock. It's become somewhat of a nightmare because of the rain, more today and we've had what happens when the GC is a good guy and has one member of the team that isn't a team player. One sub has jumped in and got his stuff done totally screwing everyone else, but, heck his stuff is done.

Looking good Harv, the vents will give it aesthetic appeal and help that hot Texas air to vent. Please keep me up to date on the project as I really like the look of wood, steel and stone. I've always wanted to play around w/ structural steel and have been thinking of a covered porch over our front stoop using four post craftsman/prairie columns done in steel.

Kevin

 

[VABlue]

That's a nice looking gazebo. It must be fun, as a contractor, to have the customer give you creative enterprise to work with, rather than always doing what they want? I guess your customer trusts that you'll do a good job and have good taste. That can only feel good...

 

[EddieWalker]

I've enjoyed this thread and the cupola has really cought my attention. I'm about to build two gazebo's myself, and will be putting a cupola on both of them. One will be four sided, the other eight sided. The framing and building them is simple enough, but designing the cupola is what's really giving me mental fits.

Instead of using wood, I'm thinking of finishing it off in Hardi Siding. The wood grain will take stain or paint better then real wood and last allot longer. I can create some louvers easy enough too, but I've got it in my head that I'd rather not have them if I don't have to. What I really want is to put 8 inch glass blocks in there in stead and have a low wattage night light in there. I've never seen this done, so it might be a disaster, but it might also be very cool.

Does anybody know why you have to vent the top of a gazebo? What would happen if it's not vented? Will it create condensation?

If I have to vent the cupola, can I put in small soffit vents instead? There are some little round ones that I've seen, but never used, that should work if I had to vent it. I just don't know why a building without any walls on it needs a peak vent?

Eddie

 

[khd]

I've enjoyed this thread and the cupola has really cought my attention. I'm about to build two gazebo's myself, and will be putting a cupola on both of them. One will be four sided, the other eight sided. The framing and building them is simple enough, but designing the cupola is what's really giving me mental fits.

Instead of using wood, I'm thinking of finishing it off in Hardi Siding. The wood grain will take stain or paint better then real wood and last allot longer. I can create some louvers easy enough too, but I've got it in my head that I'd rather not have them if I don't have to. What I really want is to put 8 inch glass blocks in there in stead and have a low wattage night light in there. I've never seen this done, so it might be a disaster, but it might also be very cool.

Does anybody know why you have to vent the top of a gazebo? What would happen if it's not vented? Will it create condensation?

If I have to vent the cupola, can I put in small soffit vents instead? There are some little round ones that I've seen, but never used, that should work if I had to vent it. I just don't know why a building without any walls on it needs a peak vent?

Eddie

Eddie:

Very few cupolas are actual working vents anymore. In fact probably 90% of what you see on 1970's vintage and newer construction are just sitting on top of the roofing material for "looks" only. Your idea sound nice and there will be nothing wrong with not providing any venting. If your cupola is open from below and your light drops from the top it would not only light the cupola for effect but also give a little light to the gazebo on a nice summer night.

Pictures when you get going.

Regards,
Kevin