Professional Documents
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BY DA N C A RY
Retreat
The illustrations and dimensions shown are for a 10 x 12-ft. structure. We chose this size for a few reasons. First, these dimensions lend themselves to easier calculations. Second, you wont need any lumber longer than 12 ft. (so you shouldnt need to special-order materials at most lumberyards). And finally, depending on the specific codes in your municipality, a 10 x 12-ft. structure may not require a building permit. (Note: The screen house that we built and photographed is actually almost 10 x 14 ft.; we increased the width to fill the space on the site. As a result, the framing spacing in the photos doesnt exactly match the illustrations.) Building a structure that features so many exposed parts and joints is more time-consuming than building a typical framed-and-sided structure. The location and appearance of every cut end, joint and fastener must be carefully considered because almost nothing is hidden. In many respects its more like a woodworking project than a construction project a great opportunity to showcase your craftsmanship.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT JACOBSON, MIKE ANDERSON AND LARRY OKREND DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE BY VERN GRASSEL ILLUSTRATIONS BY MIKE ANDERSON
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SCREEN HOUSE
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Front panel
Side panel
Inside cap
PANEL DETAIL
FRONT PANELS (6) SIDE PANELS (6) BACK BACK PANELS PANELS (4) (4) FRONT FRONT PANELS PANELS (2) (2) 5-1/2" DOORS (2) 3-1/2"
Inside edge
29"
29"
32"
35"
The walls of this screen house are made with individual screened panels that are attached between posts, bottom plates and top plates. We built the panels in the shop and then assembled each wall on site. We calculated a panel size for each wall by subtracting the post widths and dividing up the remaining length of each wall into equal-size panels. Then we made multiple identical panels for each wall using an assembly-line process. For example, we built each set of wall panels by cutting all of the parts, staining them and then assembling each panel like a kit. Staining the parts before assembly allowed us to easily coat all surfaces before adding the screens. The wall panels were built 1-1/2 in. narrower than the post thickness so that the trim does not protrude past the post faces. Rip 2x4s down to make the 1-1/2 x 2-in. panelframing members. (Save the 1-1/2-in.-wide cutoff strips to use as molding and trim pieces.) Assemble the frame for each panel with 3-in. deck screws (photo 1). Clad the bottom section with cedar lap siding attached with 1-1/2-in. ring-shank siding nails (photo 2). Next, stretch screen across the top section and attach it with 3/8-in. stainless steel staples (photo 3). Rip 5/8 x 1-1/2-in. pieces of cedar to use as the screen molding to cover the top and side stapled edges of the screen. Rip 1 x 1-1/2-in. pieces of cedar to cover the bottom screen edge. Repeat the same assembly process for all of the wall panels.
35-1/4"
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31-5/8"
31-5/8"
35-1/2"
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Next, attach one common rafter to each end of the ridge board and to the center of the side walls. The ridge board is now locked in place, and you can attach the remaining common rafters, hip rafters and jack rafters (photo above). The final step in framing the roof is to attach the blocking that closes the openings between the rafter ends and above the top plate. Cut a 13-degree bevel along the top edge of the blocks, and cut each block to fit between the rafters.
RAFTER CONSTRUCTION
Designing a hip roof (calculating the rafter layout and component sizes) is a skill thats best left to experienced framing contractors. But if you know all of the components dimensions, construction is not as difficult as you might think. Weve included illustrations and details for the components necessary to build a 4:12-pitch hip roof for a 10 x 12-ft. structure.
22-1/2"
After youve assembled the wall panels, you can move them out to the construction site and build each wall. Assemble the back wall first. The bottom plate and posts of each wall are joined with half-lap joints. Mark the post and panel locations on the bottom plate. Cut the half-lap notches in the bottom plate and posts. Lay the posts, bottom plates and wall panels on a flat surface such as the deck and assemble them with 2-1/2- and 3-in. deck screws (photo 1). Then attach a top plate to the tops of the panels and posts. Move the back wall into position, making sure that it is plumb, and temporarily secure it with angled braces. Then assemble each side wall, raise it into position (photo 2) and attach it to the back wall. The front wall is built slightly differ-
ently from the back and sides because you need to leave an opening where the doors will be installed. Separate bottom plates are attached under the two front panels. The back half of the header is a continuous 2x8 that fits into notches that are cut in the top inside face of each post. The front half of the header is pieced in between the posts on the front of the wall. After youve constructed the front wall, raise it (photo 3) and attach it to the side walls. Then attach the second top plates to all of the walls, overlapping the seams between walls (photo 4). Finally, check that the walls are square to each other and secure them to the base. We drove 1/4 x 5-in. lag screws into the deck joists located below the decking (photo 5). Use concrete anchors when installing a screen house on a poured slab.
22-1/2"
22-1/2"
TOP VIEW
45
25"
1-1/4" 13
45
17-1/4"
21-1/8"
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The two sliding doors are simple frames constructed of 2x6 and 2x4 boards. Assemble the door frames with dowels, pocket screws or floating tenons. The doors hang and travel on a manufactured aluminum sliding door-rail system (see SOURCES ONLINE, below). The bottoms of the doors feature a groove, and floor guides fit in the groove to keep the doors in alignment. Mount the rail to the inside face of the front wall header. Then mount the roller brackets to the top of the door and fasten them to the rollers in the rail (photo 1). Attach the bottom-alignment guide to the floor (photo 2). Instead of using a typical latch, we opted to attach a few rare-earth-magnet washers to the inside faces of the doors. The magnets are strong enough to keep the doors closed, and they are hidden in the door frame (photo 3).
We created the look of a tongue-andgroove board ceiling with a lot less work by attaching 1/4-in.-thick beadboard plywood to the rafters before we attached the sheathing. We cut and attached the bead board so that the beads run parallel to each side (photo, p. 19). Keep in mind that the panel seams must be at the center of the rafters. Place each panel on the roof and snap a chalk line to mark the cut lines (photo 1). Tack the bead board in place with 1/2-in.-wide x 1-in.-long crown staples or siding nails. Repeat the process to cut and fit 3/4-in.-thick sheathing over the bead board. Then drive 1/2-in.-wide x 1-1/2-in.-long staples or 8d sheathing nails every 8 in. to secure the sheathing and bead board to the rafters. Be careful to drive the nails into the rafters so that they are not exposed inside the structure.
Attach drip edge to the sheathing and then cover the entire roof with building paper. Roll out each layer across each side, starting along the bottom edge. Each row should overlap the previous row by 4 to 6 in. and the hips by 12 in. We chose to use cedar shingles to match the rest of the structure, but you can use asphalt, synthetic or composite shingles. Note that the framing was not designed to support heavy roofing materials such as clay tiles or natural slate. Follow the manufacturers instructions for installing the shingles. Many roofing contractors dip cedar singles in waterresistant sealer before attaching them to the roof to enhance their longevity. We made a jig that butts up against the previous row of shingles to keep the reveal spacing consistent (photo 3). Attach the shingles with 1/2-in.-wide x 1-in. crown staples. Cut the shingles at the end of
To get more information on the project below, as well as other outdoor projects, go to www.HandymanClub.com and click on Web Extras.
each row to follow the hip and ridge lines. Then make overlapping cap rows, using 4-in.-wide shingles, to cover the seams at the hips and ridge (photos 4 and 5).
Lee Valley & Veritas (magnet, No. 99K32.11; cup, No. 99K32.54;
matching washer, No. 99K32.64), 800-871-8158
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