Friday 11 November 2011

Lakefield 8ft Modular Cabana

Lakefield 8ft Modular Cabana

click on pic for slide show



Here she is the day the roof was finally put up.  What a relief especially after only tarp up during a hail storm and me sitting inside!  What were the odds of a hail storm for the few days without a roof!!  Heard a tornado touched down not too far away.


The cedar dutch door on the kitchen table in the process of clamping, installing lock.

The door sitting in the frame sideways on the kitchen table. Seems the kitchen table was used for everything but eating! Realizing I need a workshop space.

My first home made window 18" x 24" plexiglass.  I only started with a jigsaw, and found it too hard on my back so this is where I made the decision to invest in a table saw.  Took me awhile to master it. Sure could have used it making the door! Window swings outward to better accommodate storage.  Enjoyed working with cedar and doing the trim work.

The pieces starting to stack up in preparation for the sheathing. 2x3" for light weight, screwed together rather than hammered.
 
Using the hall to layout the roof pieces. First time to do angle cuts, very nervous about it. And first time to make a roof.  The table saw was on the cheap and was limited regarding angles.  Needed to start making jigs. Struggled too long with the jigs and made some free hand angle cuts to save time. Need a jig to make the jigs!!

 
After long lasting winter, made it on site.  Starting to attach the sheathing. It was slow going as it rained alot. Sleeping quarters were temporarily on a porch not big enough to work in, so everything had to stop until it dried.  Drinking water was bottled water, and hydro was borrowed from a neighbour.  This is what I felt like when it rained.and I couldn't work...  



The sun is out, back to work! Spent alot of time covering things and uncovering things for protection from the elements. Picked a spot under the trees to avoid sunburn and keep cool
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 The cavalry arrives to help with the heavier 2x4' pieces of the floor and to turn it over once assembled.  No strait surface to work on made assembly difficult. Didn't think to use clamps until later, a must for better fit.  Each piece reinforces the other.

Then the walls go up, interior view.

Trying out the dutch door! Air bed was directly behind it and you could lay in bed and look directly up into the sky and trees!
The view!

Trying out the window! Just love that cedar, finished with a wonderful Tungsten Oil.

Putting on some trim and waiting for the black paper to arrive for the roof.  Fall arrives and weather getting colder. Time to head back to the city.

And it all started with a thought, and a plan. My own design. One of the rough drafts, using Photoshop. Pieces had to be lightweight and manageable for my build, easy to move or modify. Made some changes to this, took out the 1x3" as they weren't sturdy enough, and their actual size differed from store to store. The 2x3" did nicely.