Small Cabin

# Posted: 13 Oct 2010 07:27pm
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A shed roof, or lean-to roof is very basic and quite forgiving.
However, it seems, in my mind that a 16 x 24 might be a bit aggressive for that design.
Depends on which way you'd want to go, and snow load potential.
Would this be for a shed (tools/storage), or camping/living?

Gary O'

Attached file: Lean-to dims??

# Posted: 13 Oct 2010 11:12pm
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camping, there would be no snow load. It snows on average here in south texas every 100 yrs or so.
I was meaning a lean to /shed roof.

# Posted: 13 Oct 2010 11:15pm - Edited by: saltbranch
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Quoting: Gary O

A shed roof, or lean-to roof is very basic and quite forgiving.
However, it seems, in my mind that a 16 x 24 might be a bit aggressive for that design.
Depends on which way you'd want to go, and snow load potential.
Would this be for a shed (tools/storage), or camping/living?

Gary O'Attached file: Lean-to dims??

16' from high side(10' tall) to low side(8' tall) and 24' long

fooboo
Member

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 12:31am
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It's not exactly a simple roof like you asked for, but since you have 10' on one side and 8' on the other already, you could do an offset roof...

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 07:12am
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That's where I was heading.
Basically two lean-tos but together.
I'm planning one now, but with a loft,
One could build the shorter side, then the other, with out too much extrra help......
The plus is natural light from the top
Here's a photo of the model

cabin model

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 07:18am
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South Texas?
My bride is from Port Arthur.
I've worked oil pipe line in Brownsville, and roofed houses in Corpus Christy (after hurricane Camille)
Are you near the coast?
If so, wind might be your main consideration.........

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 08:13am
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I live in Corpus, the cabin will be near Three Rivers Tx, about 70 miles north of CC. About 1/2 way between Corpus and San Antonio.
My reasoning for the shed roof is simplicity, I am not the best carpenter and cost. I will have a good friend , who is a carpenter by trade helping me on this. I want to put a carport off the 10' tall side to use for tractor shed when not there and a covered porch when there.Have nice workshop when I able to build a home and move there.. I am new to this and cost is a high priority right now.

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 08:35am
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Prettiest town in Texas (at least it was when I was there).
Even after the hurricane. We slept on the beach, and roofed all day. Kinda funny seein' boats down town in the streets..........

Quoting: saltbranch

I will have a good friend , who is a carpenter by trade helping me on this

Man, tap your friend's mind. He'll know what you can and can't do in regard to what you want, especially if he's a framer.

Yeah, cost. If time is on your side, you can scrounge good buys on Craig's List. Lots of construction materials for cheap out there.

Enjoy the adventure.

Gary O'

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 10:43am
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Quoting: Gary O

Prettiest town in Texas (at least it was when I was there).
Even after the hurricane. We slept on the beach, and roofed all day. Kinda funny seein' boats down town in the streets..........

I bet it was weird to see boats downtown! We have been very lucky not to have amajor storm hit us since Camile...I was just kid back then.

Quoting: Gary O

Man, tap your friend's mind. He'll know what you can and can't do in regard to what you want, especially if he's a framer.

Framing is his main bread and butter, he says it will work, no problem. I was looking for pictures to see how this type of roof attaches to the top of the walls. I have read about cutting" bird mouths" etc. I saw the pic on this website, it gives me an idea...just was hoping to find a pic with better detail that I can see.Searching google I am only finding completed or ones with very little detail to see. I'm just trying to get a visual on what we are going to do, since this is new territry for me.
Currently rounding up material for foundation, hopefully to get started next month.
Thanks again for the help all.

tony
Member

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 11:12am
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I have a shed roof on my cabin,dont have any detailed pictures of it though. I did cut birds mouths.
You will have a very low pitch roof if you go 8 to 10ft over 16ft..what do you plan on covering it with?

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 12:17pm
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Corrugated tin

tony
Member

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 12:33pm
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That might be a problem... most metal roof manufacturers want a roof pitch of one in three or steeper, you will have less than one in two.
My roof is one in two but I used interlocking metal sheets..there are no exposed screws to leak...expensive though.

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 12:57pm
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Quoting: tony

That might be a problem... most metal roof manufacturers want a roof pitch of one in three or steeper, you will have less than one in two.

What would the front wall height need to be with a back wall height of 8'?

tony
Member

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 01:31pm
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12ft would give you a little over one in three.

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 07:41pm
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Quoting: saltbranch

I was just kid back then.

Well then, you're not kid....whew

OK, bird's mouth; I studied this art for my last cabin. It intrigued me to the point of action, and the desire of bracketless aesthetics, but had trouble figuring the angles.
I my experience together, and entered it into my journal (soon to be in a book store near you)

sketch

more verbiage

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 07:52pm
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Quoting: saltbranch

I was just kid back then.

Well then, you're not kid....whew

Meant to say;
Well then, you're not my kid....whew
I need to edit my typing......

Other, easier ways than a bird's mouth are brackets or just ripping the proper angle on the top plate and lay the rafters

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 08:49pm
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Quoting: Gary O

Meant to say;
Well then, you're not my kid....whew

LOL.....sounds like more than sleeping on the beach was going on!!!

Thanks for all the help everyone.

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 10:36pm
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Back in them days it was work hard, drink hard, play hard, get back out of jail. Lots of fine folk down there, especially the cajuns (men folk too, I s'pose...........)

Don't forget us when you commence building, saltbranch.

Happy trails

Gary O'

# Posted: 14 Oct 2010 10:52pm
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Oh I'll be here to bug you folks for a while. I'll be headed upto our place tomorrow PM, right now we are building a new barbwire fence, about a mile long. Currently we have the 1st 1/4 mile under way. This weekend will be a fun filled weekend of cutting more mesquite posts, just about used up the posts I already cut. Back in August I spent a week on a dozer clearing brush for the camp area, fence lines and put in a pond, since then I have planted grass seed and burned brush piles, trying to clean up the area some. I may start a photo log to share. I am going to try and measure out and mark the "foot print" of where I plan to put the cabin this weekend too.

# Posted: 16 Oct 2010 11:02pm
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OK, how about a simple ridge board and rafters. Then you can make all the walls the same. And the rafters will not have to be quite as long. I think that would actually be easier and cheaper. To make it easier on yourself, if you are not going vaulted ceilings, sheet the top of the ceiling joist with plywood, then you have a nice flat floor to stand on as you are laying out all the rafters. That is what I did. My plans didnt call for it, but I added it just for the ease. I just used 1/2" plywood.

Shed roof will require the one tall wall, the longer rafter spans which may lead ot going to a larger rafter, plug the overall length of them.

# Posted: 17 Oct 2010 10:42pm
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech

OK, how about a simple ridge board and rafters. Then you can make all the walls the same. And the rafters will not have to be quite as long. I think that would actually be easier and cheaper. To make it easier on yourself, if you are not going vaulted ceilings, sheet the top of the ceiling joist with plywood, then you have a nice flat floor to stand on as you are laying out all the rafters. That is what I did. My plans didnt call for it, but I added it just for the ease. I just used 1/2" plywood.

Shed roof will require the one tall wall, the longer rafter spans which may lead ot going to a larger rafter, plug the overall length of them.

My thoughts to build this way was to leave the option open to build a mirror image to the other side 5-10 yrs down the road if wanted.The 12' wall would built as a load bearing wall now.That way if I wanted add on later and open it up I could.
Suggestions?

# Posted: 18 Oct 2010 09:23am
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Or put a large header in the wall on one of the gable ends and you could expand that way too with a regular pitched roof. Open it up later and add more space, header will already be in place. But your plan sounds like a decent plan too.

MtnDon
Member

# Posted: 21 Oct 2010 03:46pm
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Maybe I missed it but I did not see any mention of sizing the rafters.

For a 16 foot span and no snow load the AWC calculator calls for 2x10 in most species, grade #2. A simple gable rafter roof would reduce that material size down to a 2x6.

http://www.awc.org/calculators/span/reversecalc/reversecalc.asp

# Posted: 26 Oct 2010 10:26pm
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Quoting: MtnDon

Maybe I missed it but I did not see any mention of sizing the rafters.

Covered it. I mentioned larger rafters, I didnt figure out which size. But I'd say long 2X10's are more $$$ vs 8 foot 2X6's.