So you might be enquire yourself , what exactly is a DIY Garden House Structure ?
Is it a pergola ? A pavilion ? An outside living room ?
Well , to be totally fair , it is a picayune minute of all those . And , a whole lot more !
At least that is what we envisioned it would be way back in 2011 , when the concept for an outside garden house structure first pop into our chief . And it all was inspired from the beauty of old barns .
The DIY Garden House Structure
In other 2011 , we began the process of tearing down two turn over - of - the - century barn . It was all in Leslie Townes Hope to work up our own b at the farm as frugally as possible .
Both b were free for the pickings , as long as we supplied the labor to take them apart .
First up was a 100 + yr old b in Cardington , Ohio . To be dependable , at the time , we were two rookies that did n’t have the first clue about dismantling a barn . But , as always , we reckon we could learn along the means !
We come out by dispatch all of the wood side from the exterior walls . And followed that by removing the metal roofing .
All that remained was the frame . And to both of us , it was nothing short of an absolute small-arm of fine art .
I remember tell Mary at the clock time it was such a shame that all of this incredible craftsmanship had to be cover up by wall , siding and roofing .
The duncish , rough - sawn timbers . The Charles William Post and beam construction . And with it , all of the angled cuts and braces flux in to add both strength and peach .
Even the roof truss and purlins were astonishing to look at in their exposed nation .
A few week after , it happened again . This time we were tearing down my dad ’s old b . And once more , as we stripped off the siding and roofing , the craftsmanship and beauty underneath was simply unbelievable . See : The Barn Project
It was then and there that I think thinking how incredible it would be to build an outdoor structure that could showcase all of the peach of the pearl of old barns .
One that would keep the walls , side and roofing materials off – and let the simple framework be the focal power point .
Our thought was that it might just make for the perfect outdoor space to sit and enjoy an even , or perhaps even a placid dinner party .
Maybe hang a few lights , and grow a wisteria , clematis , or some character of vine to create a living cap . And , in the close , it might just make the perfect outdoor space !
That thought has stuck with us twelvemonth after twelvemonth . Until finally , this past spring we had our first opportunity to actually try our hand at creating our first DIY Garden House Structure .
We had wanted to put in an entrance to our garden for geezerhood , and it was the sodding opportunity to examine out the concept and the structure cognitive operation . We hoped if it all work out , we could progress a larger one in the coming years as an out-of-door sitting and dining area .
We built the intact social structure from harsh - sawn true pine . There is something so countryfied and yet elegant about rocky - sawn wood .
It could just as easily be built from cedar or even treated lumber . But for us , rough - sawn pine is pronto available locally . And to boot , at a surprisingly affordable cost .
For the base , we used ( 4 ) 6 x 6 treat pine beams and place them in concrete 3′ down in the ground . Next , we habilitate them in rough sawn control panel to give a thicker beam of light look to the anatomical structure .
Then it was time for the irradiation and top !
We used 6″ x 8″ beam on end to typeset on top of the 4 mail . Using 10″ timber nookie , we drove three into each beam to relate them down into the post .
We then add ( 4 ) curved 4″ x 4″ beam braces on each last to give a petty more strength , and a bit more character as well . We secured those with 6″ timber screws into the frame . Affiliate Product Link : 6″ Timber Screws
In fact , the entire structure is build up with screws . There is n’t a nail to be find .
From there , we sum up 7 angled truss boards on each sizing . We notched a childlike birds - middle stinger to have the trusses continue over the edges by a fundament .
The cap trusses are all made from true 2″ x 6″ rough sawn boards that are angle cut on the top raftsman side , with a dame - eye gash on the bottom to allow them to fit into the side beams
To tie the truss in , we then unravel 2 x 2″ jumpy - sawn furring strip landing strip along the roof line . They add enduringness , and give the frame a finish grid look .
They will also be thoroughgoing to give an area for clematis or wisteria to take grasp and develop into a living cap .
Although this DIY Garden Structure is for our garden entrance , we ca n’t await to create one a chip larger one now that we have the process figured out .
Here is to one-time barn , and recreating the beauty of their bones into a DIY garden house structure ! Happy Building – Jim and Mary .
Jim and Mary Competti have been write horticulture , DIY and formula articles and books for over 15 geezerhood from their 46 Akko Ohio farm . The two are frequent talker on all thing gardening and dearest to jaunt in their excess metre .
