Basic garden room insulated slab

[daiking]

28 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Friends contacted Tuin and they sent replacement ones out by courier. 
 

Also found last thing at night they put temporary  ratchet straps on the corner joints and middle of the long sections and pulled it all down tight and it made a difference to how the logs went together the next day. 

The banana is twisted and it’s only joined at one end as it comes up to a window. Saving it for the top so that the bridging log above it will hold in place. Otherwise should have used it low down and clamped it straight with boards screwed each side.

 

The back and sides are about half way up. Getting extra help to slot the doors and Windows in today to build up the rest of the front.

[daiking]

Got this far on Saturday. Who needs a roof? 
 

Day off yesterday, did a drive to Formby which was fresh to say the least. Still managed to move about a tonne of stuff around the drive/garden to tidy up. 

[daiking]

Only really cheated the once. It was getting late and the last 2 rafters were a not fitting by a couple of mm so just took a couple of mm of the slots with the multitool. Fits like a wizards sleeve now.

 

only really (expletive deleted)ed up installing the windows. There’s a massive gap above them. Buried in some obscure tuin blog with build tips it’s says I should have packed them up a bit. Simple enough to do but priority is to complete the roof first.

Couple of small quality issues with the ironmongery. Hence the prop to keep the door closed. 

 

Only real concern is that 2 months on the patio (quite well covered) probably didn’t help. It’s gone together pretty well, straight and level, doors windows square etc but try as you might it was not possible to close all the gaps between logs so then were even. The cabin design with the big windows mean the front half has very little actual wall so it behaves in its own way. 

Fingers crossed that as it dries out in the summer it does so evenly and some of those gaps don’t widen further so it ends up looking like a pallet ?

 

not all my own work, the wife helped a bit at the start and as it progressed I had very welcome help from a very tall (much needed) new acquaintance. Even the kids helped a bit in moving stuff closer to the build from their storage. 

[daiking]

Little bit of progress yesterday (had to do a hot tub pack up). On the roof now. 
 

I’m not stuck stuck, just stuck. I have a bag of 45 off 100mm long screws so they must be important but I do not know where they go. They are described as “top log screws”. I think they secure some short filler pieces on top of the front and back walls but my helper yesterday disagreed. I can’t sensibly work out why they are 45 of them either. Which would have provided some logic to their use. 
 

it’s also cold today and I don’t want to sit on the roof in the cold ? but I must finish it today.
 

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by daiking

[joe90]

On 05/04/2021 at 08:52, daiking said:

only really (expletive deleted)ed up installing the windows. There’s a massive gap above them. Buried in some obscure tuin blog with build tips it’s says I should have packed them up a bit.

Oh I don’t know, I would want the gaps above because timber shrinks across its grain which means all those logs will shrink a little and the roof will come down a few mm, window frame verticals will hardly shrink at all so those gaps (IMO) will get less in time. Perhaps put some non setting mastic, or foam in them. I remember reading that in real log cabin kits any vertical logs had threaded expansion bolts at the top and the nut was turned one turn down per year to accommodate the shrinking of the logs.

[markc]

Stacked horizontal logs will shrink and settle down over time.Windows need a gap at the top (fill with compressible foam etc). to prevent the windows becoming fully load bearing

[daiking]

I understand how the wood behaves, these gaps are currently log cabin annexes in their own right. I need to pack them up 25-30mm which would still leave a 50mm gap above them for the structure to contract to over the summer and then still keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t contract more than that. 

[markc]

1 hour ago, daiking said:

I understand how the wood behaves, these gaps are currently log cabin annexes in their own right. I need to pack them up 25-30mm which would still leave a 50mm gap above them for the structure to contract to over the summer and then still keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t contract more than that. 

Ahhh, 75-80mm does sound like there should be a packer or infill piece. over say 7 feet i would count on upto 25mm of shrink and settlement if nipped down tight during fitting

[joe90]

@daiking, you didn’t forget the window cill did you??‍♂️

[daiking]

4 hours ago, joe90 said:

@daiking, you didn’t forget the window cill did you??‍♂️

 

No sill. The windows are complete units that just slot into place and are not connected to the walls. Its definitely just expansion of the wall logs. Its spent 2 months covered up (not sealed) on my patio so the logs will be well swollen 

 

Also wondering when I can do my floor. The slab was only laid a week ago. I would like to get the insulation, timber bearers and chipboard down asap. There is a DPM under the concrete but I could put a sheet on top if that helps but where does the water still in the concrete go then?

[daiking]

Roof was boarded and insulated 

[daiking]

Felted. Just hope this lasts a winter with plenty of goop in the felt laps - the laps create puddles as the fall as is shallow

 

 

[daiking]

Fascias on the front and sides

 

 

[daiking]

Floor DPM, bearers, insulation and P5 chipboard 

[daiking]

Have some lights now