Tennentslager Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Might be building a few huts.... One site has several big...very big oak trees surrounding and a few have lost big *200mm diameter* branches. Now, there's a balance between woodland living and the chance of catastrophe. We're not short of winter gales but it's probably unlikely the Hut would be inhabited during a storm...however...is it feasible to make the construction super beefy without breaking the budget? First question is truss versus ridge beam? This is based on 4.8 x 6m rectangle, all timber, walls 4x2 @ 400 centres, 15mm OSB racking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSharp01 Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Short answer: Probably not! Longer answer: It seems to me that the problem with trees is not that they are super massive but that when they fall they are travelling! Oak has a density of around 0.8Kg/m3 so a 200mm diameter length of say 5m long (forget the leaves and ancillary branches) weighs in at about 125Kg, assuming it is coming from 5 meters up and accelerating under gravity its will be doing about 10m/s when it hits your roof. So, sorry Jack, f=ma and so load / (force) is now about 1.25 tonnes (12.5Kn). The branch, at least in my experience, is round so the area over which this force will be spread is very small, although spreading rapidly until the full diameter is reached, at least at the point of contact, fractionally after impact the area might, generously, be 10mm2. This is probably well in excess of what you can get a timber frame to cope with at a single point, but even in the best case if it lands directly on one of the studs the stud will either buckle or push its way through the floor - everybody d..s! If you double skin with 18mm OSB, nailed every 50mm you might get to a wall that could take it, and spread it out along the sole plate if hit directly from above, but the roof, trussed or otherwise, probably won't. Hope that helps. This might convince you - although one hopes you won't be deliberately felling the whole tree across your hut!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 (edited) It is a very mature setting, isn't it, the huts having been there for nearly a century(?) ? In which case, I think it could be down to management of mature trees in the areas where there is a risk, particularly those at the end of their lifecycle. Wildcard: Does the Scottish Government have money available to help hutters with continuing costs? Given their desire to reform landholding etc it would not surprise me. Ferdinand Edited April 2, 2017 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Well I had an Oak tree fall on my property some years ago, and just after it had been inspected for unsafe trees to be removed ( council owned woodland) the trunk was about 3ft in diameter, it landed on a shed, fence and just missed my garage( a few tiles were broken). Inside my shed was a petrol cement mixer, it was driven into the ground( direct hit) and is still there to this day ( unless someone has dug it up!) I would not like to be in any hut hit by a tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crofter Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Agree that management of the nearby trees is going to be much easier and more effective. You could always consider the rebuildability of the hut... lash beams together Polynesian-boat-style so that they absorb the flex and gracefully make their way to ground without breaking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 A very large branch broke off a beech tree and demolished a friends garage. I wouldn't want to live in anything with large trees within striking distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 From bitter, bitter experience, I echo @PeterStarck's advice. The best you can do is to build up-wind , I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennentslager Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 Thanks to all guys. It's not going to happen after all, the committee said no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 15 hours ago, Tennentslager said: Thanks to all guys. It's not going to happen after all, the committee said no? Out of interest, was that your hutting community on Countryfile last night? I kept looking to see if I could spot your hut anywhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennentslager Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 2 hours ago, JSHarris said: Out of interest, was that your hutting community on Countryfile last night? I kept looking to see if I could spot your hut anywhere! Yes it was! My Hut wasn't filmed although I did meet the crew at Alan's hut and took them over some milk for tea? It was interesting listening to the story from the elderly lady speaking about dog fights during the Clydebank blitz. It's got a long history, Carbeth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 It looked like a brilliant place to go and get away from it all, I'm a bit envious that there's nothing like that anywhere around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now