@ Pichard, If you plan to rip 4x8 sheets of plywood or OSB into 2x8' sheets to make the side walls 6' high, you'll want to buy some Z flashing to fit between the 4' and 2' lengths of sheeting. This is to prevent water from draining into the yurt. You can supplement this with a bead of silicone caulking when you assemble the panels. If you don't like the look of the galvanized sheet metal you can cover it with a strip of 1x3" trim. Would also be a good idea to apply weather stripping to the bottoms of the side walls to keep out drafts and add a galvanized flashing along the base of the outside walls to channel water away from the structure.
I think you also mean 2x4" studs spaced 16" on center, not beams. If you say 2x4 beams at the lumber yard they will think you're funny. And yes, 16" OC is good structural spacing and will allow for standard- width insulation. You should also plan to sheet rock and tape the interior to avoid inhaling the fiberglass insulation. 1) By squaring off the walls I assume you mean getting the 60º angles to fit properly. This can be done on a table saw or with a Skilsaw. Just set your angle on each end stud to 30º and when you fit the walls together they will meet at 60º. The studs used for the top and bottom plates on each wall and all peripheral edges of the roof triangles should also be mitered at 30º. If this sounds like too much trouble, better to give up now than to waste a lot of time and money building a structure that could fail catastrophically. Learning how to miter 30º angle cuts is not difficult if you have the right tools and can find someone to show you how to do it. 2) I'd prefab the mitered studs on the roof triangles, then build a temporary center post from a piece of 2x2 and a hexagonal cut piece of plywood scrap with a center hole drilled just large enough to fit over the 2x2 post. Slide that hexagon support up to where you want it and set it in place with a self-tapping screw. You can always raise or lower the height as needed, and add more screws as you add more triangular roof sections. Once all the roof sections are in place they should be able to hold their own weight just by the pressure of the mitered angles transferring the weight down through the walls and to the ground. This is part of the reason why the mitered edges are so important. Screw the mitered edges of the roof sections together and you can remove the center post. 3) I don't see why not if you cut your miters properly. If it can't hold your weight you did a lousy job on the miters. More motivation to cut your miters correctly. When properly built, the hexayurt will transfer all loads down through the walls to the ground, so the structure is self-supporting in a manner similar to a geodesic dome or pyramid. I don't see a problem with a metal roof, but again, if your miters are cut properly there's really no need for a metal roof. Phil Dirt On Sep 26, 4:09 pm, Pichard Kempo Karate <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello Hexayurters :D > > this year I had an hexayurt on the playa and now I want to build one > made of 2X4, plywood, with real weather protection such as tyvex, > shingles, etc... > > Overall it is not that complicated, build 8 framed walls that are 8ft > long by 6ft width, 2X4 beams spaced 16 inches. > Same thing with the roof, pre fabricate and put the shingles on it > then assemble it on the spot. > > Now here are the questions :D > > 1- How do you square off the walls? Do you slant the 2X4 inward in > order to have a tight fit? > 2- How do you put the roof on the top of the walls??? It's has to > weight a LOT more than insulation panels! > 3- Will the roof be strong enough for me to climb on the top of it in > order to put the tar paper and shingles? > > I am sure that I will have more questions later, right now I will be > looking for google sketchup plans to start with :D > > Oh and the hexayurt will be a permanent structure on my 40acres, > sitting on a deck and at 3800ft of elevation so I also have to think > of the snow weight! Metal roof anyone? > > Thanks!! -- Fabien -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en.
