Learn the basics about cottage kitsHere are some special details and information which will be helpful to you. The first page illustrates the difference between the nominal and the actual lumber size you'll receive from your dealer. In all of the enlarged and sectional drawings that I have come across, I used the actual lumber size rather than the nominal.. This mixture is wiped on the wood surface. When the surface begins to shine, be sure to wipe this excess material off. This will give you a dull finish, but it will keep your wood natural-looking.. Again, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for the application of the finish material. The only substitute you may find satisfactory is asbestos cement sheet. This must be handled with care, because it is brittle. Drill the nail holes—don’t try to drive nails direct..
Don’t forget to have a convenient medicine cabinet in the bathroom. It would also be a good idea to install a small electric radiant heater to take off that morning chill.. Local health authorities are usually willing to test the water for you. Other agencies that will tell you whether the water is suitable include State Health Departments, County Health Offices, and Health Hygienic Laboratories.. Also be sure that the joists are securely spiked to the header. Try, as far as possible, to make the headers of one continuous piece of material. If this isn't possible, be sure to join the pieces over the center line of one of the piers.. On your site clear away the brush and lay out the lines of the building with strings and batter boards. The next step is to dig a trench about 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide around the perimeter of the building. If you hit some large rode, leave it. Taper the inside edge of the trench as shown. By cutting the outside edge of the trench square, you can use it as part of the form for the beam edge of your slab.. Roll roofing is one of the easiest types to apply. The accompanying illustration shows how this is done. You'll note that there is an overlap that is cemented down and nailed. This overlap varies with the type of roofing felt used. . A deep-well jet pump is similar to a shallow-well unit in appearance. However, two pipes are required with this system—a pressure pipe and a suction pipe—but a special adapter will be necessary at the top of the casing. The use of the well casing as a suction pipe is usually done when the casing is as small as 2 inches..
Piers are the type of construction you will probably use. It is the quickest way to get your summer home under way. Most cottage plans have a pier plan which you should follow. There are several rules to remember about piers. They can be built of block (8 by 8 by 16 inches) or of solid concrete. Piers require foundation footings just as walls do.. Moistening the blocks before laying them will help hold the mortar. Pour concrete into the top row of blocks and insert 6-inch bolts, 8 feet on center, for the sill.. When you find water, line the hole with large steel pipe or vitrified tile. Use an internal grapple to lower each section of tile into the hole. This lining should extend a little above ground to keep out surface water. Use a concrete platform at the top as shown in the illustration. The size and type of pump that can be used with this system is the same as with the dug well described before..
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. . Sills form a bearing surface for the undersides of joists. They should be bolted to the slab or wall foundations. If you are using pier foundations, it is important that you first put down the sill around the building, then spike the inner header to the sill from the underside. After this is done, lay out the joists and securely spike the inner header to them. .
. Take the advice of the local building inspector on the depth they should extend below grade. You’ll want to have the footing below the local frost line. The illustration at the side shows the usual arrangement for the footings. Poured concrete piers should be 10 by 10 inches if square or 12 inches in diameter if round. . The actual water content should not exceed 7|/2 gallons per bag of cement. The table will help you to figure how much you will need. The thickness of the concrete slab should be a minimum of 3 inches. After you have the framing up, you will want to add one more inch of smooth concrete for your final finish (I part cement, 3 parts sand). . Because there are a number of fixtures running off from the main line, it will be necessary to use a number of T's in order to accomplish this. The illustration shows how this is done. The hot-water system is similar to the cold-water, except that you will want to use copper, brass, or steel piping. The process is the same. . . .
If you use the slab described, be sure that the soil is porous. Heavy clay or stiff soil will require the building of foundation walls to the frost line to prevent heaving. . A permit to build in one of our national forests usually stipulates that you will make improvements costing at least five hundred dollars including labor. In order to avoid the erection of unsightly shacks, it is specified that only one cabin can be constructed on a lot. Each applicant must submit his plans for approval before a permit will be issued. . .
Insider Secrets to cottage kitsAround the outer edges of your cottage build a form as shown in the picture at the side. I assume that you didn’t knock the walls of your trench in; if you did, be sure to clean them out again. You are now ready to lay the reinforcing down. The usual procedure is to use wire mesh weighing 40 pounds per 100 square feet. . If you have a level piece of property on which to build, you may want to use a concrete slab. It is fairly simple to make. After you have selected the cottage or camp you wish to build, refer to the foundation plan that is shown with it. Get the over-all dimensions firmly in mind. . Other Foundation Options.
Many websites on site selection and orientation will also help you decide whether a certain cottage is suitable to your property. Don’t fail to read it. Another reminder: Any cottage can be reversed. If the sleeping area is on the right of the living area, the plan can be flipped so that it is on the left.. What it means to you is that you should use Douglas fir (Coast Region or Inland Empire), West Coast hemlock, Western larch, Southern yellow pine, redwood, oak, or any other wood having the necessary characteristics. Most yards carry either Douglas fir or hemlock for framing purposes.. Also be sure that the pipe does not run near the place where you're going to swim. Any type of shallow-well pump will probably be satisfactory. A water source which is not satisfactory for drinking might be pumped to the cottage for bathing and other services. Drinking water might be had from some other source. .
If their report is satisfactory, you should start considering the best location for such a well. Be sure that it is located at least 100 feet from your sewage system and drain field. It should also be located on higher ground.. At the corners, stagger these two parts. Then spike the outer header to the inner one, overlapping at the staggered corner edge. What you have done is to build a girder with a resting place for the joists.. You are now ready to start laying the shingles. The first course of shingles should be laid double and should extend % inch beyond the roof edge. The guidelines on the paper will align the overlap which each course will have. The last rows at the top will have to be cut; and a strip of granulated roofing paper, a metal cap, or a ridge piece, or shingles laid edgewise will be required to finish the top as shown in the illustration..
The sole is run around the perimeter of the building like the sill, except that it is laid on top of the flooring and joists. A sole should also be placed under each partition. If the studs are placed so that their wide edges are parallel to the partition length, it will be necessary to cut the 2-by-4-inch sole to the 2-inch width of the stud.. When the rock or gravel has been delivered, borrow the neighbors’ wheelbarrow and start spreading it. The finished bed, in cross section, will look like the picture at the side. Don’t stop now, you’ve only begun. Get enough 15-pound roofing felt to cover the slab area. Cover the gravel area with this, lapping the edges about 3 inches. You’re doing this, I might add, to keep the ground dampness from coming up into your finished slab.. Levels are used to test surfaces for levelness. They usually contain one or more glass tubes with bubbles in them. By placing the level against the surface to be tested, you can tell whether a surface is horizontally level or vertically straight. Use it often; don't trust your eye..
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