GARDEN: The Garden Summerhouse Project ~ Part 5 ~ The Build

As outside projects go, this one was frustrating.  What should have been a straight forward two day build stretched out into several weeks due to the bank holiday showers and then the general change in weather.  Ironic, after the excellent and consistent sunny summer.

These pictures were taken over several weeks as the summerhouse went up in stages:-

Three part floor.

The foundation was pre-made in three parts that just needed to be joined.

Up it goes

The next stage was screwing the panels to the floor and to each other. The panels are made of Redwood tongue & groove.  The windows are made from Liteglaze acrylic sheet which is 8 times stronger than glass and is covered with protective covering which can be peeled off.

Four walls and the door opening

All that lifting, crouching, bending, holding was quite strenuous on the back so out came the inversion table. You hook your ankles to it and flip yourself over until you are hanging like a bat. It releases all the tension in your vertebrae of the spine.

Without a roof

The apex is now up and if you look closely you'll see that the bi-fold doors are hung but pinned back.  A main part of the attraction to this particular summerhouse design was the front opens out and lets in a lot of air and light.  I very much wanted to retain the fact of being outdoors.  It's also not very clear in the photograph but the front sides panels are also transparent. 

On goes the roof and roofing felt.

The plywood roof at only 9mm felt a bit flimsy, but did suprisingly manage to take my weight (with the use of addition support) in order for me to felt the roof.

Finished roof

An industrial camera tri-pod stacked with wood was also used to support the roof while I was on it.

Shutting up shop

This is the finish build before painting, with the bi-fold doors closed.  The white dots are wood filler on the knots and some of the indents made with the nail gun during construction.

There is still a great deal of work to be done with installing door handles & locks, the guttering, roof facias, and several coats of paint to protect it from the elements during winter.   More to follow in the next few weeks.