QUERY ABOUT PALLET GOTHIC ARCHES:
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KAREN: "Please explain further, I know what a gothic arch is but how is one built out of pallets?"
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I get used pallets for free (the ones withOUT the notches cut in the 2x4s for the forklift to approach from the "side"; those are a waste of time for this application) and use my sawzall to clip the nails and take them apart without further damage to the wood. [UPDATE: Since writing this, I've realized there is a good option using the 2x4s with the notches cut in them. It requires some extra work but results in some unexpected benefits too. What we do is pre-drill 2x2s and use 3" screws and construction adhesive to attach them over the edge where the notches are. This results in a 5" deep cavity = more room for insulation AND provides a convenient "hole" for running wiring and plumbing. It also moves the inside edge of the frame inward far enough to clear the glue plates which makes interior finish much easier.] Pallets come in lots of different sizes but I've found the most common size will typically yield three 2x4s about 3' long plus the thinner decking boards -- they're also usually about 3' long. The original challenge was to design something I could build out of 3' long 2x4s. I started out with the quonset idea . . . more info at:http://palletquonset.blogspot.com/
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But I live in snow country and the upper two facets on the quonset are too flat to shed snow PLUS I like the look of the gothic arch MUCH better -- quonsets look a little TOO utilitarian -- IMHO. (Yet they have their fans too.) I toyed around with a modification I called the "snow roof" -- basically extending the 2nd layer of facets up to the peak but that required longer 2x4s -- a deviation from the original challenge. So I ended up applying the challenge to a gothic arch shape where the peak is 2/3 of the width of the building -- this allows all floor space to be useable without getting too tall but certainly an arch as tall as the building is wide is also an option (what I call the "full width" pallet gothic arch). I wanted the option of putting a 2/3 width arch on top of a pole-barn type first floor without the whole thing looking way too tall and narrow. Plus the angles on what I'm calling a "2/3 arch" (not knowing what it might technically be called) just seemed right and easy to work with. It is technically a polygonal gothic arch which simply means the surface has multiple facets instead of one smooth curve. On the basic design, the width ends up at 16' and the height at the peak is about 10' -- I didn't want to push my luck with the building gods too far -- some of the pallet lumber can be a little marginal. Length is optional. This results in five angled surfaces (facets) on each side for a total of ten facets for each arch. If one keeps the lower-level ceiling at 7', it's possible to build a loft floor in a portion (or all) of the space for sleeping which only uses up 1-1/2" of vertical space -- leaving more room in the loft and saving the cost of floor joists.
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The 3' long FREE 2x4s come together at a 15 degree angle where they are clamped in a temporary jig (constructed on the floor or the ground) and joined on both sides with plywood plates which are glued on with construction adhesive and a narrow crown (7/16") sheathing stapler (air powered). (Using plywood plates like this is common in a building method I've known as "rigid arch" where wall studs and rafters are joined together on the ground and then stood up as a single piece.) Other methods -- like hand nailing -- can be used but the stapler is MUCH faster and arguably stronger. So one piece "ribs" are created -- joined with plates of a different shape at the ridge -- to create a continuous framing piece from the floor up to the peak and back down to the floor. These ribs are placed on 16" centers just like studs and sheathing is attached directly to their outer edges. (24" centers would work also but the 16" centers allow me to use the thinner pallet decking for sheathing as well -- another opportunity for the sheathing stapler to show off AND allow us to use 1/2" sheetrock inside whereas the thicker (and more expensive) 5/8" sheetrock must be used for ceilings under frames on 24" centers.) So it's possible to frame and sheath a shell -- end walls and floor not included -- and then shingle it at VERY low cost. I priced 30-year architectural grade shingles over 30-pound felt (or house wrap) for a 16 X 36 shelter and amortized the cost of those materials over 30 years. The cost worked out to $1.15 per month for 576 square feet (not counting the loft). Now that's what I call cheap shelter!
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You can read more about it at this site but some of the details are still at the palletquonset link given above (I haven't gotten them duplicated and moved over to this site yet). I'm currently working on foundation options to permanently support the shell which will allow end wall construction and floor installation as separate projects. KISS skylights can be installed -- now or (almost as easily) later -- in the roof deck but windows and doors are confined to the vertical end walls to keep things simple. It's a huge advantage to be able to erect a weather-tight shell quickly and have a secure and dry place to store materials and be able work inside out of the weather. I also like the fact that this design -- even as a 2nd story -- can be sheathed and shingled in sections while standing inside and reaching out over the roof deck -- especially if the loft floor was installed early. Only one of the top two facets closest to the ridge would have to be finished working off a ladder). Thanks for your interest and let me know what you think.
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sail4free@yahoo.com
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