Simple Green Roof Play House Extension
Introduction: Simple Green Roof Play House Extension
This project has been on my mind for a while and this year I finally went ahead and made it. The plans have changed multiple times but ended up being really basic and straight forward. This means it could be put up in a day or two.
To be clear: this project is about the roof extension to our existing garden shed and not about the shed itself. The part that is covered in this instructable can be seen in the schemes attached to this step.
I have provided the measurements I used for this project, in milimeters, simply because that's what I needed for my situation. Of course a project like this will be different for everyone, which is why I will not focus too much on the measurements and more on the process.
Along with the play house I added a terrace floor and path to our garden which I will include in this instructable.
Even though the final result is a very basic roof structure, it provides the children a dry and shaded play area which can change function along with their imagination. I hope you'll enjoy reading my building process.
Supplies
Tools:
- shovel
- ground drill
- saw
- drill
- spirit level
- tape measure
- pencil
- wire
- sticks
Hardware:
- screws (different sizes)
- nails
- steel brackets
Materials:
- wooden posts, about 3x3"
- wooden beams, about 2x3"
- wooden planks/siding, about 0.5x8"
- tar (if you use soft wood for the posts)
- sedum trays for the green roof
Optional:
- sand
- gravel
- terrace tiles
- curbstone beams or blocks
- anti root cloth
- interior decoration (lights etc)
Step 1: Preparation & Ground Work
Our starting point is shown in the first picture above. Because the white gravel got dirty we decided to use that elsewhere and replace it with a darker gravel for the path and terrace tiles inside the play house. I removed all the gravel and washed it clean (this may have been the most time consuming part of the whole build).
Next I layed out the plans for the house and path with a wire and some sticks to make sure I didn't remove too much grass. The wire also helps to keep the curbstones level in a later step.
I based the dimensions for the house on the amount of space available and a combination of the terrace tiles and sedum roof trays that would both fit into the same area. I ended up making the house about 4ft x 5ft.
I removed quite a bit of earth to make space for the sand and gavel. 431
Be sure to keep some of the removed earth in case you get too enthousiastic (as I was) and might need to put some back later on.
Step 2: Columns
Once the area is cleared of grass and your play house dimensions are layed out, the next step is to place the posts in the ground. This can be done several ways, including concrete or steel foundations, but I chose to use only wood instead.
If you use hardwood for the posts they can be placed in the ground without treatment. Softwood however will need to be treated to prevent rotting when exposed to wet ground for long periods. I used a black tar for this, which needs to be applied to a little above the ground level.
To secure the posts firmly in the ground the rule of thumb is to put about a third (1/3) of the posts into the ground. I wanted the lower part of the roof to be about 1,3m or a little over 4ft above the ground, so I put them around 0,6m or about 2ft into the ground.
To create the hole for the posts to sit in, I used a ground drill. This way you don't need to dig a huge hole and fill it up again. Make sure the hole is a little deeper than you need. Put a bit of your 'levelling sand' into the hole so you can stamp it down with the post and create a steady base for your post and not have it push down into the ground when you put the roof on.
Use the spirit level constantly when putting in the posts to make sure they are level and straight. I kept measuring the distance between the posts and used the curbstones to keep the posts in place a bit.
Once the posts are in the right place and are straight you can fill the hole with sand until it is packed tight. Poor some water over it so the sand can settle and keep adding sand until the hole is filled up and the posts are secure.
The next thing to do is to mark the posts at the correct height so they can be cut off in order to place the beams. 959