handy screen house

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HandymanClub.com HANDY MAGAZINE Retreat We’d all like to get away once in a while, but a trip to a favorite vacation desti- nation isn’t always feasible. Fortunately, getting away doesn’t necessarily require traveling to a far-off place; you can create a private retreat right in your backyard. To prove this point, we designed and built a screen house for a guy we knew could use a getaway: Vern Grassel, carpenter, woodworker and frequent HANDY contributor. Inspired by Japanese teahouse designs, the screen house is large enough for a patio set and a cou- ple of additional chairs, so Vern’s family can dine there. It features a hip roof (all four sides pitch toward the center), exposed rafter ends, an exposed-rafter-and- bead-board ceiling, cedar shingles and sliding doors. Tastes vary, and we realize you might prefer to mod- ify the design of your structure. To make that easier, we organized this article so that separate sections describe the construction techniques for building each compo- nent. You can apply these techniques as needed to cre- ate your own structure. The illustrations and dimensions shown are for a 10 x 12-ft. structure. We chose this size for a few reasons. First, these dimensions lend themselves to easier calcu- lations. Second, you won’t need any lumber longer than 12 ft. (so you shouldn’t need to special-order materials at most lumberyards). And finally, depending on the specific codes in your municipality, a 10 x 12-ft. struc- ture may not require a building permit. (Note: The screen house that we built and photographed is actually almost 10 x 14 ft.; we increased the width to fill the space on the site. As a result, the framing spacing in the photos doesn’t exactly match the illustrations.) Building a structure that features so many exposed parts and joints is more time-consuming than building a typical framed-and-sided structure. The location and appearance of every cut end, joint and fastener must be carefully considered because almost nothing is hidden. In many respects it’s more like a woodworking project than a construction project — a great opportunity to showcase your craftsmanship. Learn the skills to build a stunning backyard getaway BY DAN CARY PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT JACOBSON, MIKE ANDERSON AND LARRY OKREND DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE BY VERN GRASSEL ILLUSTRATIONS BY MIKE ANDERSON

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Page 1: Handy Screen House

HandymanClub.comHANDY MAGAZINE

RetreatWe’d all like to get awayonce in a while, but a trip to a favorite vacation desti-nation isn’t always feasible. Fortunately, getting awaydoesn’t necessarily require traveling to a far-off place;you can create a private retreat right in your backyard.

To prove this point, we designed and built a screenhouse for a guy we knew could use a getaway: VernGrassel, carpenter, woodworker and frequent HANDYcontributor. Inspired by Japanese teahouse designs, thescreen house is large enough for a patio set and a cou-ple of additional chairs, so Vern’s family can dine there.It features a hip roof (all four sides pitch toward thecenter), exposed rafter ends, an exposed-rafter-and-bead-board ceiling, cedar shingles and sliding doors.

Tastes vary, and we realize you might prefer to mod-ify the design of your structure. To make that easier, weorganized this article so that separate sections describethe construction techniques for building each compo-nent. You can apply these techniques as needed to cre-ate your own structure.

The illustrations and dimensions shown are for a10 x 12-ft. structure. We chose this size for a few reasons.First, these dimensions lend themselves to easier calcu-lations. Second, you won’t need any lumber longer than12 ft. (so you shouldn’t need to special-order materialsat most lumberyards). And finally, depending on thespecific codes in your municipality, a 10 x 12-ft. struc-ture may not require a building permit. (Note: Thescreen house that we built and photographed is actuallyalmost 10 x 14 ft.; we increased the width to fill thespace on the site. As a result, the framing spacing in thephotos doesn’t exactly match the illustrations.)

Building a structure that features so many exposedparts and joints is more time-consuming than buildinga typical framed-and-sided structure. The location andappearance of every cut end, joint and fastener must becarefully considered because almost nothing is hidden.In many respects it’s more like a woodworking projectthan a construction project — a great opportunity toshowcase your craftsmanship.

Learn the skills to build a stunning backyard getawayB Y DA N C A R Y

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT JACOBSON, MIKE ANDERSON AND LARRY OKRENDDESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE BY VERN GRASSEL

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MIKE ANDERSON

Page 2: Handy Screen House

HandymanClub.comHANDY MAGAZINE

We built our screen house on a free-standing deck, but you can also build astructure like this on a poured-concreteslab or paved patio. If you choose to buildon a deck, you must be sure that the deckis adequately framed to support theweight of the structure as well asadditional forces such as snow loads.(Check with your local building inspectorfor framing requirements in your area.)To keep bugs out, be sure to screen underthe decking or around the perimeter(photo, right). It’s also easier to apply thedeck finish before you build the structure.

BUILD THE BASE

Front panel

4 x 4 x 91-in. posts

Inside cap 1-1/2 x 1-1/2-in.horizontal trim

Inside panel 8-in. lap siding

Bottomscreen molding

Outside cap

Top and sidescreen moldings

ScreenSide panel

Building paper

Drip-edge flashingSelf-adhesive flashing

Shingles

For more detailed drawingsof our screen house, go towww.HandymanClub.comand click on WEB EXTRAS.

SCREEN HOUSE

The walls of this screen house are madewith individual screened panels that areattached between posts, bottom plates andtop plates. We built the panels in the shopand then assembled each wall on site. Wecalculated a panel size for each wall bysubtracting the post widths and dividing upthe remaining length of each wall intoequal-size panels. Then we made multiple

identical panels for each wall using an assembly-line process. For example, we built eachset of wall panels by cutting all of the parts, staining them and then assembling eachpanel like a kit. Staining the parts before assembly allowed us to easily coat all surfacesbefore adding the screens.The wall panels were built 1-1/2 in. narrower than the post thickness so that the trim

does not protrude past the post faces. Rip 2x4s down to make the 1-1/2 x 2-in. panel-framing members. (Save the 1-1/2-in.-wide cutoff strips to use as molding and trimpieces.) Assemble the frame for each panel with 3-in. deck screws (photo 1). Clad the bottom section with cedar lap siding attachedwith 1-1/2-in. ring-shank siding nails (photo 2).Next, stretch screen across the top section and attach it with 3/8-in. stainless steel staples (photo 3). Rip 5/8 x 1-1/2-in. pieces of

cedar to use as the screen molding to cover the top and side stapled edges of the screen. Rip 1 x 1-1/2-in. pieces of cedar to cover thebottom screen edge. Repeat the same assembly process for all of the wall panels.

BUILD THE WALL PANELS

FRONT PANELS (6) BACK PANELS (4)

FRONT PANELS (2)

89-1/2"

32" 35"

28-5/8" 28-5/8"32-1/4" 84"

31-5/8" 31-5/8"

29"

35-1/4" 35-1/2"

5-1/2" 3-1/2"

87-1/2"

29"

SIDE PANELS (6) BACK PANELS (4)

FRONT PANELS (2)

DOORS (2)

Inside edge

Outside edge

PANEL DETAIL

6" spacer

Page 3: Handy Screen House

COMMON: 81-1/2"INNER JACK: 56-3/4"

OUTER JACK: 31-1/2"

19°

109°

COMMON AND JACK RAFTER DETAIL

3-1/2"4" r.

1-1/4"21-1/8"

17-1/4"

JACK RAFTERTOP VIEW

45°

112-5/8"

13°

103°

HIP RAFTER DETAIL

5-1/8"4" r.

1-1/4"25"

TOP VIEW

45°

45°

25-1/2"

22-1/2"22-1/2"

22-1/2"RIDGE BEAM DETAIL

Hip

Ridge

Inner Jack

Outer Jack

Common

HandymanClub.comHANDY MAGAZINE

After you’ve assembled the wall panels,you can move them out to the construc-tion site and build each wall. Assemblethe back wall first.The bottom plate and posts of each

wall are joined with half-lap joints.Mark the post and panel locations onthe bottom plate. Cut the half-lapnotches in the bottom plate and posts.Lay the posts, bottom plates and

wall panels on a flat surface such asthe deck and assemble them with2-1/2- and 3-in. deck screws (photo 1).Then attach a top plate to the tops ofthe panels and posts.Move the back wall into position,

making sure that it is plumb, and tem-porarily secure it with angled braces.Then assemble each side wall, raise itinto position (photo 2) and attach it tothe back wall.The front wall is built slightly differ-

ently from the back and sides becauseyou need to leave an opening where thedoors will be installed. Separate bottomplates are attached under the two frontpanels. The back half of the header is acontinuous 2x8 that fits into notchesthat are cut in the top inside face ofeach post. The front half of the headeris pieced in between the posts on thefront of the wall.After you’ve constructed the front

wall, raise it (photo 3) and attach it tothe side walls. Then attach the secondtop plates to all of the walls, overlappingthe seams between walls (photo 4).Finally, check that the walls are squareto each other and secure them to thebase. We drove 1/4 x 5-in. lag screwsinto the deck joists located below thedecking (photo 5). Use concreteanchors when installing a screen houseon a poured slab.

RAISE THE WALLS

RAFTER CONSTRUCTIONDesigning a hip roof (calculating the rafter layout andcomponent sizes) is a skill that’s best left to experi-enced framing contractors. But if you know all of thecomponents’ dimensions, construction is not as diffi-cult as you might think. We’ve included illustrationsand details for the components necessary to build a4:12-pitch hip roof for a 10 x 12-ft. structure.

A hip roof is made up of four main components: the ridge board,the hip rafters, the common rafters and the jack rafters. The ridgeboard is the top horizontal board that forms the peak of the roof.The hip rafters are the corner rafters. They bisect each corner at a45-degree angle. If the building is square, a hip roof forms a pyra-mid and there is no ridge. The common rafters are located at eachend of the ridge and along the side of the ridge. The jack raftersare the shorter rafters that run from the side of the hip rafter downto the wall top plate.Cut the roof components to size (see “Rafter Construction,”

below). Begin building the roof by attaching two common raftersat each end of one side of the ridge (see illustration callouts,below). With the help of one or two friends, raise the ridge andattach two more common rafters to the ends of the other side ofthe ridge board. Then adjust the ridge height so that the bird’s-mouths are seated on the top plates and pull tight to the sides ofthe front and back walls. Attach the common rafters to the topplates with framing nails or deck screws.

Next, attach one common rafter to each end of the ridge boardand to the center of the side walls. The ridge board is now lockedin place, and you can attach the remaining common rafters, hiprafters and jack rafters (photo above).The final step in framing the roof is to attach the blocking that

closes the openings between the rafter ends and above the topplate. Cut a 13-degree bevel along the top edge of the blocks, andcut each block to fit between the rafters.

FRAME THE ROOF

Page 4: Handy Screen House

HANDY MAGAZINE

The two sliding doors are simple framesconstructed of 2x6 and 2x4 boards.Assemble the door frames with dowels,pocket screws or floating tenons. Thedoors hang and travel on a manufac-tured aluminum sliding door-rail system(see SOURCES ONLINE, below). The bot-toms of the doors feature a groove, andfloor guides fit in the groove to keep thedoors in alignment.Mount the rail to the inside face of the

front wall header. Then mount the rollerbrackets to the top of the door and fastenthem to the rollers in the rail (photo 1).Attach the bottom-alignment guide tothe floor (photo 2). Instead of using atypical latch, we opted to attach a fewrare-earth-magnet washers to theinside faces of the doors. The magnetsare strong enough to keep the doorsclosed, and they are hidden in the doorframe (photo 3).

HANG THE DOORS

DESIGNING YOUR OWN PERSONAL GETAWAY

We created the look of a tongue-and-groove board ceiling with a lot less workby attaching 1/4-in.-thick beadboardplywood to the rafters before we attachedthe sheathing. We cut and attached thebead board so that the beads run parallelto each side (photo, p. 19). Keep in mindthat the panel seams must be at thecenter of the rafters.Place each panel on the roof and

snap a chalk line to mark the cut lines(photo 1). Tack the bead board in placewith 1/2-in.-wide x 1-in.-long crownstaples or siding nails. Repeat theprocess to cut and fit 3/4-in.-thicksheathing over the bead board. Thendrive 1/2-in.-wide x 1-1/2-in.-long sta-ples or 8d sheathing nails every 8 in. tosecure the sheathing and bead board tothe rafters. Be careful to drive the nailsinto the rafters so that they are notexposed inside the structure.

Attach drip edge to the sheathing andthen cover the entire roof with buildingpaper. Roll out each layer across eachside, starting along the bottom edge.Each row should overlap the previousrow by 4 to 6 in. and the hips by 12 in.We chose to use cedar shingles to

match the rest of the structure, but youcan use asphalt, synthetic or compositeshingles. Note that the framing was notdesigned to support heavy roofing mate-rials such as clay tiles or natural slate.Follow the manufacturer’s instructions

for installing the shingles. Many roofingcontractors dip cedar singles in water-resistant sealer before attaching them tothe roof to enhance their longevity. Wemade a jig that butts up against the previ-ous row of shingles to keep the revealspacing consistent (photo 3). Attach theshingles with 1/2-in.-wide x 1-in. crownstaples. Cut the shingles at the end of

each row to follow the hip and ridge lines.Then make overlapping cap rows, using4-in.-wide shingles, to cover the seams atthe hips and ridge (photos 4 and 5).

SOURCES ONLINEFor online information, go to www.HandymanClub.com

and click on WEB EXTRAS.

Specialty Doors (6-ft. aluminum track kits [2], No. H200A/6)866-815-8151

Lee Valley & Veritas (magnet, No. 99K32.11; cup, No. 99K32.54;matching washer, No. 99K32.64), 800-871-8158

ATTACH THE ROOF

Shinglereveal jig

HandymanClub.com

A backyard retreat can be as simple as a garden benchunder a tree, or it can be a more elaborate enclosed struc-ture. What you choose depends on the space you have andhow you plan to use it.

The advantage of an enclosed structure, such as a screenhouse, is that the walls and ceiling provide shelter and a senseof seclusion. Even a 6 x 8-ft. area is large enough for a coupleof chairs and a small table. Building a small structure can offeradvantages: It takes less time, costs less and uses materialsthat are manageable sizes.

When choosing a location, think “get away.” To create atrue retreat, select a site far enough from your main living orworking areas that it will be a specific destination rather thana place you routinely pass through. u

To get more information on theproject below, as well as other

outdoor projects, go to www.HandymanClub.comand click on Web Extras.