The previous metal roofs that I have installed were also on battens, but according to the roofing manufacturer, they no longer recommend the use of battens with metal roofs. That is why I did it the way I did it. In this case, the metal roofing sheets were only about 10" wide, so I would have had to have a batten every 10" along the entire roof - which is a lot. I can't imagine it is an issue either way. You would need the battens to be vertical, otherwise the condensation could pool on the battens.

@@CraigNakamotoConstruction Thanks for the Reply Craig I really appreciate you taking the time. I've been building garden rooms so fairly small structures with verticle walls and using double battens with the ones on the Tyvek running vertically and then another set running horizontally on top of them (this way the cables can be run outside). taking that into account the 10" spacing would not be an issue and there would be no pooling of condensation either. However, I think your method looks like less work and might even be cheaper. Can you tell me how it has been performing and are there any issues? also, did you come up with this method yourself or does it have a name / is there somewhere I can read more about it? Once again thank you for your time and I really like your build!

@@quizkraftstudio You're welcome. The baffles I used are what you often find in attics under the roof. Just google 'attic baffles' for tons of info. SInce the "roof" of an aframe runs all the way to the ground, the only novel idea I had was to add screeneed vents under the cottage that provide air in to the baffles. It is just the same thing you would do on a conventional roof, but you would have soffit vents along the bottom. Based on all of my research, nothing beats a ridge vent. I have not spent enough time out at my aframe to let you know how it is performing, but I will be there all of July and then I will post an update.

Please read the video description. You have to click on ...more to see the full description. I listed the costs.

Thanks!

Thank you

All of the details are in the video description (just expand it). The base is 30 feet by 20 feet. There is a 2 foot deck and overhang on the back and an 8 foot deck on the front that has a 4 foot overhang. The inside main floor dimensions are 20 feet by 20 feet. So the roof sides are 26 feet by 20 feet (6 feet of total overhang - 2 on the back and 4 on the front).

Brilliant thanks

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jKldZ86SvsyUeI0.html

Thanks, yes we started coating the exterior and will coat it all. I am planning to leave the inside as bare wood. It is all spruce and I don't mind the look for now.

Thanks and you are welcome. My friend Frankie was helping on those two days, and he was already finished the first two window openings before I even thought about it. He is an experienced builder and frames walls in his sleep. That is one part of the project I did not plan out, because they are just regular walls. I do not know what the code states for non-load bearing exterior walls - maybe you still need to do all of that. It certainly will not hurt.

Thank you! 😊

All the details are in the description.

Thanks

All of the costs are in the description, just click ...more

@@CraigNakamotoConstruction ty

Thanks!

It is in the description

Thanks, and sorry to hear about your son's house. Your roof insulation plan should increase the r-value quite a bit and also prevent thermal bridging through the trusses. The only small concern is that my roof manufacturer told me that they no longer reccomend using strapping for their metal roof products. This used to be what everyone did though, and I don't understand why it is a problem. I helped build a cottage with a large metal roof 25 years ago and the metal was screwed to strapping and it has been fine through a lot of crazy hot summers and freezing cold, snowy winters. I suppose one concern would be that the strapping might be exposed to a lot of moisture at certain times of the year. Still, if you have good venting - that shouldn't be an issue.

@@CraigNakamotoConstructionThanks Craig! I'm thinking the walls should be about R38 which would be good for this climate. I'll check with the local suppliers for the metal roof / strapping issue. Appreciate the heads up!

Thanks!

There are no municpal bylaws, so you just have to meet the national code: victoriacounty.com/residents/building-permits-inspections/

@CraigNakamotoConstruction Thankyou for getting me pointed in the right direction

Thanks!

There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

Was given to us by family. I think the last property tax appraised value was $90k CDN - but I believe the lot beside us sold recently for less than that.

Reasons I did not put in a proper foundation: the ground was frozen when I had the opportunity to build, I hate concrete, the cabin is completely sheltered from the wind off the ocean, and there are a lot of cottages and cabins in the same area that are built the same way I did it and they are fine. I wanted to use screw piles, but I could not use them in the frozen ground (I verified with the manufacturer). I am planning to put some screw piles in this year.

It is quicker and easier to build, and able to handle heavier snow loads with less lumber. I don't think there is a stronger design than the simple triangle.

Thanks!

Foundation is 20 feet by 30 feet (inside floor dimensions are 20 x 20 + 8 foot deck on front and 2 foot deck on back) and cost is in the video description.

Yes, $40k cdn (~$30k us). I did not look at kits. I imagine that it would cost more for a kit - but I don't know for sure.

Thanks, yes it is pretty cool.

Thanks, yes it was 1/2" ply on the underside and 3/4" on the floor, and 5/8" on the roof. Hardware cloth should work too, not sure what the cost difference would be. I think the 1/4" hardware cloth I used for the vents was pretty expensive. Easier because you could just staple it on. Right now, if water did leak into the floor from above, there is nothing to stop it from flowing through and out the bottom at all edges of the 1/4" plywood, and through the 1/4" hardware cloth roof vents along each side of the aframe - which should help dry out any moisture in the floor insulation (since it is a continuous run from side to side (vent to vent).

Thanks! Proper ventilation is not just for code. It is very important and complicated. You can have all sorts of problems if you don't manage water. Mold and rot are a huge pain to deal with later. I think the easiest way to avoid this issue is to use spray foam on the backside of the roofing. This was not an option for me because I was doing my best to stay with natiural materials. Every house is different though, it depends on your local environment. In this case, the ventilation will really help keep the house cooler in the summer (because the black roof will get very hot in the sun and all the hot air, and potentially condensation, on the underside of the roof will rise up through the vents) but in the winter it will reduce the same warmth from helping to keep the house warm. I did lose 2" of possible insulation, but the knowledge that any condensation would have an easy exit path and the cooling effect in the summer outweighed that for my case.

see the video description for full details

Sure, you can email me at: [email protected]

See video description for cost breakdown

Thanks Steve! There are countless videos on youtube that demonstrate carpentry skills - but hands-on experience is the best. I was lucky enough to grow up with a father who taught me a lot of carpentry, and then I also helped my brother build multiple homes alonside experienced trades people who were happy to teach me. My general advice is try to find opportunities where you can help someone else building a structure so that you can learn hands-on. Then start with small projects until you feel ready.

Gotcha. Just got to try to luck-out and find the right project at the right time. Thanks for ypur thoughts and stay in tpuch 😊

Cool, I hope yours turned out as well (or better) then mine! Good tip about the pulley, I hadn't thought of that.

You're welcome

Thanks! The bottom of the triangles are toe-nailed in to the beams and I used hurricane ties to attach many of them to all three beams. Not particularly useful considering that the beams are not secured to any kind of fixed foundation piers or anchors. I may add some ground screw anchors to prevent lift - although I am fairly certain that the location is very protected from wind. The cliff facing the ocean pushes all of the wind up and over the aframe. From the south the aframe is protected by a large hill and forest. Most of the days when I was there in the spring we had some crazy wind off the ocean and, at the aframe, you could hear it howling through the tops of the trees, but none at ground level.

It was kind of sad, but the kids hadn't used the treehouse in a few years. It took some hard work to get everything cleaned up, but I was pretty happy to have a chance to try out this reciprocating roof. I now have two more projects planned that will use the same roof.

@@CraigNakamotoConstruction I never heard of this style of roof before, I too might try it on one of my future shed builds.

Thank you! Cheers!

There is already a discussion about this in the comments.

It may not be as simple as that. As mentioned in previous comments, there are more factors to consider: the cost per useable square foot (taking in to account materials and labour) is cheaper for an A frame, The A frame roof is considerably better at shedding snow and handling excessive snow loads, some people prefer the aesthetics of a triangular design, and there is less space to heat - even for the "useable" square footage. They are not for everyone, but a lot of people seem to get hung up on the "useable" space. Just make your A frame bigger if you need more space. I don't think the cost for the foundation on a building this size will make a significant difference.

Glad you enjoyed it

Actually, I did say 2x10 once in the video and have not figured out how to fix that. The three beams are triple 2x10s, but the sadwiched floor joists (bottom of the triangles) are just 2x6 boards. So tops of the triangles are 2x8x20 and they are sandwhiched on the bottom by two 2x6x20 boards for each triangle.

​@@CraigNakamotoConstruction Yes, I saw that upon closer watching of the video. I hope you make more videos showing the completion of the build!👍

No, the plywood on the underside is just regular 1/2" spruce plywood. It should never (or very rarely) get wet.

@@CraigNakamotoConstruction Thanks for the reply! That would mean your joists aren't PT either eh? Makes sense as everything looks quite above the soil. How tall are the posts approximately? Fellow east coaster here! NB

Just the beams and posts are PT, nothing else. The ground is not flat here, so the posts all vary in height from about 10" to 20".@@mikeland495

The costs are in the description, I don't think that is possible. It depends on a lot of different factors.

Steve, the breakdown is in the video description. About $38k all-in if you don't include my travel costs.

The bottom corners of the triangles are nailed to the beams and there are supposed to be hurricane ties on each side as well, but I didn't put them on every triangle. The cross supports are not flexed around each other - there was no reason to do that. If I was doing it again, I would definitely put hurricane ties on both sides of every triangle.

You're welcome

I did not make very much progress this summer, but I did mostly finish the interior walls. I was going to wait until I get out again and actually make some decent progress.

Thank you. Yes, I spent much more time designing, planning, and arranging materials and delivery than building.

@@CraigNakamotoConstruction The effort showed. Hope you were able to enjoy the A-frame the last few months during the summer/fall. Fantastic location by the water.

​ 16:45 to 9@@CraigNakamotoConstruction7707<ķ>>0i>>⁸80i0ii

Thanks, that sounds like a great location too!

Any interest in selling off a tiny piece of your land? I’m a student in bedford with family in tantallon and I’m looking for some inexpensive land to escape the rent crisis here. Hope to hear back :)

@@PistonPerspective I bet you could get 27 Big Lake Drive for about $40k. It’s been listed for a few months now. Less than 30 min from Halifax.