# Tommy Walsh eat yer heart out!



## mailee (17 Jun 2007)

Well as promised I here is the start of the gazebo job. As usual it rained on the first day, but true to Tommy Walsh fashion we erected a gazebo to work under:





I cut the mortices in the rather large posts with the router:




I made a jig up for the tennons due to the lenght of the timber sections:




It took me most of the day but I managed to get them all cut:




All 20 that is! I have just started to joint the sections together to make up the four side frames but will have some more pictures tomorrow. :wink:


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## Paul Chapman (17 Jun 2007)

Great stuff, Mailee  

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## DavidE (17 Jun 2007)

Looking Good - the Gazebo looks like a useful thing to have.

I hope the weather fairs up for you.

Cheers
David


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## wizer (18 Jun 2007)

Well done for working in the wet, I wouldn't have


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## mailee (18 Jun 2007)

Ah weather much better today got on well. I managed to cut out all the sunbursts.




All of the sides are finished now ready for a good sanding and then installation:




My new Metabo RAS was playing up though and kept throwing disks off the pad! I think the velcro hooks on the pad are cream crackered! Not even a year old yet! I shall have a look at buying another locally if I can as I will need it. Keep you posted as to how things progress. :wink:


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## Paul.J (19 Jun 2007)

Mailee.
That's looking really good.I like the sunbursts.  
Might copy the idea,if you don't mind,and put them on our Pergola :shock: 
Paul.J.


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## tombo (19 Jun 2007)

lookin good mailee...

just one thing what is the perceived wisdom for the effect of that amount of sawdust on a lawn? its not going to be east to clean up maybe the mower would get some. Will it kill the grass or is it a good thing and the sawdust will produce an extra green patch?

just wondering


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## mailee (20 Jun 2007)

I have no idea about the effect of the sawdust on the grass? What I know about gardening you could write on the back of a postage stamp! :? I did warn the customer about the mess though and there is no problem. 
Well another good day today with the main frame erected and secured. If you look closely you can just see the flutes runing up the main posts, a nice touch I thought:




Then it was on to the layout for the roof. I suppose you could call this part scaffolding:




I finally managed to get the first two sets of hip rafters in on all four corners too so I was happy:




You will notice the absence of the pop- up gazebo today too, the weather was great today and I think I have a little sunburn to boot! More work on the roof tomorrow and if the weather stays like this should see it almost complete ready for the sheeting. Will keep you posted as usual. 
It is a pity I haven't got an apprentice to help me with these type of jobs really :wink:


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## DomValente (20 Jun 2007)

> It is a pity I haven't got an apprentice to help me with these type of jobs really



Yeh, Yeh, just get on with it, we want to see the finished job. :lol: 

Dom


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## mailee (20 Jun 2007)

Ha ha ha, I like that one Dom. Must be my age I am always whinging, bit of a Victor Meldrew I think. :lol:


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## Paul Chapman (20 Jun 2007)

Great progress, Mailee  

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## mailee (21 Jun 2007)

Well here is todays update:




As you can see I got all the rafters in place. Then it was on to the sections which will house the windows:




Finally I managed to get some of the roofing panels on too, covering two sides and part of the other two although I didn't take any pictures of that yet as it was getting late. Sorry Dom I am going as quick as I can. :lol: 
Tomorrow should see the roof panels all fitted and on with the felt and shingles if we can buy enough that is. :roll:


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## DomValente (22 Jun 2007)

Looking good Mailee, just hope the weather up there is better than it it is down here this morning.

Dom


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## wizer (22 Jun 2007)

looks fantastic mailee, i have my eye on one of those hotubs for the new house


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## ByronBlack (22 Jun 2007)

Fantastic work mailee - i'm very impressed with the roof construction and the speed at which you are working at. Keep up the good work.


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## mailee (22 Jun 2007)

Well guys, this morning was trying to say the least! I got there at 9am after getting all the roofing supplies and found that the bar area where my tools are was locked! I contacted the cutomer who drove home from work to open it up for me. (worst of all is that the tea and coffee facilities are kept in there too!) By the time he had arrived and I got started it was lunchtime! undeterred I forged on and managed to get all the roofing boards on:




I then started the felting and managed to get this finished too:




Yes Byron I do enjoy this sort of woodwork as it is a bit of a challenge with all those angles to cut. I didn't do too bad as I only made two wrong cuts in all the roof beams and I managed to use the timber on another part anyway. Shows you what can happen if you are not concentrating! As for the speed I am working on it all day long from around 9am to 8 or 8.30 pm so am putting plenty of time in. 
By the end of the day or should I say night I had got all the felting on the roof ready for the shingles and the facia boards which I hope to fit tomorrow. I had better as he is entertaining tomorrow night in the hot tub:




I also have some roof windows to fit when they arrive and some trellis and log lap for the two rear sides but that will be in a week or two. I shall get the trellis ready to fit this week in the workshop and then I can return and finish the job off after that. Next weekend I will have a well earned break by taking my wife and son to the Leeds Armouries as his treat for his help.  I did promise him some money too so he will get paid when I do. :wink:


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## PowerTool (23 Jun 2007)

Fantastic piece of work,Alan - and it's been great to follow it being built  

(Hope it's not eligible for "shed of the year" or you might have some competition from...errr...you :wink: )

Andrew


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## mailee (23 Jun 2007)

Got rained off today I am afraid. This is a shot of the rafters taken from inside while I waited out the rain:




In between the rain I did manage to get two sides covered in shingles. It got a bit too wet up there and I decided to call it a day as I was soaked by then. Before I left I covered over the two roof lights so the customer could use it tonight . I am praying for better weather tomorrow. :roll:


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## Dave S (23 Jun 2007)

Really enjoying the thread, mailee. It looks great.  

Dave


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## OPJ (23 Jun 2007)

This is a really nice job, mailee. I especially like the flute and 'sun' details, not something you'll see too often in outdoor woodwork. I don't usually give a lot of thought to anything that's going 'in the garden' but this really is something else - you certainly couldn't buy one down B&Q!

I thought that, like us in the south west, the rest of the country was having the very worst of luck with regards to the weather this week - but look at what you've achieved! Well done so far, keep it coming, please!


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## Gary M (24 Jun 2007)

*very very *nice Mailee, quality yet again, 
wouldnt mind a wee dip in the tub either !! :lol:


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## mailee (24 Jun 2007)

Well rain stopped play again today I am afraid. I did manage to get all the roof covered in shingles although it still needs the ridge shingles fitting. I also have the facia board to cut and fit along with the windows and the trellis work but this will be next week or the week after. In between the showers I managed to take this picture of the almost completed roof:





We will see what weather next week brings. :roll:


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## 9fingers (24 Jun 2007)

Excellent work Mailee.

Swmbo and I have been trying to work out what the dark green cylindrical thing is to the right of your creation.

Maybe a custom cover for forcing rhubarb?

Bob


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## mailee (24 Jun 2007)

Ha ha, No the green cover conceals a patio heater, nothing as elaborate as rhubarb growing. :lol: I originally thought it was a carouselle of some sort. :lol:


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## 9fingers (24 Jun 2007)

Thanks for clearing that one up Mailee.

I can only assume that your client does not suffer from 'green' tendecies.

Patio heaters and open air hot tubs are not exactly low carbon footprint items.

Bob


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## mailee (24 Jun 2007)

Oh I don't know about that Bob, he does drive a BMW 5 series diesel. :lol:


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## Paul Chapman (25 Jun 2007)

Looking really good, Mailee. Are they going to let you have a long soak in the hot tub when you've finished it? :lol: 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## mailee (7 Jul 2007)

At last a break in the weather meant I could get back on the gazebo job. I managed to get all the facia fitted and the hip shingles sorted. I also got two of the trellis panels fitted too. We are just waiting for the loglap to be delivered and the roof windows to be installed and then it is about finished. Hopefully that should be by the end of this week.


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## DomValente (8 Jul 2007)

Lovely job Mailee

Are those the roof tiles from Wickes?
Any drawbacks?
Tricks or tips.  

Dom


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## mailee (8 Jul 2007)

Hi Dom, yes they are the ones I mentioned in your post. No problem to fit really Once they are fitted just run a heat gun over them to seal the bitumen strip with the shingle below or wait until the sun comes out to heat them up. (Could be waiting a long time though) :lol: They cover about 2.3 sq mtrs and cost around £16 a pack (19 strips) :wink:


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## Woody Alan (8 Jul 2007)

Very nice Mailee, I have a question about your trellis. What wood is it? redwood or whitewood. Presumably you made that too, what size strips did you use and how have you fixed them at crossovers. I ask because I have a similar project to tackle this week but without the roof.
As an aside although you've made a great job of the roof and it's what the customer wants, I wouldn't recommend anyone to enclose their hot tub, unless privacy is an absolute neccessity. The best experience is on a frosty clear still night laying back and looking at the stars. I think your original sketch, if I remember correctly, would have fitted the bill better.

Alan


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## Gary M (8 Jul 2007)

=D> =D> 

Mailee, i have to ask, you don't have to answer, 
what sort of costs are involved with a project like this ?? 
materials, 
labour, 
how did you work out your hrs labour or do you get paid by the day 

if i am not allowed to ask these questions, i humbly apologize but i find the whole job, design and build quality fascinating!!


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## mailee (8 Jul 2007)

And almost finally the penultimate piece of trellis has gone up:



Thanks for the comments Alan. All of the timber is treated Redwood as far as I know as the customer got this himself after I gave him the cutting list. The slats are 1" X 1/4" and are held together at the junctions with galv brads. I nailed them with brads that were a little long but by placing a piece of steel behind each one and firing at an angle they bend over giving a fixing more like a staple. Should hold it for a few years I hope. All that remains for me to do now is make yet another trellis for the lower part of the side behind the spindles?? Customer has asked for this after seeing the trellis up. And then we are waiting for delivery of some log lap to board the back and right side. Once the window fitter has been I may have some more shingles to fit around them and then it is finally complete.


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## DomValente (8 Jul 2007)

Thanks Mailee, showed my friend your pictures and he's going with those,
if there are any problems I will of course be blaming you, already got some great words lined up. :lol: 

Dom


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## mailee (8 Jul 2007)

Oh Dear Dom, me and my big mouth. :lol: No seriously though they are great to fit very easy. i just run a line of clout nails along the top and sides and then they are covered with the next set of shingles. There is a band of bitumen halfway down the strips and once fitted can be 'cemented' together with a hot air gun. At the ssides it is just a matter of bonding them down with something, I used black silicone just to stop them lifting in a wind. Got to admit I have fitted a few sheds with these and Will use them on my own workshop when I eventually get around to it.


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## DomValente (8 Jul 2007)

Thanks Mailee, very useful, relax though won't be cursing until next saturday.  

Dom


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## mailee (8 Jul 2007)

Sorry Gary i missed your post for some reason. (must be my age) Well to try and answer your questions I don't actually charge by the hour on a job like this although I should but I worked out the charge at £75 per day for the build. I am afraid it didn't end up this way as I am running over days on the job. Still I do enjoy the work and it is not my normal job so I don't mind. I have priced my next gazebo job accordingly though to make sure in case it does run over. I have got more work from the cutomer and a couple of gates to build for him too. He also asked me if later on in the year if weather permits if I could extend his decking too. As for the costs involved are as follows: Treated timber for the build cost around £550 my labour charge came to £600 mind you there is a little more work so it has gone up a bit. The shingles and felt came to around £200 and I am not sure about the windows as he has organised those through a friend of his. Of course not pricing too high means that I will no doubt get repeat work too. His neighbour has expressed a desire for me to build her a new gate too. Another guy has seent he pictures of the gazebo and has booked me to build one for him in mid August so looks like I will be busy. I have made a start on his gates as I have another four sets to build so as I am tooled up for one may as well make five I guess.  Of course if I were doing this for a living then I would be a very poor man if you take into account the time spent on the computer designing, time taken running around for fittings and such not to mention trips to the timber merchant for the odds and ends. Still it is an enjoyment for me and pays for my holidays and new 'toys'  Now I have to think about another design for the next gazebo too, of course it must be individual and it is a larger structure too! Can't wait. :roll:


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## mailee (8 Jul 2007)

Oh I almost forgot Alan, Yes I did like the original design too but after my customer spoke to his window fitter he suggested the windows in the slope of the roof as he said the flat roof window would soon get moss and water lying on it which would spoil it. It was then decided to go for two 3' square roof windows on the front and side.


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## Woody Alan (8 Jul 2007)

Ahh I see. My interpretation of your design was a sort of Roman take on it, where the centre is open ,to my mind there is no advantage in having the tub completely covered except on the "unusually (hmmm)" rare occasions when it's raining at the same time. The pleasure of the open sky for the rest of the time more than makes up for it, but as I said each to their own, I assume from the decking the client has had enough time to make up his own mind so fair enough. Either way you've done a cracking job conceptually to completion, and are clearly not charging enough  you love what you are doing that's what's important.

Alan

I'll post some pics of my efforts hopefully completed this week, won't be on your scale though.


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## DomValente (9 Jul 2007)

Hi Mailee, one more question, did you get the ridge shingles from Wickes, or did you cut those out yourself.


Dom


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## Newbie_Neil (9 Jul 2007)

Hi Mailee

I'm really enjoying your wip photos, you are doing an excellent job.

Thanks for sharing,
Neil


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## mailee (9 Jul 2007)

Hi Dom. Yes I cut the ridge shingles from the sheets and just folded them down the centre. At the apex I had to glue up four pieces so there were no nails showing. Thanks for the nice comments Neil looks like the guys on here are enjoying the thread as much as i am enjoying building it.


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## DomValente (9 Jul 2007)

Thanks Mailee, if your ears burn on Saturday you'll know why  

Dom


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## Gary M (10 Jul 2007)

Cheers Mailee  

keep up the good work !!


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## Dave S (11 Jul 2007)

Looks fantastic, Mailee. =D> 
Been on tenterhooks throughout the build, hoping the weather would hold so I could see the next installment. Thoroughly enjoyed the wip. I'm sure the customer must be delighted.  

Dave


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## mailee (14 Jul 2007)

Well it is finally finished and here is a picture of the proud owner with it:





When I arrived today the windows had been fitted so I could tidy up the openings and finish the roof:




I fitted him the shelf for his drinks too:




And would you believe a flat screen TV!
I have been asked to return to build an extension to his decking later in the year and I am building him a set of gates at the moment too.


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## PowerTool (14 Jul 2007)

What an excellent job,Alan - been great to follow the whole build  

Andrew


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## Benchwayze (20 Jul 2007)

Mailee,

Can't add any more than has already been said. It's coming along fine. However, are you leaving the spindle work outside the main uprights, or are you going to relocate the rails between the corner posts? You'll need more of the turned end-posts I suppose, but I think it would look neater. 
Justa thought.

Just seen the last pics..

Guess not then!  
John


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## Paul Chapman (20 Jul 2007)

Great job, Mailee =D> 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## mailee (21 Jul 2007)

Sorry John, been busy as you can guess. No the spindles are part of the decking that the gazebo is on and that is how the customer wanted it. I do have some of his decking to extend but on the opposite side to that lot. :wink:


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## Woodmagnet (22 Jul 2007)

Great job Mailee


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