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Selecting a site is a good first step in the building process. Placing the structure in a problematic location takes out some enjoyment every time you look at it, so careful consideration is important. If there is only one site choice, then you simply have to choose a building design to fit the site. If many site choices exist, then you have several things to consider.

The most significant aspect of a site is its slope, primarily because of the amount of excavation necessary to level it. The steeper the slope, the more digging is required, and the more unstable to down-slope fill will be. It's easiest to orient the bow-roof's long axis along the slope. Next, find a location to also fit other site aspects, such as light and wind.

Depending on the use of the building, it might be best to orient the structure north-south, so sunlight illuminates the south end. Conversely, a greenhouse should be oriented east-west to maximize total light entering its clear panels. Though bow-roof's hold up well against strong winds, in some areas blowing snow might pile up against it's door if not oriented properly.

If you need electric grid power in your bow-roof, then save yourself the high cost of power lines by locating the site close to an existing junction box. If only lighting is required, a simple alternative is battery-powered LED lights. Batteries for most LEDs can last over a year, especially if used in motion-detecting lights.

Lastly, survey the site's surrounding area for trees. Greenhouses are best located in shadeless areas. All buildings can be damaged, or destroyed, by falling trees. So it's best to remove any trees showing weaknesses, or whose falling direction is toward the bow-roof. And don't neglect weak branches which may fall during a windstorm.

When choosing the site for my own greenhouse, I found a location offering the most light. This area also had the advantage of a gentle slope. Trees, however, were a major problem there. There were many surrounding healthy trees, but one birch was overhanging; it had to be cut first. Also, a lot of work would have to go into moving out the huge pile of logs laying directly on the site. But since light was the most important factor, I went with the site anyway.

After the site is finally selected, the next design step is determining what size to build. See the next part in this series, Size Selection.

Greenhouse Site
I selected this greenhouse site because it has the most light and is mostly flat. Removing the pile of logs which extended nearly to the birch on the right was a big job. I later had to cut the birch because it overhung the site. Photo by [~jeff]

We mostly think buildings should be made with vertical studs and gabled roofs. Yet alternative designs offer many advantages over conventional construction. Common materials can be used in new ways to make a wide range of structures, from tool sheds to insulated cabins. The gabled-arch bow-roof shed is one of these innovative designs.

Bow-roof sheds are easy to build, light weight, low cost, free-standing arched frames. Structural strength comes from the arch shape formed by their bows. They can be 10 to 20 feet, and any length. The free-standing frame, allows covering with any sort of roofing, including plastic sheeting.

Even the foundation can be light and simple. A sill plate may rest simply on ground stakes, or just a row of railroad ties. Concrete blocks with adjustable cradles also work.

Your flooring could be anything from bare dirt to conventionally framed floor joists. Pea gravel offers one low-cost, easy-to-build floor. Place plastic sheeting under the gravel to keep moisture and dirt from coming through.

Individual bows are mass produced on a jig. They consist of two bent wooden strips separated by wooden blocks. The 1” x 3” strips, cut to match the width of the bow-roof shed, are bent around these blocks. The strips are fastened using bolts and screws. When the bow is lifted from the jig, it holds its arched shape.

Each bow stands up on the sill plate and is connected to a top ridge beam. Bows may be placed up to 4 feet apart. The erect bows create the classic Gothic arch. Lateral structural strength comes from horizontal purlins fastened to each bow. You can also attach diagonal supports if the roofing has little shear strength.

You can use almost any bendable, water-shedding material for roofing. For example, clear, UV-inhibited plastic sheeting can make a great cover for a greenhouse. One economical option is thin plywood covered by conventional asphalt shingles. Metal roofing makes a strong, permanent roof for a reasonable price. You only need to consider the snow load when selecting roofing materials.

Once the roofing is installed, the bow-roof shed is a strong, waterproof structure. The final step is closing in the walls on the ends. The end walls are typically framed in with conventional vertical studs, although you can use almost any material since they don't hold up the arch. Doors and windows can be placed within the walls.

Although bow-roof sheds are typically just storage space, they may also serve as heated living space. The floor, end walls, and roof could be insulated using conventional techniques; just be sure to use an inside vapor barrier and provide air ventilation under the roofing if you are building in a cold climate such as found in Fairbanks.

These Gothic arches provide enough strength to use light-weight, affordable materials and allow you to get creative with your design.


My 12'x20' bow-roof greenhouse.
The roofing is clear poly-carbonate. End walls will be conventionally framed and will include doors and vents. Photo by Jeffrey H. Simonson


My 12'x12' bow-roof storage shed.
Metal roofing makes for a long-life, strong roof. The vertical stud end walls are simply covered with plywood and painted. Photo by Jeffrey H. Simonson

Yesterday I completed the installation of the polycarbonate roofing panels. These panels don't have much resistance to bending, so I had to spend a couple of days installing extra perlins up near the ridge where the slope is least and the snow accumulates. If the panels still can't support a big snow load, then I'll install more supports.

You can see I also got all the pea gravel placed on the floor. It took a full to move half the pile of pea gravel in a wheelbarrow. It was luckily downhill all the way. So, now there's about 8 inches of pea gravel, over 8 inches of dirt, over 2 inches of insulation. The back filling along the outer walls is also nearly complete. Just a few more loads to go before the ground freezes.

The ends will have to stay open until spring. I have to engineer the end walls to contain both doors and vents. I am thinking there will be several technical challenges in their design, so I'll need time to figure out how to build them.

It took about 30 wheelbarrows of dirt to fill the floor up to the top of the concrete pads. I had to start another big borrow-hole to get enough. You can see here I also installed the diagonal bracing. Next I will lay down landscape fabric over the dirt, then fill with pea gravel up to the bottom of the girders. The 2"x8" lumber at each end are simply temporary barriers to hold in the gravel. These end walls will contain the doors and the vents. Since I don't have time to design them before winter, they will have to wait until spring. After the pea gravel is in, I'll install the clear polycarbonate roofing panels.

The horizontal stringers are made from the same stock as the bows and keep the bows in place. I bolted them through the spacer blocks in each bow, so they are quite strong. I can climb up on them as long as I keep my feet near the bow. Next I will install the bottom row of roofing so I can complete the backfilling before the ground freezes.

After the ridge is up, the remainder of the bows are installed. It's very easy since the bows are so light. The tops are simply toe-nailed with screws to the ridge. The only trouble is when the bow is warped and won't twist back into place. In that case, I use C-clamps to hold it until I get the screws in. At the bottom, the bows are bolted to the girders.

The first step in raising the bow-roof shed is to put up the ridge between the end bows. there are several ways to raise it, but since the materials are so light, it's fairly easy. In this case, the bows fit snugly on the girder, so I just placed the bows upright on the girders where friction held them in place. Then I just lifted each end of the 2'x6'x20' ridge in place between the tops of the bows. I then simply toe-nailed them in with screws. The only real challenge at this point is getting everything square and plumb. I attached several lines with rolling hitches so they are easily to adjust while squaring the frame.

Since the first row of roofing for the greenhouse will be partially buried and holding back some backfill, I decided to use metal roofing instead of the polycarbonate. The metal roofing will be stronger, but might someday rust away. Since the greenhouse is 20' long, I wanted to get 20' x 3' metal roofing. The big problem is carrying such a long, flat, bendable sheet. Here you can see I mounted it on top of four 2x4's. I was able to get the roofing up on the truck rack because it is stored at Northland Lumber at just about the same height. I got the two sheets home without any trouble.

The load-bearing foundation consists of concrete blocks sitting on top if PVC boards which spread out the load. The girders rest on adjustable brackets in the concrete pads. Everything is tilted 6 degrees to match the angle of the bows at the girders. After the bows and first roofing course are erected, then I will fill in with dirt up to the top of the concrete blocks, then add pea gravel up to the bottom of the girders. I've already run out of fill dirt, so I'll have to dig yet another borrow hole to get more.

After completing the excavation, I covered the substrate with 2 inch solid foam insulation. The insulation is covered with 6 mil plastic. The plastic sheeting moves water down-slope into the drain and out the greenhouse. I used this method in order to prevent too much water getting under the load-bearing foundation. The insulation does two jobs. It helps hold heat in the greenhouse, and helps prevent the underlying permafrost from melting.

Here's my design for the greenhouse foundation. This structure has several jobs. It has to be completely inert so nothing rots or gets into the soil. There needs to be adjustments so it can be re-leveled when the ground moves. It has to move water around the outside of the structure, and has to drain water from the inside safely to the outside. Since it sits on permafrost, the warm inside has to be insulated form the underground. Since I like a pea gravel floor, there has to be a way to keep out the underlying silt. I think I solved all these problems, but at the price of a complex and expensive foundation. Good thing I only have to build and pay for it one time.

I've finally started the construction phase of the greenhouse. It took a lot of effort to remove the 10 inches of organic material off the top. It's full of roots, so has to be cut out in 2 foot squares. You can see the huge pile of it at the far end of the logs; someday it will be very nice compost. I've started leveling the site too. Once level, I'll have to cut in the slopes for the foundation and for the insulation under the floor.

I also bought the clear polycarbonate panels last night. You can see them stacked just above the planting beds. I got 45 panels at $35 each. the white boards just above the Panels are PVC boards; I'll use them under the concrete blocks. All the materials in the ground will be completely inert so they will not rot or leach toxins into the soil.

The zucchini in the beds are finally producing food now. There's not much time for them to grow fruit before the freeze comes though.

Last weekend I built this ugly shed to store all the fuel I keep on the property. I have 50 gallons of propane, 5 gallons of gasoline, 5 gallons of heating fuel, and various other small flammables. So, I thought it was about time to get them away from the other buildings and covered so they don't get buried in snow and ice.

This shed started as a simple palette I intended to simply cover with a tarp. Then the palette broken, so I covered it with scrap OSB. then I thought the two old saw horses I got at the transfer station would help hold up the tarp. And then I needed a rood to hold up the tarp. And then I figured there was enough scrap OSB to make walls. And then it also needed a roof overhang over the door, and a nice shelf. And then a neighbour gave me enough tar paper to cover the whole shed. So this functional, but very ugly, temporary shed cost only a day's work. I'll build a really nice one in a couple of years.

The very next day I had to cut a dead spruce tree that would endanger the new greenhouse. I cut it to fall away from the new fuel shed, but it hung up in a birch. So I simply winched it back the other direction. It fell directly into the fuel shed. The structure held nicely; there were just a few small holes in the tar paper.

This ugly fuel shed may actually last longer than I wish.

Yesterday I finished all the finish work up in the loft. The amount of effort for this project was way over what I originally thought. Some of the details took an enormous amount of time for what I eventually got out of it. Getting pieces to fit meant many trips up and down the ladder. The most tedious were the trim pieces which had to fit close to the wall where I had put a pretty thick mound of drywall mud. Up, down, up, down, up, down, all afternoon.

This image shows the odd room from both directions. It is a 30-60 triangle with a vertical side of 7.5 feet high. Sure, it's a strange room, but it is essentially free because it is simply an artifact of the steep 7:12 roof pitch. The room is very good for sleeping and storage, and frees up a lot of space on the main floor. The wainscotting on the knee wall will also be installed on the main floor. Notice the clever counter-weight on the stair-hole door. The door keeps me from falling though the hole in the dark. The strange metal rod in front of the stair hole is a hand railing which makes descending the stairs so much easier. The stairs descend past the kitchen cabinets; they are attic pull-down stairs to save space.

This week I'll move the bed and storage shelves back up here. Then I can finally get started on the greenhouse...only 3 months late.

I've been installing the trim in the upper floor, including some wainscotting on the short knee wall. I have to get this work completed before then end of May so I can move back upstairs and concentrate on outdoor projects. Yesterday I finally finished trimming the first window. When I started, I had no idea I would really be building a nice piece of furniture. Window trim can be quite complicated, but I designed this simplified version of a common craftsman style window. This style often has several horizontal bead pieces, but I chose to have just one at the top, and to round all the other edges.

The first challenge was making stock for the jamb. It is wider than the widest commonly available lumber. So I joined two 1" x 8" pieces to get to the required 11 5/8' width. I used pocket screws and glue. Then I built the jamb box to fit the window and installed it with shims. Next I built all the face trim parts. Before installing anything, I finished the bare wood with a semi-transparent oil stain coloured to look like driftwood. This slight gray colour makes the wood look somewhat like old, gray wood, and also matches the gray colour scheme of the entire house.

The trim job will go faster now I know how to build it. There are 4 windows and 2 doors remaining. I may decide to add a few more trim pieces to make them a bit more complex on the first floor. I tend to experiment on the upper floor where my mistakes don't show, then do nicer work in the main room. Yet the remaining trim and wainscotting on the main floor will have to wait because I have way too many outdoor projects to complete during the short summer.

I got all the kitchen cabinets installed without much trouble. All the pre-planning really paid-off since there were no problems fitting everything into its place. Definitely spend as much time as necessary to calculate all dimensions. A good kitchen designer can really help after you have a rough sketch since they have better software. The person I worked with was able to simple drag-and-drop the cabinets right on the floor plan. All I had to do was provide the model numbers for the cabinets I had already identified. My design was pretty close, but did need a few small adjustments.

After I finished with the cabinets, I installed the propane range. It fit right where I had planned since I left plenty of extra room for it. The manufacturer recommends 2-inch clearance all around so the cabinets do not get too hot. I used some cabinet spacer panels to fill in in the front. The propane line into the house was a bit more complicated then I imagined. I should write a whole blog entry just for its design and installation.

Next I spent a few weeks building the counter tops. I had already ordered 3 sheets of Wilson Art laminate. Their selection is nearly unlimited. I chose Luna Night which is pure shiny black with tiny ridges. To made the counter tops, I used 3/4" medium-density fiberboard on top, with 3/4" plywood underneath. On the large counter top, I only used the plywood around the edges. This method gave me 1.5" thickness all around the edge. Then around this edge I glued poplar to make a nice hardwood edge. Next I glued the laminate on top and trimmed it at 45 degrees all around the edge. The resulting edge is very clean.

I suppose I should connect the water system this summer, but other projects will probably delay it until next year.

The Hardie fiber cement panel siding is installed. I completed the installation before the snow came last October. These panels weight 75 pounds, so are quite a challenge to lift up onto the wall. Even carrying them from the preparation area is difficult since they can break, especially when there is a large window cutout. To lift them, I used a pulley mounted on the rafter tails with a line running out to a rope winch. All I had to do was attach the line to the panel with C-clamps, then simple winch it up into place. The rope winch would hole it just where I wanted. Then I attached the panel to the house with screws starting at the bottom. When I had installed screws in about the bottom third of the panel, I could remove the C-clamps at the top so the panel would lay flat on the wall.

This diagram shows how I installed my windows. There are several goals for this window-wall interface.

1. Hold the window physically in place.
2. Keep outside water from getting into the frame.
3. Seal the vapor barrier to the window so no inside air leaks out.
4. Physically attach the vapor barrier to the window so it does not detach.
4. Insulate the gap between the window and wall frame.
5. Make a seal that can expand and contract.

Here is a 180 degree panorama of the Simo-Homestead. The new, empty gravel pad is for the main house I might build someday. See the full-size photo. This six-shot panorama was stitched with Hugin

I decided the main part of the house should be 30' x 40'. A bit bigger than I thought I would build, but still pretty modest. It will be about 2000 feet x feet.

I've been looking at options for siding lately since I want to use the same siding for my shed now. Prices of wooden siding are way up, so alternatives like metal and cement are quite reasonable. I think I will use Hardie cement siding. Only $60 per sheet for colored panels. I decided on a dark gray color to complement the red metal roof.
Hardie Siding

My previous post described the HDR technique I am experimenting with for ice-sculpture photographs. Here is the finished version of Moonlight Sonata. This sculpture won thrid place in the single-block abstract competition. Notice how much detail is present in the ice; there are no overexposed blowouts, or any underexposed black areas.

HDR is a very nice technique for these images. Yet another sculpture did not look as good using HDR as this one. I think the tone mapping did not work out in that case. It will take me awhile to completely understand the HDR technique and its limitations, but I am very happy with the results here.

I've been shooting nothing but bracketed exposures of the ice in preparation for HDR conversions. I'll be going out tonight to get more shots of multi-block sculptures I missed Saturday. Hope I can get good images of them all despite the snow and warm temperatures.

I've been shooting the ice sculptures this year by bracketing the exposure using exposure compensation (EV) from +2 to -2. My goal is to get better lighting throughout the sculpture.

Ice sculptures are light from lights on the ground which often cause the tops of the sculptures to be very dark and the bottoms very bright. Even good modern digital cameras do not have much dynamic range, so cannot correctly expose these objects.

Therefore, I am using High Dynamic Range (HDR) techniques this year. I simply take a range of exposures so the dark parts are correctly exposed, and the bright spots are correctly exposed. Then I take this series of photos and run them through HDR software to combine them all into one photo.

Here is one I just made using 5 separate images with 5 different exposures. You can see the ice is very nicely exposed so the tops are not too dark and the bottom is not blown out.

One aspect of the photo I did not expect was how well the background would look. The trees here have even more detail visible than I remember seeing with my own eye.

This photo, of course, is not finished; I would never want such a distracting background.

High Dynamic-Range Imaging at Wikipedia

That is outhouse moving, of course. The first improvement I made on this property was digging the outhouse hole. The lot was pretty dense with alder then, so I chose a spot for the outhouse I was pretty sure would not interfere with any sort of plan I would later devise. The location I chose later turned out to be the very worst spot! The surrounding trees were dead or dying and there was a dead branch hanging right over the spot. I didn't notice these deadly trees because I never even bothered to look up. Also, after I built it, the outhouse hole filled with water in the spring because the driveway I later built funnel snow melt right into it.

So last summer I dug a new hole in a much better spot. OK, Kirk dug the hole, but I helped a little. My plan was to wait for snow, then slide the outhouse 100 feet to the new hole. Well, you can see I did it! This is a photo of the outhouse sitting next to the shed in its new home. Notice how it is artistically off square to look more interesting.

I moved it this way. I built a sled onto the side of the house, tipped it over, then used a cable winch to drag it over the snow to the new location. That place is pretty tight because it is between the shed and the camper. It is the only location I think will not flood in the spring. So once I got the house over the new hole, I had to carefully tilt it back up onto its foundation. If it fell, it would ruin either the shed or the camper. It was not hard to winch up, then align over the new hole. But now I am concerned it might tip over in an earthquake. There's always something to improve.

This weekend I got all the major framing done. Here I am standing with my creation. Guess I'm not so good shooting portraits.

It is still a while before I can sheath the walls and install the roofing, since there is minor framing to complete first. I have to install lots of bracing and blocking. I also am installing rafter extenders to make more room for insulation. These extenders mount below the rafters and will also add some strength.

These photos were taken on the first frozen morning of the winter. I can still work in frozen temperatures for awhile, but the darkness in the evening adds a second handicap. So, it's unlikely I can accomplish much more until spring. I'll miss working on this little house every free hour, but the rest will be luxurious.

The big wall took a lot of work to get into the air. Since it is so tall, it had to be jacked up quite a bit before the winch cables could lift it to vertical. It would have been better, I think, to raise it in sections. I will break the inner wall into 3 sections for easy lifting. The remainder of the 8 walls should be lots easier.