Well, one thing led to another, I am now currently rebuilding the entire wood frame of the yurt.
This is a good thing of course – not that the old lattice or rafters were insufficient. No not at all. I had over 4 inches of snow over the winter on the roof with no issues whatsoever.
The original plan was simply to change out the apex ring with a bigger and better ring that would allow me to have a skylight down the road. As I took down the Yurt and left the current rafters sit on the side with no tension, they began to warp in funny ways as they continued to dry. While this in itself is not a bad thing – even your modern day homes continue to dry as the years go on. The concern was that if I try to force these now dry rafters back into place they might crack or break. Obviously this would be bad. So being prepared for this, I chose to replace the rafters. And since I was replacing the rafters I thought I’d make them a bit bigger to help prevent this sort of warping in the future.
So I upgraded to 1.5inch by 2 inch rafters.
I was able to better notch these as well so they sit nicer on the lattice. However, when I attempted to add these new rafters to the roof I could not accomplish this with the extra weight being applied to the lattice. Not that it was going to break the lattice, but it flexed it enough that I couldn’t assemble the yurt on my own.
As I continued to work with the lattice for a solution, it was seeming more and more like it wasn’t going to happen.
So to rectify this issue, I opted to upgrade the lattice as well. Instead of using the 5/16ths width lattice, I found a pro Yurt builder that uses lattice that is 7/8th” by 1.5″ substantially thicker and larger. According to their testing this lattice can withstand winds if up to 100km/hour and snow weights of up to 60lbs per square foot!! This is an enormous amount of strength. Their Yurts are made for weather in Alaska so understandable.
So I’ve mimicked their design almost exactly.
Rounding the corners makes the lattice smoother, prettier and stronger.
I have also lengthened these lattice to raise the height of my walls to 5ft. Instead of the 51 inches. It was before, this will add more room in the loft for the kids.
50 new, rafters at 1.5″ x 2″ x 129″
105 lattice pieces at 7/8″ x 1.5″ x 7ft.
I’ve also coated these frame pieces with an oil based water sealant. Making them last even longer and more beautiful!
The finished lattice wall! I’m so pleased with this and the added design from the coloration of wood is amazing!
As you can see I’ve also opted to use bolts instead of rope to fasten the lattice together. And for longevity. These bolts are held on with nylon locking nuts to prevent them from tightening with movement or worse coming undone!
And yes, you can see windows in the back I’m adding those as well to the lattice 😍.
Well I’ve got lots of work to do still! So I’m going to get back to it! Thanks for tuning in!
Today’s reading: Luke 18: 24-46, 2 Sam 25, 26, 27
-H.