What on Earth is Burdo-Cave?
We live on Burdock Grove, so Burdo-Cave is my family lair, which I have fortified and will defend with vigour.
Friends are welcome to join for a feast! The rumours are true. I like roasting mammoth steak on the newly invented firepit, and making and drinking various potions of fermented fruit.
One such feast was held last fall to celebrate construction of the new gah-zeh-boh. It’s like a yurt the nomads of Mongolia used, but unfortunately you can’t move it around.
The Gazebo Project
This one has been on the wishlist for years. Only last year did I gather the courage to take it on. Once you start, you are committed. And I didn’t want to cut corners, pun intended. Here are the specs:
- 16ft wide, 21ft tall
- Cedar structure and finish, ipe floor, cedar shakes roof
- Screened + lights, fan, and radiant heating
Started on May 1st, finished (mostly) on Aug 9, 2019. Listened to 5 audiobooks .. what was I thinking!
The gazebo was designed in Sketchup. Based on it, I could create a cut list and a list of materials, and a template for the rafters and the roof panels. The video shows all stages of construction.
Scaffolding used to construct the roof
Center post to attach trusses. 11″ across, 20″ tall. Four 6″*6″ posts pieced together. This thing is big!
A full trailer load of cedar shingles plus 10kg of nails
Roof: decorative layer of 1×6 cedar tongue and groove boards + two layers of 1/4″ plywood + mesh for drainage + cedar shakes. The roof easily accounted for 70% of the overall effort. The floor was another 20%.
