Screen Door Handle

Finally got around to putting a handle on the screenhouse door. I could have bought a modern one of some sort from the Ace Hardware store, but I decided to make one. 

I found this funky damaged piece of ohia branch. I think it came from a tree that had been damaged years ago. 

A quick attack with a saw freed the curved piece from the rest of the branch. A tad of work with a file and sandpaper, then a protective coat of polyurethane, and wallah!.......one door pull handle. 

I kinda like how it turned out. 

By the way, it's attached via screws from the other side of the door. 

Screen House Update

"G" emailed me, concerned that there were no corner braces in my screen house. Truthfully, I hadn't considered it. The structure seems rather tight and stable, but because it doesn't have solid sides, I can see why bracing may be an excellent idea. So I've taken action....

At each corner I've run braces from the roof 2"x6"s to the upright corner 4"x4"s. 

Here's an inside view...

The base of the screen house is lag bolted to the deck, so I can't see heavy wind lifting it up. But perhaps it could torque, so I will be adding corners braces to the bottom too. 

If anything would happen during a heavy wind, I figure it would be the plastic roof coming off. After all, it's just plastic. But I don't foresee that happening for a number of years because the plastic is new. Once it gets old and brittle, all bets are off. 

Screen House Almost Complete

Not a whole lot more needs to be done to finish up the new screen house, but I need to make a trip to get the finishing supplies. David gave me a shopping list:

1- 4 ridge cap pieces

2- 1 peak cap

3- door handle ........ Naw. I'll make my own out of bamboo. 

David completed the screen door and got it mounted today. 

Screen above, solid with a cat sized pet door below. Why the cat door? Face facts. The cats will get in if they are interested, and if necessary will create their own doorway through the screening. I'd rather them use this one. I plan to make a flap to keep the mosquitoes and flies out. The kitties already know how to use pet doors, so the flap will be no problem. But I will have to have David put a little cat sized platform on the bottom of the door so that they can jump up onto it for using the door easier. Yeah, I'm spoiling the little critters, ain't I. 

The roof is up and looks great, if I do say so myself.  😀   

The view from inside the screen house is quite nice. 

The ridge lines have been taped. Not so much for keeping rain out, but for preventing wind from getting under the edges and lifting the panel. 

Screenhouse Update

I finally picked up some more supplies this past weekend. Roofing. Screws. Another gallon of brown stain. Hinges for the door. 

It took quite a bit of time, but half the roof is now up. 

I'm using grey tinted, translucent polycarb. It will keep the rain out but let enough light in. Well, that's the plan at least. 

Oh yes, David made a marvelous screen door. I'll show you a picture of it once we have it hung in place. I was going to use standard door hinges, but David asked me to pick up spring hinges. Gee, I didn't even know about them. I'm pretty uneducated when it comes to building options. 

Screenhouse Update

As quick as the framing went up, that's how slow the screening is coming. I hadn't really thought about the tediousness of applying screen, stretching it, blocking, trimming. Lots of saw cuts, lots of fitting things together. It all takes time. 

Already Crusty and the cats have discovered the screening the hard way. They are so use to running across the deck unencumbered. They don't even notice the screening until they've run into it. So one of the things making this job take so long is retightening the screen. After several crashes, everybody now seems to be aware of the screens. 

Here's a few photos of how things look......

Trimmed in the left. Ready for trim on the right. 

Since I don't have the roofing supplies yet, the only two other tasks are making the screen door and making flower boxes for the triangular porch of the screen house. David will be making the door next week.....and perhaps cobble together those flower boxes for me. Since I won't be able to pick up roofing for a couple of weeks, the project will then go on hold for awhile. 

Screenhouse by a Pond

The pond project is slowly morphing into what we'd like it to eventually become. The deck has been built and is just sitting there, awaiting it's next stage. And since David is currently available (he's waiting for the arrival of the bathroom tiles), it seems like a good project to set him upon. And while I could build most of the screenhouse myself, I knew that the roof was going to be beyond my knowledge and capabilities. 

So here's the deck overlooking the pond.......

The initial framing was easy and went quickly.........

Here's a view looking down on it from the hillside stairs......

Now for the hard part, the roof framing. David makes it seem so easy! Believe me, it's not. 

Now I need to go and and buy the screen material, hardware for the door, the translucent polycarb for the roof, and the roof cap. 

Oh I forgot to point out that we removed the steps leading down to the original deck. You can see them on the first photo. By removing them we could make the screenhouse a nice 10' x10'. David figured out how to make a short path and steps into the screenhouse from the point where the concrete steps meet the wood platform that goes over the pond. The junction worked out very smoothly and looks good.