No,
I think nailing into the edge of plywood would be a Really Bad Idea.
I would frame the porch roof using 2x10's or 2x12's and cut the radius
of the ceiling directly into the rafters themselves. From the picture
I would bet that the curve is only at the bottom 2/3 of each stick.
Just make sure that the thinnest piece of the rafter is at least 4"
thick. Of course, this would depend on your particular design
dimensions.
As for the front end detail, let the beadboard die into the face of
the plywood end panel. As we all know, edge grain exposed to the
elements (especially a horizontal piece) is a no-no and would
certainly look amateurish in this context. Secondly, having the front
fascia lower creates a drip edge for water falloff.
I like the clean look in the picture, but would probably double up the
plywood to 1-1/2" to make it beefier and in better proportion. Make
the front fascia radius about 2" smaller than the radius of the
beadboard ceiling. Install a second curved 2" wide x 3/4" plywood
piece under the already installed beadboard to hide the BB connection
with the front panel.
Carefully backprime everything. Seal the edge of the exposed plywood
with epoxy or something else to enable a smooth stable prepped surface
for painting, that won't soak up all the paint and any rainwater via
capillary action.
I have no idea how much time it would take to do this job. I'm not a
carpenter, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.
-Matt
On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 10:49:43 -0400, "No" wrote:
Hello - I have a new project to build a small front porch/stoop roof. No big
deal except this one will have a barrel vault ceiling. Essentially it will
look similar to this one
http://www.peppel.com/portico/barrel_vault.jpg
The one in the picture has a bead board ceiling following the 2x4 rafters
and a curved plywood front. My customer wants a true barrel ceiling. I have
the plans for the design in my picture and everything is straight forward
but since the plans are for the ceiling following the rafters, not the
curve, I have a question or two.
First - The rafters - I figure I will use 2x material with plywood cut to
the appropriate radius to attach my, probably shop made, t&g boards to.
Construction adhesive and brads or finishing nails here. I'm not too keen on
nailing into the edge of ply. Any thoughts on this?
Second - THE MAIN QUESTION. How would you handle the details of the
connection between the plywood facade's radius curve and the ends of the
beadboard? Would you lap the bead board ends under the plywood and have the
end grain exposed to the front? Would you butt the ends of the beadboard to
the plywood and have the plywood edge exposed below? I think I am leaning
toward the second. If I go that route would you do anything to finish the
plywood edge or just paint it as was done in the picture above?
Third - And a just curious question. How long would it take you to build
what is shown in the picture with the modifications I described above?
Support would be via brackets, not posts. Siding will need to be cut back, j
channel installed, roof applied and a light hung (Including new wire from
existing switch). Customer will paint, I will caulk, fill, sand and back
prime. Moldings are stock. Would you completely site build it or would you
build it in your shop and do final install on site? I'm thinking of building
the gable and brackets in the shop, install the brackets and get someone to
help me lift the whole thing onto the brackets then trim it out, wire it and
roof it. Barring that, I may build the trusses and brackets ahead of time
and then put it all together on site.
TIA