I'm considering a detached screen house as part of our landscaping
projects for next year. This is in central MN; our lot is about 2.5
acres and 1/2 of that is wetland so we have lots of mosquitoes. Soil
is clay and the lot slopes very gradually toward the wetland. Location
will be about 25 feet from the back porch and there will be a paver
patio nearby for BBQ, etc.

My first thought is a simply 24x16' building, gable roof with 16"
overhangs, with 24x48" screens above a knee wall on all four sides.
I'd place the door on the 16' end and use 4' for a covered porch. The
structure would be on piers with the floor about 24" above grade,
which would both move it above some of the bugs and keep it out of the
snow for part of the winter. I'd probably use fiber cement for siding
and some sort of panelized (steel or polycarbonate) for the roof.

Anyone have something like this? Seen plans somewhere? Have thoughts
on design I should keep in mind?

thanks,

Kiwanda

"Kiwanda" wrote in message
...
I'm considering a detached screen house as part of our landscaping
projects for next year. This is in central MN; our lot is about 2.5
acres and 1/2 of that is wetland so we have lots of mosquitoes. Soil
is clay and the lot slopes very gradually toward the wetland. Location
will be about 25 feet from the back porch and there will be a paver
patio nearby for BBQ, etc.

My first thought is a simply 24x16' building, gable roof with 16"
overhangs, with 24x48" screens above a knee wall on all four sides.
I'd place the door on the 16' end and use 4' for a covered porch. The
structure would be on piers with the floor about 24" above grade,
which would both move it above some of the bugs and keep it out of the
snow for part of the winter. I'd probably use fiber cement for siding
and some sort of panelized (steel or polycarbonate) for the roof.

Anyone have something like this? Seen plans somewhere? Have thoughts
on design I should keep in mind?

thanks,

Kiwanda

When I lived in Southern Louisiana, they were very common. They were used
for cooking large quantities of foods that would smoke up or smell up the
house, and for butchering, and processing wild game. One of the main
reasons too was to get out of the skeeters.

If I was to make one of these, and I want to, my considerations would be
this:

Keep it simple. Go to your local codes and understand where you can keep it
to a simple out building, and not a heavily coded structure. A lot will
depend on your zoning as to what you can do. And call it a "outbuilding" or
"religious food storage area", or something innocuous. Once it passes
final, you can go in and do what you want.

One of the biggies is, will it have a foundation? In some rural residence
and agricultural zones, anything without a foundation is considered a
"temporary" structure, and has very little codes.

Investigate the possibilities of having a GRAY WATER ONLY leach field. That
is, you would only be putting sink water down the pipes, and no sewage.
That should help keep the cost down, you'd just have to go inside to make a
big deposit.

Make at least one mud room or foyer. This can be small, but you know the
value of mudrooms in your part of the country. It also gives a layer of
heat loss protection when you open the door.

Run adequate power out there. If you are considering those hot water on
demand things, they take a lot of juice. Whatever you do, put a larger
panel than you think you'll need.

Depending on what you're going to do, slope the floor to floor drains so if
you do make a mess, you can hose it down.

Use available light, perhaps a couple of skylights. Use available sun
orienting go utilize heat gain, or help keep it cool.

Right from the start, select major components, like a three compartment NSF
kitchen sink, large cooktop, or room for a large cooker, reefer space, food
storage space, etc. And build so as to keep the little vermin out, too.

Main thing, check codes, build in compliance with them, and when they're
gone, finish it like you want. And watch your mouth during construction and
don't let it slip that you'll be doing this and that later. The less they
know, the easier and cheaper the permits will be.

And if you say "religious food storage area", they might want to stay as
detached from the project as they can. Which would be a good thing.

And lastly, use netting that is easy to replace. None of the fancy stuff in
expensive aluminum frames. That shade cloth from HD is cheap, and simple to
change, held on by metal or wood furring strips.

HTH

Steve

visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

On Aug 25, 11:49*am, wrote:
On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:36:18 -0700, "Steve B"

wrote:
None of the fancy stuff in
expensive aluminum frames.

Why not, that is the easiest to install and easiest replace screen
in..

Easiest doesn't mean the cheapest..and we're talking about a lot of
square footage. I'm guessing that pre-framed screens for that size
structure is going to put a strain on your budget.

BTW...consider using the "pet resistant" screen.

I know it's more expensive upfront, but it may well be worth the cost.

A few years ago I replaced the screen on my slider with it because I
have a cat who lets us know she wants to come in by jumping up onto
the screen, hanging for a second and then jumping down to the deck.
The ensuing "thump" lets us know she's there. If we're too slow,
she'll jump up again and many, many times I've peeled her off the
screen, claws digging in and pulling on the screen.

This has been going on for well over 3 years and there is not one mark
or tear on the screen. This stuff really works.

It comes in long rolls, so you could build your own frames as
suggested by Steve B. For the amount you need, I'd contact the
manufacturer and try to get wholesaler pricing - or at least the name
of a wholesaler that can beat the home center prices.

One example...

http://www.metroscreenworks.com/shop...c69973aed7e079

wrote in message
...
On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:36:18 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

None of the fancy stuff in
expensive aluminum frames.

Why not, that is the easiest to install and easiest replace screen
in..

OP seemed to be on a budget. Both work, and it just depends on how much you
want to fool with it, and how much you want to spend. Screen is easy to
nail on with furring strips, and the inset aluminum frames take a little
more, NO, A LOT MORE, exacting work. If a wind storm or ice storm comes
through and wrecks both of them, the difference between the two to make them
right again are not minimal.

Steve

visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Aug 25, 11:49 am, wrote:
On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:36:18 -0700, "Steve B"

wrote:
None of the fancy stuff in
expensive aluminum frames.

Why not, that is the easiest to install and easiest replace screen
in..

Easiest doesn't mean the cheapest..and we're talking about a lot of
square footage. I'm guessing that pre-framed screens for that size
structure is going to put a strain on your budget.

BTW...consider using the "pet resistant" screen.

I know it's more expensive upfront, but it may well be worth the cost.

A few years ago I replaced the screen on my slider with it because I
have a cat who lets us know she wants to come in by jumping up onto
the screen, hanging for a second and then jumping down to the deck.
The ensuing "thump" lets us know she's there. If we're too slow,
she'll jump up again and many, many times I've peeled her off the
screen, claws digging in and pulling on the screen.

This has been going on for well over 3 years and there is not one mark
or tear on the screen. This stuff really works.

It comes in long rolls, so you could build your own frames as
suggested by Steve B. For the amount you need, I'd contact the
manufacturer and try to get wholesaler pricing - or at least the name
of a wholesaler that can beat the home center prices.

One example...

http://www.metroscreenworks.com/shop...c69973aed7e079

I had two custom made 70% shade cloths made from some outfit on the net. I
was well pleased with them, as they did a very good job sewing and
grommetting them, and they WERE an unusual size that I could not buy just a
standard size at the Borg. I was pleased with the price, they fit, and they
lasted about four years before requiring repairs.

Then I bought a Singer walking foot sewing machine that would sew 1/4" of
leather, and it would certainly sew this shadecloth. I matched the
shadecloth of what I had custom made, and the shadecloth this outfit used to
Home Depot, and it was IDENTICAL to it.

If I had the sewing machine previously, I could have made my own for far
less.

I am taking my machine in for a tune up, having several shadecloth projects
as well as Sunbrella awning canvas jobs in the pipeline. Let me tell you,
being able to make steel frames for awnings, and being able to sew Sunbrella
will cut costs to about 30% of what they want retail.

If a guy is a real DIY'er, and has the right equipment, there isn't much
that is available commercially that they cannot crank out, and at a
substantial savings. AND without sacrificing a lot in quality. Sometimes
it is just worth the money to buy the tools for ONE JOB.

It depends on the time available. Sometimes it is easier and cheaper just
to pay someone, and have it appear. And other times, it is nice to do it
yourself, and take the extra money saved and buy tools, or other nice things
for yerseff and SWMBO.

SWMBO's love it when you spend the money you "saved" on a job on them.
Funny, how when you go out and spend a lot of money, and "save" on it how it
ends up the same as our ancestral hunter/gatherer behavior of bringing back
the goods in mass quantities. Then the ritualistic celebrations, and the
celebratory mixed cocktail of gene pools ..........

All Hail The Great Hunter/Gatherer! ;-)

Steve

visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

Kiwanda wrote the following:
I'm considering a detached screen house as part of our landscaping
projects for next year. This is in central MN; our lot is about 2.5
acres and 1/2 of that is wetland so we have lots of mosquitoes. Soil
is clay and the lot slopes very gradually toward the wetland. Location
will be about 25 feet from the back porch and there will be a paver
patio nearby for BBQ, etc.

My first thought is a simply 24x16' building, gable roof with 16"
overhangs, with 24x48" screens above a knee wall on all four sides.
I'd place the door on the 16' end and use 4' for a covered porch. The
structure would be on piers with the floor about 24" above grade,
which would both move it above some of the bugs and keep it out of the
snow for part of the winter. I'd probably use fiber cement for siding
and some sort of panelized (steel or polycarbonate) for the roof.

Anyone have something like this? Seen plans somewhere? Have thoughts
on design I should keep in mind?

thanks,

Kiwanda



Who is going to build this?
You'll have a hard time finding the exact plans for what you have
envisioned unless someone else had built the same exact screen house and
shared the plans. If you know the general construction of a wood framed
building, you may be able to draw your own plans, or hire an architect
to draw the plans for you.
Personally, I would go the architect route unless you know span loads
for those large (internally unsupported?) floor and ceiling spans, and
how to space out the piers to elevate the building off the ground.
Basically, you are building a large shed or a detached garage with a
different wall system.
You'll find plenty of plans for basic sheds/detached garages on the web.
You can just skip the parts you don't need
Google - detached+garage+plans and click the Images link at the top of
the Google page for some pics.
HTH

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

Steve B wrote the following:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Aug 25, 11:49 am, wrote:

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:36:18 -0700, "Steve B"

wrote:

None of the fancy stuff in
expensive aluminum frames.

Why not, that is the easiest to install and easiest replace screen
in..


Easiest doesn't mean the cheapest..and we're talking about a lot of
square footage. I'm guessing that pre-framed screens for that size
structure is going to put a strain on your budget.

BTW...consider using the "pet resistant" screen.

I know it's more expensive upfront, but it may well be worth the cost.

A few years ago I replaced the screen on my slider with it because I
have a cat who lets us know she wants to come in by jumping up onto
the screen, hanging for a second and then jumping down to the deck.
The ensuing "thump" lets us know she's there. If we're too slow,
she'll jump up again and many, many times I've peeled her off the
screen, claws digging in and pulling on the screen.

This has been going on for well over 3 years and there is not one mark
or tear on the screen. This stuff really works.


Another advantage of the pet resistant screening is that the fabric
material is thicker and more visible, so people (guests) are less likely
to walk into it.
I've had to replace some door screening on the pool house a couple of
times because of people walking into it before I changed to the pet kind.

It comes in long rolls, so you could build your own frames as
suggested by Steve B. For the amount you need, I'd contact the
manufacturer and try to get wholesaler pricing - or at least the name
of a wholesaler that can beat the home center prices.

One example...

http://www.metroscreenworks.com/shop...c69973aed7e079

I had two custom made 70% shade cloths made from some outfit on the net. I
was well pleased with them, as they did a very good job sewing and
grommetting them, and they WERE an unusual size that I could not buy just a
standard size at the Borg. I was pleased with the price, they fit, and they
lasted about four years before requiring repairs.

Then I bought a Singer walking foot sewing machine that would sew 1/4" of
leather, and it would certainly sew this shadecloth. I matched the
shadecloth of what I had custom made, and the shadecloth this outfit used to
Home Depot, and it was IDENTICAL to it.

If I had the sewing machine previously, I could have made my own for far
less.

I am taking my machine in for a tune up, having several shadecloth projects
as well as Sunbrella awning canvas jobs in the pipeline. Let me tell you,
being able to make steel frames for awnings, and being able to sew Sunbrella
will cut costs to about 30% of what they want retail.

If a guy is a real DIY'er, and has the right equipment, there isn't much
that is available commercially that they cannot crank out, and at a
substantial savings. AND without sacrificing a lot in quality. Sometimes
it is just worth the money to buy the tools for ONE JOB.

It depends on the time available. Sometimes it is easier and cheaper just
to pay someone, and have it appear. And other times, it is nice to do it
yourself, and take the extra money saved and buy tools, or other nice things
for yerseff and SWMBO.

SWMBO's love it when you spend the money you "saved" on a job on them.
Funny, how when you go out and spend a lot of money, and "save" on it how it
ends up the same as our ancestral hunter/gatherer behavior of bringing back
the goods in mass quantities. Then the ritualistic celebrations, and the
celebratory mixed cocktail of gene pools ..........

All Hail The Great Hunter/Gatherer! ;-)

Steve

visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com





--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On Aug 26, 11:40*am, willshak wrote:
Steve B wrote the following:





"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Aug 25, 11:49 am, wrote:

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:36:18 -0700, "Steve B"

wrote:

None of the fancy stuff in
expensive aluminum frames.

Why not, that is the easiest to install and easiest replace screen
in..

Easiest doesn't mean the cheapest..and we're talking about a lot of
square footage. I'm guessing that pre-framed screens for that size
structure is going to put a strain on your budget.

BTW...consider using the "pet resistant" screen.

I know it's more expensive upfront, but it may well be worth the cost.

A few years ago I replaced the screen on my slider with it because I
have a cat who lets us know she wants to come in by jumping up onto
the screen, hanging for a second and then jumping down to the deck.
The ensuing "thump" lets us know she's there. If we're too slow,
she'll jump up again and many, many times I've peeled her off the
screen, claws digging in and pulling on the screen.

This has been going on for well over 3 years and there is not one mark
or tear on the screen. This stuff really works.

Another advantage of the pet resistant screening is that the fabric
material is thicker and more visible, so people (guests) are less likely
to walk into it.
I've had to replace some door screening on the pool house a couple of
times because of people walking into it before I changed to the pet kind.





It comes in long rolls, so you could build your own frames as
suggested by Steve B. For the amount you need, I'd contact the
manufacturer and try to get wholesaler pricing - or at least the name
of a wholesaler that can beat the home center prices.

One example...

http://www.metroscreenworks.com/shop...screening-c-88...

I had two custom made 70% shade cloths made from some outfit on the net.. *I
was well pleased with them, as they did a very good job sewing and
grommetting them, and they WERE an unusual size that I could not buy just a
standard size at the Borg. *I was pleased with the price, they fit, and they
lasted about four years before requiring repairs.

Then I bought a Singer walking foot sewing machine that would sew 1/4" of
leather, and it would certainly sew this shadecloth. *I matched the
shadecloth of what I had custom made, and the shadecloth this outfit used to
Home Depot, and it was IDENTICAL to it.

If I had the sewing machine previously, I could have made my own for far
less.

I am taking my machine in for a tune up, having several shadecloth projects
as well as Sunbrella awning canvas jobs in the pipeline. *Let me tell you,
being able to make steel frames for awnings, and being able to sew Sunbrella
will cut costs to about 30% of what they want retail.

If a guy is a real DIY'er, and has the right equipment, there isn't much
that is available commercially that they cannot crank out, and at a
substantial savings. *AND without sacrificing a lot in quality. *Sometimes
it is just worth the money to buy the tools for ONE JOB.

It depends on the time available. *Sometimes it is easier and cheaper just
to pay someone, and have it appear. *And other times, it is nice to do it
yourself, and take the extra money saved and buy tools, or other nice things
for yerseff and SWMBO.

SWMBO's love it when you spend the money you "saved" on a job on them.
Funny, how when you go out and spend a lot of money, and "save" on it how it
ends up the same as our ancestral hunter/gatherer behavior of bringing back
the goods in mass quantities. *Then the ritualistic celebrations, and the
celebratory mixed cocktail of gene pools ..........

All Hail The Great Hunter/Gatherer! *;-)

Steve

visit my blog athttp://cabgbypasssurgery.com

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"so people (guests) are less likely to walk into it."

Guests, maybe...but not necessarily the homeowner.

And yes, it does hold up very well when you walk into it.

DAMHIKT

On Aug 26, 10:35*am, willshak wrote:


Who is going to build this?
You'll have a hard time finding the exact plans for what you have
envisioned unless someone else had built the same exact screen house and
shared the plans.

I won't have time to do it myself but I'll probably do some of the
finish work (all the interior, possibly siding, likely electric) and
build the screen panels. At this point I was hoping to find some sort
of generic plans that I could use to start a conversation with a
builder this winter.

Basically, you are building a large shed or a detached garage with a
different wall system.

Yep. In fact, one thought I've had is to just talk with a garage
builder about making a two car garage with 24x48 openings all around.
Thought I'd ask for plans first though in case there was some cache
somewhere I hadn't been able to find on my own.

@Steve above, I'm really looking to keep this simple. No water.
Probably a single 15 amp circuit for a fan and lights. It would only
be used late April-early October at best, so no insulation, heating,
etc.

thanks,

kiwanda

On Aug 26, 2:21*pm, Kiwanda wrote:
On Aug 26, 10:35*am, willshak wrote:



Who is going to build this?
You'll have a hard time finding the exact plans for what you have
envisioned unless someone else had built the same exact screen house and
shared the plans.

I won't have time to do it myself but I'll probably do some of the
finish work (all the interior, possibly siding, likely electric) and
build the screen panels. *At this point I was hoping to find some sort
of generic plans that I could use to start a conversation with a
builder this winter.

Basically, you are building a large shed or a detached garage with a
different wall system.

Yep. In fact, one thought I've had is to just talk with a garage
builder about making a two car garage with 24x48 openings all around.
Thought I'd ask for plans first though in case there was some cache
somewhere I hadn't been able to find on my own.

@Steve above, I'm really looking to keep this simple. No water.
Probably a single 15 amp circuit for a fan and lights. It would only
be used late April-early October at best, so no insulation, heating,
etc.

thanks,

kiwanda

I'm really looking to keep this simple. No water.

I helped build a cabin in the Adirondacks for a buddy of mine.

We put in a counter with a sink whose drain simply went though the
floor. The cabin was on piers.

We built a shelf above the sink strong enough to hold a 5 gallon water
container and "piped" a hose down to a single handled faucet. Poof!
Running water for washing hands and dishes.

(There was natural spring in a nearby hillside right off the main road
near his cabin. Someone, years ago, had shoved a piece of PVC pipe
into the hillside and laid a piece of steel grating over the stream
below it. You could pull off the road and fill your water containers
24 - 7 with fresh, clean mountain water.)