Gina's Observatory

[Gina]

Now where is that "Copy to Real Life" button in Sketchup?

That would be good, wouldn't it?!

[Gina]

Just as well I copied the file from the Windows environment into the Linux one - I'd decided to paint my model and it suddenly disappeared. Tried the "Revert" and it said it couldn't file the file The earlier saved files are there though. Publishing the file on here adds yet another layer of backup

[Gina]

Thought I might go out and get the under floor insulation but on checking availability the nearest B&Q are out of stock and all branches within 60 miles are out of stock of the 8x4x25mm 8 packs Nowhere else seem to have insulation board at anything like the B&Q price Not that I need it yet and I guess they just might have more stock in by the time I'm ready to lay the floorboards in the warm room. Only thing is, the way my build is designed, the warm room walls are on top of the floorboards. So the order has to be - 1. Insulation board 2. Floorboards 3. Walls and 4. Roof.

Fortunately, my build is modular. Each wall and roof is a separate entity which will then be bolted together. So I can build all the sections first if I like. The walls can be constructed flat on the ground and so can the roof sections.

[Gina]

A bit more done to my model. Zip file attached.

I need to think about the construction of the doors. I think I might use shiplap on the outer door - I guess horizontal, to match the rest would look best. Not sure what to use for cladding the inside. I think hardboard should be adequate for lining the warm room walls and door as I plan to keep it off the chill and dry. But for the obsy side of the dividing wall door, I think something more damp tolerant would be better. Then there is the question of the timber frame. I think doors are mostly constructed of something like 4"x1.25". Any thoughts on this would be welcome

Gina-Obsy-build-guttering-downpipe.skp.zip

[fwm891]

Hi Gina, things are looking good in sketch-up. Just a thought - Where your RoR sits in its closed position is there any weather proofing to the gap between the lower wall sections and the RoR : some form of flashing just to take water from the top portion of the wall and take it across any gap between the RoR and lower sections ?

I know your using ship-lap (ideal) for your walls which is shaped to take water away from the joints in the wall and avoid capillary action. After today's wind driven rain I fear that any unprotected gap would be vulnerable to water ingress...

Just a thought

Francis

[Astrokev]

Very impressed with the level of detail you've incorporated into your SketchUp design Gina. Must have taken you hours!

[Gina]

Hi Gina, things are looking good in sketch-up. Just a thought - Where your RoR sits in its closed position is there any weather proofing to the gap between the lower wall sections and the RoR : some form of flashing just to take water from the top portion of the wall and take it across any gap between the RoR and lower sections ?

I know your using ship-lap (ideal) for your walls which is shaped to take water away from the joints in the wall and avoid capillary action. After today's wind driven rain I fear that any unprotected gap would be vulnerable to water ingress...

Just a thought

Francis

The shiplap on the ROR is supposed to overlap that on the walls. I'll see how it goes when I do the actual build - I may add some extra flashing if it looks like it needs it. Or maybe some brush type draught excluder.

[Gina]

Very impressed with the level of detail you've incorporated into your SketchUp design Gina. Must have taken you hours!

Thank you Yes, it has taken hours! Hours and hours!! SketchUp needs plenty of patience and perseverance. There have been times when I've had to leave it and do something else - frustration won for a while. Sometimes it has been quite satisfying to do the fine details but I have given up adding things like coach bolts and nuts. I decided it was rather a waste of time and better to concentrate on the more critical things.

[Gina]

Latest SketchUp model zip file attached.

Added dividing wall door framework and outer door complete with shiplap. Also done a bit of tidying up. Think that's just about it for the timber build but still have to add the pier and base plus pier adapter, extension and mount with scope.

Gina-Obsy-build-11-08-20-1400.skp.zip

[Gina]

I've added the pier with it's base. Also moved the side shiplap away to give better view of the inside. 2 zips attached, the second shows a section including the way the roofs overlap. I also see that I didn't succeed in cutting the floorboards away round the pier. This software is amazing

Gina-Obsy-build-11-08-21-1010.skp.zip

Gina-Obsy-build-11-08-21-1010-section.skp.zip

[fwm891]

Looks really good. As you say "amazing software" going through tutorials at the moment and just playing. Not at the level of detail you're providing. I was told when I retired I'd have more time for this sort of thing - they lied !!!

Francis

[Gina]

Thank you I'm still at the learning stage with SketchUp and continuing to discover more facilities and better ways of doing things.

[fwm891]

Perhaps when you've finished the obsy you could write a Sketch-Up manual...

[Gina]

Here we go again - I did that for Ubuntu (Linux) when it was just a couple of years old, in fact published a web site specially for hints, tips, and work-arounds. I like the video tutorials for SketchUp and the other help seems quite reasonable... But yes, I could write up my findings

[Gina]

Been learning about the Section Plane feature and using it to sort out how the end wall flap fits with and seals to the roll off roof. I discovered a gap that wasn't apparent before.

[Gina]

I'm not finding the Google help very "helpful" really. I want to combine 2 components into one. Using the Select pointer to box the components doesn't seen to work. Also, IMO you should be able to add extra bits (just constructed) to an existing component, but I can't find out how to do that either. I'm sure I must be missing something as these seem such obvious thing you'd want to do.

[Gina]

Watched a whole heap of videos last night and I think I may have discovered the answer to combining components - Layers. I've also found what would seem to be a better way of showing the insides than moving the walls - Scenes. Found how to control Section Planes and Cuts too - toolbars.

[Gina]

SketchUp Hints and Tips

I'll collect up all these and post them in the SketchUp thread later.

Meanwhile, here's a good one, to separate the various elements of a model - eg. each wall, roofs, etc. using Layers. I have created a Layer for each and every part of the model I might want to separate or hide. That's no less than 20 Layers. ie. Walls 8, Roofs 2, Shiplap 8, Floor. Pier, Obsy end wall flap and Layer0. OK that's 22 but I have some still combined which I've yet to separate. All the sections are in appropriately named layers, leaving all the "space junk" in Layer0. So by hiding Layer 0 I can remove all the junk. Layer0 will be useful for constructing any extras and getting them right before adding them to the model.

[Gina]

Here is the result of putting the various parts in layers. Go to Menu > Windows > Layers to see a list of the Layers. There you can add (or remove) layers and name them (or change the name) and make them Visible or not. In this incarnation of my model I have turned off the Visibility (hidden) the north walls shiplap to see the insides.

Unfortunately, sometime in my fiddling I lost the floorboards and the obsy roof OSB panels. So I'll have to recover the floorboards from a saved file (Using Import from the File menu) but I can get the obsy roof sheets from Layer0, where I constructed the obsy roof.

I have added the odd bit too - such as the dividing wall door with glazing and struts. I shall be adding the struts to the main walls shortly, now that I can get to them more easily

Gina-Obsy-build-11-08-22-2200.skp.zip

[Gina]

Thought I'd check B&Q again for insulation. They don't have the Jablite but they do have polystyrene insulation sheet packs - 2400x1200x25mm 8pk @ £51.84 and 2400x1200x50mm 4pk @ £49.92, so I've ordered a pack of each, for delivery (+£10). Getting them before they go out-of-stock again! What I don't use for my warm room I can use in the bungalow. I'm going to replace the rockwool with it in places where it's exposed and where I sometimes need access. I shall be boarding more of the loft (some is boarded already) and areas I don't use can have double insulation. So, hopefully, one more "excursion into the land of itchy needles" and I can avoid it in the future

So, in a few days I shall have 50mm insulation for under the floorboards and 25mm for walls, doors and roof (though may go for 50mm for the roof) of my warm room. No delay from that cause then

In going through the design in detail in SketchUp, I have some adjustments to my timber list. I've also been re-thinking the roofing. I was going to use 11mm OSB2 but I'm not sure it'll be up to the job and thinking of going for 12mm pressure treated plywood instead. Adds £40+ to the cost but since I'm already spending about a grand on the materials, it's not a big percentage.

I've also got acrylic sheets for the windows - 24"x24" for the dividing wall door and 24"x18" for the warm room.

[Freff]

Hi Gina, we seem to both be at that stage of the build where it starts getting interesting. With changes to the design, new ideas and other suggestions I'm starting to get excited.

Sketchup can be very frustrating at times, with parts moving about or getting lost. It's a good concept but I feel it needs a lot more. I only use it now to get some idea of how things will fit together and leave out any finer details.

Your warm room is going to be really toasty. I'm not putting anything below floor, just some 2" glass insulation in the warm room walls.

[malc-c]

I'm not putting anything below floor, just some 2" glass insulation in the warm room walls.

Tony, I would suggest that you re-think and insulate the floor below the warm room. I found that it helps keep it cool in summer and warm on those cold nights.. well the ones we have had so far

[Gina]

Hi Gina, we seem to both be at that stage of the build where it starts getting interesting. With changes to the design, new ideas and other suggestions I'm starting to get excited.

Yes, I agree. After all the modelling I'm very near the stage of ordering the timber - I'm currently going through the model and totting up all the various bits of timber in their multitude of sizes. Trouble is, I keep missing bits I'll call a halt shortly and what I've missed I'll have to pick up later.

Sketchup can be very frustrating at times, with parts moving about or getting lost. It's a good concept but I feel it needs a lot more. I only use it now to get some idea of how things will fit together and leave out any finer details.

You're dead right there!! I have the same problem. Now I find I have several pieces of wood with sloping ends instead of square Nobody seems to have come up with anything better than SketchUp and I refuse to spend hundreds of pounds on software. Separating into a couple of dozen layers has helped but these "anomalies" still happen. I even lost all my floorboards at some stage! I've got them back now by importing an earlier model, from before they disappeared. I've just noticed an option in the Identity Info dialog for some items - Lock. Must investigate that.

I think things would have been easier if I'd started with separate layers for each of the sections. It's difficult to separate the bits.

Your warm room is going to be really toasty. I'm not putting anything below floor, just some 2" glass insulation in the warm room walls.

Yes, I think it should be quite nice The site is on the south-east of a hill and gets the full blast of the winter easterlies, so I think insulation will be well worth it. I just need to look at all the cracks and crannies where a draught can get in (and/or rain). Sealing the ROR and fold-down flap is not that simple. It would be easier to seal it it folded down inside, but as it is, it would catch the scope. Anyway, that doesn't stop me getting all the bits - I can alter things later. It'll be easier to measure things like how high I want the fixed obsy walls when I get the floor down.

[JamesF]

Tony, I would suggest that you re-think and insulate the floor below the warm room. I found that it helps keep it cool in summer

I don't think he lives in a country that gets warm in summer.

James

[Gina]

I don't think he lives in a country that gets warm in summer.

James

I think most of us don't. Central heating on in August!! Certainly not warm here. And it's tipping down with rain! OK I know it's the Wild Wet West here...