Roof or walls? Ideally both but which first?

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Small Cabin Forum / Cabin Construction / Roof or walls? Ideally both but which first?


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chillisauce Member	# Posted: 5 Jul 2013 08:25 Reply Hello all I've been a bit of a forum voyeur for a while but am now committed, to both the cabin and forum, which is great btw. Its not total wilderness here in the French Alps but I have big views and only an hour from the city. I hope to build a real mountain chalet my bit of france in time, planning permitting. Until then, I'm very excited about building a small 8x12 for weekend hiking, biking, skiing and general outdoor-ness. I think about 18 months to get the big cabin, so until then the little shed will have to get me through a mountain winter. I'll have a go at describing where I'm up to, but the first question is coming... So, 8x12, one story, pitched at 25% (1/4) with the gable on the long end (front/back) with a tin roof. I aim to have five 2.5" x 7" load bearing perlins, including the ridge beam front to back, across the shorter distance, supported on the end gable walls. 'Rafters' will be ten, 1x2 spaced every 10" or so, with the 0.63 gauge tin roof fixed directly to the 'rafters'. I'll take care of the insulation and interior boarding finish later. Excuse the discrepancies in the measurements, I'm roughly converting metric to good ol' imperial. I have the walls studs up and the weekend job is roof up and on, and cladding, but which should happen first? Tin on the roof or cladding on the sides? Thanks for all the pearls of information on the site which have helped me get this far. Pictures will arrive.

ShabinNo5 Member	# Posted: 5 Jul 2013 08:41 Reply Welcome to the forum, I am assuming that you have the temporary bracing on the stud walls to keep them square. If not, that would be the first thing I would do. The bracing should be on the inside of the walls. With bracing in place, the order is up to you. If you have plenty of time and no weather concerns, then go with the cladding. However if you expect to be interupted by rain then I would focus on the roof while it is dry. Installing cladding as it rains is a lot easier than dancing on wet purlins. Steve

Borrego Member	# Posted: 5 Jul 2013 12:00 Reply I would do the roof. Although it is out of order (technically speaking) it will give you protection from both rain and sun. Good luck, give us some pictures!

Martian Member	# Posted: 5 Jul 2013 13:57 Reply If you are using metal roofing, I would suggest a solid layer beneath to keep the condensation from reaching the insulation....unless you plan on spaying foam, that is. Tom