Thatched cottage - RE-ROOFED

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philipy
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Thatched cottage - RE-ROOFED

Post by philipy » Thu May 08, 2014 7:21 pm

A couple of weeks ago I started work on a thatched cottage because the weather was a bit grotty for the garden.
Just got the shell put together and the weather improved, so out into the garden I went. Got the ballasting done on about half the circuit and the weather turns grotty again, so back indoors I come....!

Have spent a large chunk of today putting the thatch on and I'm fairly pleased with it so far, so I thought I'd post a couple of pictures of work in progress.




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For those who like to know about such things, the body is the dreaded foam board, nothing special there, and my plan is to finish it as rendered, no fancy stone or brick this time.

The roof is being thatched with plumbers hemp, cut in bundles about 15mm wide and 40mm long and fixed with outdoor PVA.

Its a bit shaggy as yet, and I'm going to experiment with a razor to try to achieve a nice graduated effect. Watch this space...
Last edited by philipy on Mon Nov 19, 2018 2:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Peter Butler » Thu May 08, 2014 7:29 pm

I am seriously impressed with your use of foam board and determined to try it myself.... Any tips on construction and especially marking out stone or bricks would be helpful.
Also..... what ballast and adhesive (if any) are you using?

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Post by kandnwlr » Thu May 08, 2014 7:36 pm

Now here´s something I can identify with. Over here (I think) on t´continent, it´s called Styropor for the soft stuff, and Styrodur for the harder stuff, which need cutting with a very sharp craft knife. And it´s quite popular for building buildings. But the thatching is something that I´ve avoided up till now. Awaiting results with bated breath .... :shock:

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Post by philipy » Thu May 08, 2014 8:34 pm

Thanks Peter.
I used a mixture of 10mm and 5mm board from that well known auction site! Watch it though, some so-called foam board has a foam core with thin card faces and it isn't always obvious.

I use a fine tip felt tip to mark out and cut with a scalpel ( not Stanley knife).
For adhesive I like Evostick Serious Stuff, the one in the black tube not the orange or silver one, although they do work ok.

For brick marking I set a pair of dividers at the appropriate spacing and walk it up the wall at both ends to just prick mark. Then using a Pilot fine tip rollerball pen and ruler, just gently join the dots. That sorts the horizontal coursing. For the vertical joints I use a small pir of dividers agin. Set to the brick length and starting with a 'header' at one end of the course, scribe the first vertical. Then move along, put the LH point in the first mark and use that as a guide to use the RH point to scribe the next vertical. Transfer along and repeat to the end of the row.
Move to the top of the wall, making VERY sure you are on a row that starts with a header, and repeat the process. You can then use the pen and ruler to scribe the verticals between the two marked rows, but remember to scribe only alternate courses!
Then, use the dividers again to mark the adjacent rows at top and bottom of the wall, but half a brick out of line, and repeat the whole process.

For stonework, I use a similar technique but with minimal use of the ruler, mostly freehand, by eye. Start with the quoins at the corners and windows/doors, do them by eye and the exact size doesnt matter as long as they are approx the same. Then draw deliberately uneven horizontals, if they wander off and hit the one above or below, don't worry. Next you have fun doing the more or less vertical, verticals, at sizes that take your fancy.

As for ballast, I'm using 2mm Emerald Green granite from Derbyshire Aggregates. Don't worry it isn't really Emerald in colour , it's that slightly greenish shade that most model railway ballst seems to be. Its the nearest to scale that I've seen. I was fotunate in being on a business trip in the area a few months back, so I called in and got two 25kg bags for £9-95!! They do deliver but that makes it pretty expensive unless you are in the market for a pallet load. I've done about half my line using about 2/3 of a bag so far. For sticking I'm doing a Rowlands mix variation, 2 parts ballast, 1 part sieved compost, 1part cement powder. When its all set, Tesco's best cheap and nasty yoghurt mixed with minced moss (!!) Diluted and splashed on liberally, promotes the 'weed growth'.
I'll post a couple of pictures tomorrow, it's absolutely chucking it down and getting dark now.
Philip

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Post by laalratty » Thu May 08, 2014 8:41 pm

The building looks great, foam board seems to really be in vogue at the moment for model buildings, not surprising I suppose given the results possible. Also, its always good to have indoor and outdoor projects you can work on so you are well set whatever the weather.
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Post by kandnwlr » Thu May 08, 2014 9:28 pm

I´ve used HB pencil to "join the dots" on Styrodur, which seems to work to make the indentations on the material.

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Post by kandnwlr » Thu May 08, 2014 9:32 pm

BTW. Like the garden video a lot. Prototypical speeds, as well. Do you know which camera you used?

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Re: Thatched cottage

Post by Enginehouse » Thu May 08, 2014 11:02 pm

philipy:100391 wrote:
Have spent a large chunk of today putting the thatch on and I'm fairly pleased with it so far, so I thought I'd post a couple of pictures of work in progress..
Looks just like the cottage that I was brought up in - more years ago than I care to remember. It even had a rose covered timbered arch about eight foot from the front door across the garden gate. It did have a back door though, to allow easy access to the toilet out in the back yard. Chimney had a large iron plate on the breast outside, a hinged outside door to allow sweeping the chimney from the outside. We used a leafy holly bush branch hauled up and down on a length of rope.

I get my plastic faced foam board and clear acrylic sheet from Trent Plastics Fabrications Ltd, at Gainsborough in lincs. They are cheap, cut it to the required size and deliver in the UK. Amazing how much a decent sized model building uses.
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Post by Peter Butler » Thu May 08, 2014 11:44 pm

Thank you Philip for your detailed description which gives me a head start once I have the correct material.... this is now a concen because I thought of foamboard as a paper coated material but now I learn that you might be using a plastic coated sheet which makes much more sense to me if this is to withstand outside conditions.
My previous experience with foamboard is due to working in the picture framing trade (many years ago!) where the paper coated variety was used. I had no idea until now that a plastic coated board was available and I thank Enginehouse for that info!
Time to do some homework!!!

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Post by philipy » Fri May 09, 2014 6:13 am

kandnwlr:100404 wrote:BTW. Like the garden video a lot. Prototypical speeds, as well. Do you know which camera you used?
Thanks. The camera was a cheap little Vivitar DVD1080HD that somebody gave my wife. She didn't want it and I discovered that it exactly fitted a low sided wagon that I had got cheap from somewhere to do something with but never had.

I can't stand go-faster trains! Why go to the trouble and expense of a beautifully detailed model and then wreck the illusion by racing rounds at speeds that NASA would be proud of!
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Post by philipy » Fri May 09, 2014 6:27 am

Peter Butler:100413 wrote:  this is now a concen because I thought of foamboard as a paper coated material but now I learn that you might be using a plastic coated sheet
Peter,
The stuff I use, isn't coated with anything, it is just the foam itself, which provides a nice key for glue and paint.

This is the link for where I got mine, although this seller seems to have vanished recently, which is a shame because I was going to order some more!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Orange-POLYFO ... 1300895690?
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Re: Thatched cottage

Post by philipy » Fri May 09, 2014 6:35 am

Enginehouse:100412 wrote:It even had a rose covered timbered arch about eight foot from the front door across the garden gate. It did have a back door though, to allow easy access to the toilet out in the back yard. Chimney had a large iron plate on the breast outside, a hinged outside door to allow sweeping the chimney from the outside. We used a leafy holly bush branch hauled up and down on a length of rope.
Roy,

For a minute there I thought you were hauling the poor holly bush up and down on a rope in the privy!!! :lol: :lol:

Yes, an arch over the front gate has been in my mind as part of this eventually, anyone got any suggestions for 16mm roses?
Thanks for the chimney access plate idea, I'd forgotten about those and it isn't on the plans I'm loosely following.
I've also been wondering about a back door, but again that wasn't on the plan, but probably because it is actually a dolls house plan which is only seen from the front and with a highly detailed interior. I think I might add one before its too late ( and possibly a privy). Thanks.
Philip

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Post by bazzer42 » Fri May 09, 2014 7:38 am

I love that cottage.

I think we are talking two types of board here. The stuff I have bought from Trent plastics is firm and used for sign writing. It certainly wouldn't cut with a hot wire and a scalpel would be interesting :shock:

The ebay link shows a softer type that looks like it would be more amenable to shaping and cutting curves and probably cleaner to cut. By cleaner I mean 90 degree cuts as I inevitably end up with slight angle with a bit of the hard stuff. I do wonder whether the two would mix glue wise as it could be a useful combo.

thanks for the post, can't wait to see the finished article.

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Post by Enginehouse » Fri May 09, 2014 7:58 am

I think acefoam.co.uk based in Telford are another provider of closed cell polyfoam sheets. Never tried this as a base. Will have to order some and have a play.
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Re: Thatched cottage

Post by Peter Butler » Fri May 09, 2014 2:39 pm

philipy:100416 wrote:
Yes, an arch over the front gate has been in my mind as part of this eventually, anyone got any suggestions for 16mm roses?
Quite realistic flowers (including roses) are available from many Craft Shops and 'The Works' as decorative additions to gift cards etc... I have used them myself and I think they work well.

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Post by philipy » Fri May 09, 2014 5:43 pm

Wow! What a lot of interest this has created, I never expected that.

I'll try to reply to the various comments all in one go, rather than individually, hope thats OK.

Bazzer - I think the stuff you are talking about is known as Foamex in the sign making business, at least our normal sign company at work use Foamex for smaller signs, 'wobble boards' and the like. I've actually got a couple of lengths of thin stuff out in the garage. As you say it is much more rigid.

Peter - yes, I know about the flowers etc that you've illustrated, thery do look good and would be ideal in many ways, but I'm not sure they would stand up to the great British weather, would they? The cottage will, like my other buildings, be outside permanently. I'm a bit worried about the thatch from that point of view, plus I can see our resident one footed female blackbird taking a great liking to it when she nests again! I might try giving the thatch a liberal coat of matt varnish when its finished.

Peter - I promised a couple of pictures of the ballast. One is fresh from a couple of days ago. The other is part of a trial length I did about 18months ago showing the moss growth + a couple of patches where it crumbled in the frost.



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Post by Peter Butler » Fri May 09, 2014 6:03 pm

You are right to be cautious about the use of the flowers outdoors as they seem to be made of absobent material. However, because of that they might take varnish or sealer quite well and therefore be ok?
I like the ballast on the second picture as it looks well established but my baseboards are covered in roofing felt and I want the stuff to stay where I put it!
My plan is to use waterproof PVA diluted with SBR bonding agent which will make it flexible and water resistant. I still have to find a supplier of ballast at the right size and in a quantity I can afford! My best bet is to find a local quarry or agregate supplier and see what they can do.
Looking forward to more buildings.....

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Post by philipy » Fri May 09, 2014 7:51 pm

Peter,
The new ballast picture is on felt covered boards. The trial section that I did last autumn stayed put through this last winter ok. Ive added the side boards since then and before I ballasted properly, hopefully to make sure I dont lose it if it does work loose. I laid it dry so the boards also meant I didnt lose it over the edge before I wetted it. My plan (hope) is that in another couple of months the Lonicera will be bushy enough to train in a bit and hide the board edges.
Philip

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Progress report

Post by philipy » Sat May 10, 2014 12:30 pm

Well, I've covered the roof in thatch and I'm not a happy bunny. My intention was to trim the individual bundles to lose the edges but that doesn't seem to be do-able. I've tried razor, scissors, scalpel. I've damped it down, and fluffed it up, but nothing seems to get rid of them!
So I think its back to the drawing board.

The problem is, I think, that when you look at a real roof, what you actually see is mostly just the cut ends, because the thatcher trims the bundle back at an angle so that it is flush with the next one up the roof.
I can't think of any practical way to replicate that, but I'm open to suggestions?
Currently I'm thinking of simply glueing a mat of fibre right across the face of the roof. It won't be correct, but I think it may fit with most people's impression of a thatched roof. Any thoughts anyone?

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Post by Peter Butler » Sat May 10, 2014 12:41 pm

I can't help with the thatch (at the moment!) but for information I can tell you I have just sent a note to the suppliers of Polyfoam, (the ones you identified on ebay), to ask whether they are still able to supply. If I get a response I will post details.

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