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I realize I've posted some crazy ideas and stuff on here but maybe this tops it all.

Can you guess what the original purpose of these 12 panels were used for? I got these from my job. They were going to throw them away but I asked if I could have them and got them for free.

No takers?

Well it's a 20' diameter, seven foot tall cooling tower shroud. Also called a drift eliminator. The one in this photo is a bit more flared out at the bottom than the one I got.



The one they removed, the lip at the top cracked after 25 years of vibration so they replaced it. I can patch it and fix it with Liquid nails and fiberglass.

I got to figure out the easiest and cheapest way to put a roof on this thing. I'm defiantly not using a tarp.

I'm definitely going to be putting a support beam in the center. Probably a salt treated 4X4 post. Then at least four beams running to edges. Then may tie those together with some more 2X4s.

A flat roof would be the easiest. But wouldn't channel water away as well. I live in the southeast so snow is not a real concern. Last big snow we got was 10 years ago. Maybe 16". I could always stick a kerosene heater inside it if they are predicting a really heavy snow storm.

I could use some corrugated roofing material. I could use salt treated plywood but would need to coat it with something otherwise any standing water might rot it. Then I'd need to seal the gaps with caulk or silicone.

Wonder what they use to coat the top of single wide trailers with flat roofs?

Wife says I should get a roofer and go with something like this:



Keep in mind this is a dirt cheap storage building.

I'm planning on putting my lawnmowers, ATVs, car parts, lawnmower equipment (wagon, lawn sweeper) and basically junk inside it. So it doesn't need to be 100% water proof. Just something to keep the rain and UV light from deteriorating these items. Any small leaks that do occur, I can always throw a tarp over my mowers.

You guys got any good ideas as far as a roof is concerned?

You’re going to need some sort of structure to support a roof.

I do like that roof your wife has picked out:thumbsup:

At first I thought walls to port a potty

I used to build houses for a living and I can tell you-you will need to build a frame for the roof. It will have to support all the wood of the roof then any rain and Snow you may get. For every rafter, you need a 4x4 to the ground with a concrete pad at least 6" deep and the center pole needs to be a 6x6 to the ground with concrete pad 6" deep. Let's not forget the braces from one side to the other to stop it from collapsing from all the weight.

BlazNT said:

I used to build houses for a living and I can tell you-you will need to build a frame for the roof. It will have to support all the wood of the roof then any rain and Snow you may get. For every rafter, you need a 4x4 to the ground with a concrete pad at least 6" deep and the center pole needs to be a 6x6 to the ground with concrete pad 6" deep. Let's not forget the braces from one side to the other to stop it from collapsing from all the weight.

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Better listen to (BlazNT) - (Chuck) .. He's buil some pretty IMPRESSIVE "house's" in his day !!

........ ... :thumbsup: ...:laughing:..:laughing:..:laughing:

If I have repeated myself, apologies. I copied this from a post I made from another fourm.

So I am running out of space for my lawnmowers, lawn equipment, ATV, other toys, etc.

Here are some photos of my current project. I'm going to be using it as a storage building.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AVox6kIMd0vYIXHJ9WYe_P9ikLbDm1sH

So what is it?

The other day at work I noticed one of our cooling tower shrouds (technically known as a drift eliminator) sitting in the gravel. After 25 years of vibration, the fan, motor and gearbox cracked the top lip so they decided to replace it. They had repaired it with fiberglass over the years. The whole thing is made of fiberglass.

I went inside it and thought, WOW this would make a great storage building. It's about 20 feet in diameter and 7 feet tall which would give me about 320 square feet. So I talked to the shop manager and manged to get it for free. They were going to through it into a dumpster.

The company that built it and brought the new one took it apart so I came out on my off day and loaded the panels (12 in all) with the fork truck onto my trailer.

It took two days for my father and I to assemble it. This thing was an absolute "B" to put together. the panels weigh about 100 to 150 lbs a piece. I've got to go back and tighten all the bolts. Instead of using the access entrance panel, I'm going to cut the damaged section out where the shaft went to the gearbox and build a door for it. For the roofing, I'm planning on using that corrugated roofing material. I'm going to call some of these roofing companies and see if they have any scrap/leftover panels instead of buying new ones.

I'm going to line the floor with plastic and tuck it under the bottom and get some of that "AstroTurf" for the floor.

Everybody said, why don't you poor a concrete pad and build a pitched roof? Well this thing is only going to be used to store stuff most people would let sit out in the weather and rot anyway. if I does leak a bit, I'm not that concerned about.

My only concern about using a flat roof is snow but we don't get that much snow here. I can always crank up my 30,000 BTU kerosene forced air heater to melt the snow off if we do get a big snowstorm.

The ground is somewhat flat but the building is pointed down hill a few degrees. This will work to my advantage so any water will run off it.

I'm documenting my build so stay tuned if you want to know how it turns out.

Search on line for " yurts " and see how roofs are put on them. I think you will surprised at how easy it would be to roof your structure.

Tom

I recognized those fiberglass panels right away. I worked in a steel mill and there are a lot of them used for cooling towers. I have changed a few of those big fan assemblies before.

Good luck on your project.

What you need is a big obsolete commercial satellite dish. Upside down, one piece prefab roof. Probably not laying around all over the place though.

I thought I'd give a follow up on this project.

It's taken me on and off all summer working on this thing. I gave up on it for awhile. I just can't work in this 95+ degree heat and humidity like I used to. And the rain.

I got some sawmill lumber. 16 foot long poplar 2X4s for about $4.50 a piece.

I acquired some galvanized roofing tin that came from an old tobacco warehouse for $300 and I still have plenty left over for another project. Most of it was 17 feet long and some pieces were shorter. So I just overlapped the shorter pieces over the long pieces pointed down hill. I only had to cut a couple of pieces.

Here is where I made my mistake. My father who has built a barn told me to run some 2X6s across the 2X4s to nail the tin to. I thought my measurements were spot on so I placed these 2X4s 36" apart. Well that didn't line up too well. Some of it was due to the fact this lumber is not kiln dried so it warped.

However the roof structure is sturdy enough for me to walk on top of it so it should be OK in case we get a snowstorm.

I covered up any prior nail holes with aluminum tape from the inside then sprayed some expandable foam between the gaps where the tin overlap on the inside and sprayed rubberized undercoating over top of it.

I used some landscape edging to make a skirt to go around where the 2X4s, tin and fiberglass panels meet. This was not worth the effort but may help some of the rain from blowing in.

Now to wait for a hard rain and check for leaks. I'm sure there are going to be some leaks but I'm going to try to shoot some more expandable foam wherever I see a leak. I may have to resort to laying some plastic over my lawnmowers and toys but I think it should be 99% leak free.

The only three things left to do is fabricate a door, run a power cord for some lights and outlet so I can connect my trickle chargers too it and "round off" the tin. Using a reciprocating saw proved too difficult so I'm going to see about getting a metal cutting blade that will go on my Skill saw.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably would have had a building built but I got probably $600 in this structure and it's about 400 square feet.

It doesn't look as nice as I had hoped but this was my first structure I ever built. I'm used to working this metal and cars and stuff.

Here's some photos:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AVox6kIMd0vYIXHJ9WYe_P9ikLbDm1sH

I hate to say this but you will lose that roof the first time you get a 4" snow storm. I am being nice on the 4" part. Snow puts thousands of pounds on a roof. 2x8 would be the smallest I would ever make a roof but on a flat roof, it would be 2x10 with no more than an 8' unsupported span. Also, you never lay the boards flat. It is always on end. 2" pointing to ground and sky. Good luck with it. I pray I am wrong.

BlazNT said:

I hate to say this but you will lose that roof the first time you get a 4" snow storm. I am being nice on the 4" part. Snow puts thousands of pounds on a roof. 2x8 would be the smallest I would ever make a roof but on a flat roof, it would be 2x10 with no more than an 8' unsupported span. Also, you never lay the boards flat. It is always on end. 2" pointing to ground and sky. Good luck with it. I pray I am wrong.

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I totally agree with BlazNt about the roof support boards, should have placed wide part of boards VERTICALLY !!

I agree also with the 2 by's standing up.... You could have bought connectors to tapcon them to the outside walls and then throw a support beam or 2 to attach them to......

300 bux for used tin.... You could have bought new #2 M panel brand new for cheaper than that.... I also have built many houses turnkey in my time... And yes Boo Boo a few fake outhouses also.... For decoration and tool storage in yards........

But you might be on a no money / low investment type storage unit so you did OK on your project..... I have a very good friend that lives in Kentucky and he don't get that much snow neither...


Plus Tard Mon Ami ~!~!

Boudreaux In Eunice La. said:

I agree also with the 2 by's standing up.... You could have bought connectors to tapcon them to the outside walls and then throw a support beam or 2 to attach them to......

300 bux for used tin.... You could have bought new #2 M panel brand new for cheaper than that.... I also have built many houses turnkey in my time... And yes Boo Boo a few fake outhouses also.... For decoration and tool storage in yards........

But you might be on a no money / low investment type storage unit so you did OK on your project..... I have a very good friend that lives in Kentucky and he don't get that much snow neither...


Plus Tard Mon Ami ~!~!

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I know when Bou builds an out-house he goes .. ALL-OUT !! ... :thumbsup:...:laughing:

...

So far this building has survived two wind storms and several inches of rain. I have walked on top of it so I'm hoping the roof structure is strong enough to survive any potential snowstorms. When I say "potential" I mean as in snow where I live is no guarantee. 6" of snow is a considered a major snowstorm where I live and that usually happens just once a winter. Then the next week it's in the 60s.

I've started piling it up with my mowers and toys.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1607RhQnYqytqGrSgJwnBX96Xfl-XrrF4

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WN-B_ZiseymZ79Y9S5VPVdxn_uw1IDHF

All I got left to do is properly run an electrical cord to my lights and trickle chargers and finish the framework on the right hand door and notch out the metal for a locking mechanism. Since the building is not on level perfectly ground (and other factors), the right hand door is a bit crooked on the hinge side. But I have a fix for this. I just need my father to lean up against it while I run a second vertical 2X4 to have something to screw the tin into. And two short horizontal 2X4s across the top and bottom so the door is not flimsy:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UBFtTA7xLY4_sOSVMkwxA4KqjJnMLgda

Looking good. Are you thinking about spread gravel or something on the floor as that grass will die off then everything will turn to mud?
Tom

It would be best to have several emergency roof posts cut to length and stashed in case it does threaten to snow. That could save your roof and equipment.

Hope the OP will posted the finish product.

John Fitzgerald said:

It would be best to have several emergency roof posts cut to length and stashed in case it does threaten to snow. That could save your roof and equipment.

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Ice storms will also cause a lot of weight on any structure.