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A new house I have built

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Topic URL: http://www.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=29447

Printed on: 31 Mar 2006

Topic:

Topic author: peter bunce

Subject: A new house I have built

Posted on: 09 Apr 2005 09:17:54

Message:

Hi All,

For the new summer challenge in the First Class section, (though the weather here is anything but

summer!) I have been trying out a new material - this is closed cell 5mm PVC foamboard, which

may be what in the USA is called Sintra board.

I am delighted with it and will ontinue to use it for my buildings.

Here are a couple of photos of the finished building - taken outside in the cold & wet we have at

the moment

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3/31/2006http://mylargescale.com/forum/pop_printer_friendly.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_...

I have painted it in the the state colors of Colorado, which is where I suppose it to be - my layout

is supposed to be of the DSP&PRR.

The basic design is from the Grandt Line Reese Street row houses, that are available as a kit in

HO Gauge. I like the design which is capable of many small variations, ands will build dome more.

Replies:

Reply author: Richard Smith

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 09:56:52

Message:

Beautiful Peter,

I really like the look. The streaking on the roof is right on too. Did you scratch the chimney too?

Reply author: Rich Schiffman

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 09:58:39

Message:

Peter,



I have used some of the same materials for other uses. But your building is terrific. We worthy of

the DSP&P, and my praise.

Well done.

Rich Schiffman

Reply author: Torby

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 10:53:37

Message:

Beautiful, Peter!

Reply author: calenelson

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 11:02:54

Message:

really like the colors! Nice work

cale

Reply author: chuckger

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 11:06:39

Message:

Nice one Peter,

How did you do the roof?? It looks very realistic.

chuckger

Reply author: Rastun

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 11:07:45

Message:

Peter,

That is a wonderful house. An inspiration to us all

Reply author: Joe Johnson

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 11:19:21

Message:



Love the curtains and you did a great job on the roof.

One note. Was it intentional that you made the gable trim look like the Arizona state flag?

A bicycle can't stand alone because it's too tired.

Reply author: Mike O

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 11:48:46

Message:

The roof and chimmney treatment is very effective. How did you do them? Nice work.

Reply author: Bill C.

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 11:53:08

Message:

Peter, the shotgun house is a birthplace worthy of The King... as in Elvis the King of Rock and Roll.

Yep, he was born in one.

I've enjoyed your project. Remarkable workmanship



Reply author: dawinter

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 13:30:13

Message:

I love it!

The roof is a real gem so tell how you did it. Please?

Dave

Reply author: peter bunce

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 14:53:15

Message:

Hi All,

Thank you for the nice comments.

First the chimmney stack - all plastic, the lower portion being fixed to the roof before adding the

shingles, then the upper portion having an internal core then cased with another thinner (.5mm)

layer to hide the edges and the bricks (.5 and (a few) 1mm thick) being added on to that layer -

the fiddly part is getting the right layout sides & ends in the right place, between these two layers

I added a concete (the sloped edge) layer as well. Epoxy glue it all together, and when the shigles

ahave been added add the slashing and paint it up. Start with the mortar - a medium darkish

grey, the brown & red oxide fro the bricks, finsh off with a thin glaze of dark grey for the smoke

deposition. In Colrado they sometime added a galvanised steel cone on top to enhance the draft I

think, this will be done on another one soon. The kitchen stovepipe is my usual source - the

drinking straws from kids drinks with a halp iece of tube on top for the rain deflector, don't forget

the steel sheet on the wooden planks though - where the pipe runs through the wall.

ROOF -

The roof is done to the system that Richard Smith uses; he has all the credit for it; I saw it on

MLS, and started to use it and continue to do so - thanks Richard.

Here is a description of the stuff to use and the method -

The shingles are made from what we in the UK call 'roofing or shed felt': in the USA I think this is

called 'tarpaper' - it is used for putting a waterproof roof onto sheds etc. It should in its normal

use be put down onto wet hot tar when it is laid correctly; that way it will last for a long time.

It is just over 1mm thick, and has a tarry internal consistency to it, the outer surfaces are clean

and the tar is inside. One side is smooth and slightly glossy, the other is slightly wrinkled;the

wrinkled side is used for the shingles with the wrinkles running down the strips.Both sides have an

added coating of sand that can be and is easily rubbed off both sides. Do this outside - the sand

then goes onto the garden; I wherever possible also cut the strips off the roll outside, as the knife

(a heavy duty Stanley type knife) gets messed up with the tar as well.



I cut the felt/tarpaper into 3/4" wide strips, approx 6" long, and then using a guide piece from

scrap score half of the depth with a woodworkers scriber, to indicate the joins between shingles.

You do not want to cut through the felt(etc), just deeply score it. Richard Smith does this scoring

of the strips whern thay have been fixed onto the roof, I can see the reason for that, I just find it

easier to do it on the bench for the scribing. IF your subroof is sufficently stiff it can be done as

Richard does it: I occasionally have to adjust some of the scribed lines to keep the rows having an

overlap between the rows as the real shingles have.

I fix mine to a plastic sheet subroof that has been pre-scibed with location lines that has been

fitted to the building, check that it is secure and will not 'belly'or sink over time - add underneath

some stiffening struts etc. The strips are laid onto the roof and fixed with window frame sealant -

that is used her for fixing plastic(PVC) window frame units into houses. Richard Smith uses silcone

sealer - my window frame sealant can be if neccasary painted, our (UK) silicone sealer cannot,

thus I use the w/f sealant. The US product could well be different.

Here is an extra pice I have added - regarding the start of laying the roof.

When laying the first and lowest line of shingles only have a vey small overlap of the shingles on

the bottom edge of the subroof, the normal amount of overlap of the shingles will make them very

weak here - they can bend downwards, which is not what you want!

The first and lowest row only needs a projection of about 1/8"; (normal overlap is 1/4" to 3/8")

this can best be achieved by trimming down the depth of the first row of shingles: this trimming is

to allow the next rows to lie better, the bottom shingle rows upper edge will be too high for the

overlap otherwise. They always seem to take till row 3 or 4 to settle down when I am 'roofing'

with the strips.

- end of extra addition.

Go up the roof strip by strip, one or two strips to the full length of the roof on each side; keep

them running evenly up the roof. Finish off the roof ridge - it can be done many ways, the house

has strips (half the normal width laid lengthwise to look like wood palnks, they can also have

lengthwise (half strip width) shingles as well.

Where roof end against a wall - like the kitchen extension, and the bay window, and around

chimmney stacks add some 'flashing' from thick tinfoil - from 'ready meal trays', over the top of

the tiles on the uppper (flat or straight) edge portion, and half under (cut it in half)on the slopes.

Finally if you do not have end boards fill in the gaps between the shingles with sealant. If you

have fitted end boards if can also be done with care, or (much more messy) with glue - I use an

epoxy glue - this melts the tar that goes everywhere on you fingers! Be warned!

Leave the roof alone after checking that it is even to dry.

Now for the fun part, and I admit that you do need a reasonably artistic eye - you will have one as

you build/run/assemble models - don't you? It painting time - you need the craft shop acrylic

(matt) paints - at 99c each pot (as usual ours ion the UK are twice that price - Grrr!).You want

various medium to dark browns, and a selection of greys as well, plus some cheap bristle brushes.

What you are going to do is 'drybrush' the roof

I give the row of colors a good shake - that gets a small amount of paint onto the inside of the

cap. Remove the cap and use that paint; when empty repeat the shake etc. The colors are

randomly applied over all the area - but only a portion of it - the natural color of the tarpaper is

the base color, and is intended to be still seen in areas without any paint at all: from Richard

Smiths photos from Oregon the natural blackish, brownish greenish color is very lifelike. What you



are doing is giving it both some variety and also contrast, and using the color of the stuff as a

basis. You are not intending to produce solid color, just a thin semi transparent glaze, BUT do not

have any water on the brush - just solid paint and gently and in a downward movement add a

see-through coat on some of the shingles; this is the 'drybrushing', not ever solid color, but a thin

random color picked offthe bruch by the wrinkles in the felt (etc). Do this with the different colors

and DO NOT try to get it to even colors - it must be totally random, and you can also have

secondary colors by doubling up on colors as well. Yes, you may well get it wrong to start with,

but mistakes can be covered up with a darker color; please do not use black - it is NOT a color but

a tint, and pure black kills everything it touches - try mixing a dark grey + brown, that is a much

better version for black. Where you have added some 'flashing' add below it a drybrushed area of

light grey - this is to indicate the oxidised lead that has been flaushed offthe surface by rain.

I live in the UK, where we have a 'maritime climate' - wet and warm (occasionally) courtesy of the

Atlantic Ocean, which never knows its own mind! In the US you can have much more (at one

time) rain, Richard Smith adds a covering of (Thompson's?)water seal onto the finished roof as an

extra layer and precaution agaist the rail getting through. All of my roof (and most of the

buildings) are plastic so I do not add this.


Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 15:08:03

Message:

quote:

Originally posted by Joe Johnson

Love the curtains and you did a great job on the roof.

One note. Was it intentional that you made the gable trim look like the Arizona state flag?

A bicycle can't stand alone because it's too tired.

Hi Joe, the curtains are painted strips of plastic; onto the base color add some slightly darker color

to indicate folds in the curtains - just a quick curved shape with a brush, there is no nmeed for

accuracy; behind those are another sheet of plastic as a 'light and see through' blocker for the

windows as well.

When I was making the gable ornament I was aware of the Arizona flag sunburst, and had a wry

smile about it - the design is to us in the UK a very 1930's design - we used in especially on house

gates, but as you say Arizona had it first! It is one of a whole range of different designs that were

used here, this one had first use!

Reply author: Stan Cedarleaf

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 20:00:45

Message:



Very nice, Peter. Colors are wonderful. Well done.

Reply author: pimanjc

Replied on: 09 Apr 2005 20:15:05

Message:

Peter

That is a classy house. Congratulations on a job well done.

Jim

Reply author: John J

Replied on: 10 Apr 2005 04:53:28

Message:

Hey Peter

That is one great looking house.

Is is possible to post a sample of this Sintra Board?

Reply author: dawgnabbit

Replied on: 10 Apr 2005 06:45:48

Message:

Peter...

Very, very realistic modeling! It positively "oozes" Colorado character...Thanks for setting such

high standards.

(Actually, such fine work can be almost intimidating, in a way... )

Regards,

Dawg

Reply author: TheJoat

Replied on: 12 Apr 2005 20:12:45

Message:

Peter,

Great work - as usual! And thanks for the description of the roof. I need to save all these neat tips

somewhere I can find them when I need them.

Will we see pictures of it on your layout soon?




Replied on: 13 Apr 2005 06:51:22

Message:

quote:

Originally posted by John J

Hey Peter

That is one great looking house.

Is is possible to post a sample of this Sintra Board?

Hi John,

I have been edlving around in the web and found some info on Sintra board which makes me

think it is not the same. My board - vekaplan sf

web page http://www.as-trade.com/pvctext.htm

gives a small amount of detail on it, and after looking (as above) I think this stuff is better - it

takes glue without melting or deforming - I use a latex based epoxy glue (Evo Stick) - when set it

is stiff BUT as a result of the latex base slightly flexible still. PVC (pluming supplies) cement has

no effect on it, niether can it be used for gluing the stuff. For high strength joins a 2 pat epoxy

worlks well - that is what hold the chimmney pieces together, you can (I have tried it!) lift the

buildong up by it, though I do not even suggest that method is used!

The early views in the 1st Class section show you what it is like a white (there other colors) 5mm

thick slightly soft, almost matt finish free-foam (this from the publicity sheet)PVC material. They

say it is available in 2,3,4,5,6,8 & 10mm thicknesses.

It is best cut with a small circular saw for straight cuts, a normal size jigsaw will cut curves, but do

it outside there are bits everywhere! Window openings etc are best cut with a fretsaw - do you call

this a scroll saw? Our (UK fretsaw) has small blades that are held top & bottom (they have a tiny

piece of metal rod at 90 degrees to the blade that hold it onto the fixing points, by tension: push

the top down to add or release the blade), in a frame, wheras a jigsaw has a vertical slot into

which the blade is fixed with a screw.

It takes paint well acrylic/enamel/cellulose are all OK.

It is not stiff - but flerxible - therefore it needs support where neccassary - say for an 'under roof'

using 3mm thickness.

I use it for buildings - I will try it on freight (box/reefers) cars, with internal stiffening, there is a

project for a D&RG small 4 wheel caboose, the body could be made from it I think.

Have a look at the website for a bt more info - the publicity blurb sheet(wghich calls in light free-

foam sheet) shows it in use for signs and also the aluminium edged attache style cases, so it is

fairly strong, and scuff resistant. It also mentions - exhibition construction, shop fittings, displays,

interior decoration etc.




Replied on: 19 Apr 2005 09:37:38

Message:

quote:

Originally posted by TheJoat

Peter,

Great work - as usual! And thanks for the description of the roof. I need to save all these neat tips somewhere I

can find them when I need them.

Will we see pictures of it on your layout soon?

Hi All, & Bruce,

Here are a couple for you, this is a temporary location, I think, but it is OK for now, note the two

Fine Folks figures taking the sun!



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