DIY Cave Mark #1

What ever your building could I have a video of you doing it ? This looks like its gonna be a RIOT to watch. Word of warning. Whatever you finally have for yourself be sure that you get adequate ventilation should you decide to have a portable heater in it with the cold weather coming otherwise the man cave could turn into a man coffin. P.S. make sure the big bad wolf doesn't come along to blow your house down:)

Might I venture to throw a word in, if you are using triangles then you could do some sort of 'geodesic' structure if you can get the angles right.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=geodesic&biw=1143&bih=687&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8x4vVM3CMZPcas2EgIAJ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=0.9

Have you heard of a "teepee" Fran? Native Indian dwellings... usually build from sticks and animal fur . It would be kind of cool to have it in the back yard. Google that, there may be an instruction somewhere on the net how to build it. Forget the animal skins though (:-D).
Good luck with your project.

Two ideas that might work for you. First, you can purchase a large beach umbrella. Then get a length of PVC pipe a bit larger than the umbrella stem that you can slide it into. Then get a cardboard concrete cylinder form about 16 inches in length and dig a hole to set it into. Pour quick mix concrete into it and set the PVC pipe into it. Once the concrete has set slide the beach umbrella into the pvc pipe support. Open the umbrella and affix (by whatever method you choose) a tarp around the margins of the umbrella. What you have then will look similar to one of those pop up beach cabanas which can be taken down the moment bad weather gets a chance to blow it to pieces. The second idea is to purchase a pop up tent or beach cabana. What you are attempting to do will collapse the moment a heavy rain and a fine gust of wind comes upon it after many hours of work:( As for myself, if I had the money, I would get Noseypotter to construct one for me. If you have seen his work you will know why and that would be the man cave of all man caves I betcha.

Fran, just like boggybottom a video of your efforts would have been a riot.lol.
Whatever you decide on deserves to be a winner you have such patience. GOOD LUCK.

@ Boggybottom – there’s only me, and I’ve only a point-and-click digital camera, so taking a vid wouldn’t be easy – even getting a pic of me using the timer would be a prob. Lol possibly I’d have to edit a video to take out all the naughty words! I did see one video using time-lapse, but again making sure that I had the camera aimed right and the timer set up right would be more of a prob than the building project itself.

I didn’t intend to have heating inside, though I had thought about a very small fire (contained within a metal dish) for occasional pagan rituals – safe placing of that would be a major factor in the eventual design.

I’d wanted the structure to be thatched, or as close to it as I could manage – there’d have been a small opening at the roof apex, enough to let air move but hopefully not letting rain in, or too much.

Lol by the time I’ve finished, the big bad wolf can huff and puff as much as he likes: I’m less interested in how it looks than in how strong it’ll be.

I found “beach bars” made of wood and “thatched”, and I thought about adapting those, but the “thatch” is the problem, suppose it always will be!

As it’d be used as a pagan chill-out space, I wanted to be surrounded by natural materials as much as possible, to increase the “vibe”, rather than plastic or nylon or other manmade stuff.

I realise that I’m very probably not going to be able to make thatch (or at least enough to completely cover the structure), so I did search for “tarp shelters” and have found some lightweight waterproof tent fabric on Amazon, so I’m probably going to have to settle for that. For now, at least – do now what I can now, and then look for ways to do it better.

Noseypotter does incredible work, I agree!

@ Stevie – I know that the triangle is the most stable form; we used to teach the kids that when I was a Scout leader, to do pioneering projects based on triangles. Maybe I just didn’t get my lashings tight enough for better stability.

I did try “dome” in one of the Google searches, but all I got were “living willow” or “geodesic” – and the smallest of the geodesics were about twelve feet across (most seemed to be about twenty!), a tad on the large side for what I had in mind. Not sure if a geodesic dome five feet across would work, it’d need a heck of a curve.

@ HB – thanks, dear – lol it’s better than doing housework! I get annoyed at myself for being unable to turn what I visualise into a physical reality. Of course, my early thoughts were wildly OTT and have had to be taken down several steps to accommodate the materials I’m working with and my (lack of) skill at working with them.

@ Klahanie – a tepee would be much the easiest form of structure, but I was considering head-room against usable floor-space – I have in fact made a tepee frame (more of that in the next blog, Phase #2), but even 8-foot canes only allow me just enough headroom, and take up a fair bit of ground, most of which I wouldn’t be able to use because of the angle of the poles and the cover. Certainly would have to think twice about having even a candle in there, let alone even a tiny fire!

I had first thought of a “mini round-house” but couldn’t find anything smaller then about a hundred feet across!

@ Snoop – I did look at living willow – was impressed by the GoY pics and blogs of their living willow arbours, and thought that might do for me! But they all seem to start a couple of feet up from the ground, and I wanted something that would completely enclose the structure.

Besides, I don’t know if living willow would be there all year round; surely there’d be times when the foliage would die back and leave just the frame? I wanted to use this all year round.

I suppose the main problem is that I don’t have a definite idea of what I want – at least what I want that I’d be able to make myself. I’m groping towards it – lol it’s a see-saw between what I dream and what I can do, and the dream is having to come down to meet the ability!

ps, using an umbrella is a brilliant idea, never occurred to me. Only prob is - given how small I'm thinking of having the structure, a central pole would make moving around inside hard work.

but then, i could build a (more or less) circular sturcture and use the umbrealla with pole removed, and attach it to the walls.

worth thinking about, thank you, Boggybottom!

thanks, Stroller - I'll have to see how small vidoes would work on the digital camera - it might be easier than using the timer and rushing to get back to pose.

Oh Fran, wherever do you find the patience to do these things? I would have chucked the whole lot down in disgust...no to be honest I wouldn't even have started something like this lol! You don't need to video your efforts my imagination did all the action for me thanks to your vivid description...now I can't stop laughing!!

thanks Waddy - not sure if it's patience, determination or simple obstinacy - if I don't try, I'll never know if I can do it or not -j and if I can do it, I won't know if I could do it better.

Just something I feel a strong need to do, or to have; somewhere I can sit and be surrounded by nature and natural things, and just *be*.

of course I won't get the palace of my imagiantion, but at least a lean-to shed will be a start.

I admire your determination. I have a garden swing where I spend many a moment in between my gardening jobs...or just somewhere to enjoy peace, quiet and a cuppa, so know just what you mean.

You keep at it...I'm sure you'll get it right in the end. :)

bless you, dear! I'll get something that'll work, and once there, I can think about tweaks to improve it.

Have you ever read Henry David Thoreau's " Walden Pond"? He wanted to immerse himself in nature so he built a small cabin in the woods and he wrote about his experiences while there. I think you are kindred spirits. I do hope that you build that "small cabin in the woods". The Best.

Fran, American Indians cooked in their teepees. It had a flop on the top which left the smoke out.
But you gave me an idea for making something like that for myself.
Maybe something like this?: LOL
http://www.cherrywoodbbandb.com/teepee-photos.html

But seriously, I like the idea of the living willow teepee as Snoop suggested.

@ Boggybottom - not read any Thoreau, limited education! but it sounds interesting.

@ Kanahnie, of course, they lived and worked in their teppes, cooked and slept, but then their tepees were rather bigger than I have in mind!

If the living willow went all the way to the ground, it'd be better - of course, the stems go allt he way down! but i want complete cover all the way down, and i've not seen that in any of the arbours and domes that I've checked out.

I have a dome tent, which would make things a lot easier if I could pitch just the flysheet - as it is, the fly needs to be tied to the poles, which need the tent corners to anchor. anyway, that's all nylon. and double anyway, I won't have naked flames in any small structure that has only one exit!

I've been clearing some ground, finally decided where to place the eventual structure - which led on to something else which is probably going to keep me busy for a few days, or weeks!

Why not get 2 Beach wind shields? Set them up, to form
a rectangle. Cover with the canes lashed to 2 x 4 foot canes make a flat section for the roof.
Cheap and portable.

never thought of that Diane! defintely worth thinking about now you've given me the idea!

Hoorah ! Success in the brain department at age 86.

shows the value of "many hands" - or minds, in this instance!

been doing some Amazon-ing and Googling - does *no-one* make windreaks in plain colours??

Oh Fran ,I laughed so much at this I had to call my OH to read it as well he was in hysterics , you are amazing the way you turn your hand to anything and always ready to have a go , good luck with what ever you decide, I agree it should be on video :o))

Go Fran! :))))))

Oh yes please Fran ! A video ! Hahaa!
Sorry Fran ! I do hope you get your little hide away !

lol not sure about that - though it'd be easier than setting the timer and rushing to get into place, as I had to do with the next blog, to show how even 8-foot canes were barely high enough.

My toruble is, my body can't keep up with my head - it's all very well having great ideas, but with no idea how to carry them out ...

Never mind Fran ! Its fun trying , isn't it !

lol Rose, it certainly is - even if not at the time! but how else would I know that I couldn't do it, or at least, couldn't do it this way, unless I tried it? ah well, once more unto the breach,...