* Anyone else own a lumberjack shirt with “I want to bear Norm’s children” on the back? Just me? Oh well….

Today on middleclassworld we’ll be building a pergola. For Binners’, deadlydarcy and Fred’s benefit, it’s a wooden frame structure for growing vines and climbing plants up as well as providing shade in a garden. Often found on posh houses 😉

Timber arrived this morning. Yesterday I installed the metalwork, some chemically bonded bolts in the terrace, driven 2’6″ post spikes in the path below the gravel and some joist hangers on the house wall.
[img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BQHOZRiP2Xw/Th1O9yNUDFI/AAAAAAAAATc/AW8kgqChy6o/s400/P1010010.JPG[/img]
Not sure whether Ill get it all done today as I have some other chores to do and it depends on how much fancy work I do to rafter ends….

Norm is my hero. I wish i too had a laser guided Router and biscuit jointer

Keep them climbers under control, i’ve lost count of the amount of customers stupid pergolas i’ve had to take down because they’ve buckled under the weight of a ton of Wisteria, Ivy and Clematis.

Hope thats hardwood 😐

I’ve found that any kudos attached to saying “I have a router.” has diminished in recent years as everyone just says ‘We have broadband too!”.

My kids look at the box labelled ‘biscuits’ in the shed and assume they’re emergency snacks.

All in all, I feel my woodworking tools are very under appreciated.

I recall he mentions ‘rabbits’ a lot too – unlikely of the pet variety…..

DrP

Stoner, do you have a real job or are you living the DIY dream on the back of a lottery win?

I’m not jealous BTW*.

* I am.

ahh, the american rabbet, versus the english rebate debate. There’s a long argument to be had through beards and over californian beer 😉

and just how unfair is it that dado blades are illegal in the UK?!?!?!?

I plead the fifth Harry.

*sucks through teeth*

i wouldn’t be trusting post spikes guv. you want to concrete them in.

Love the New Yankee Workshop, it’s the most relaxing TV next to Joy of Painting.

I hear what you’re saying tm, but I decided not to concrete the posts in as their role is only to provide some stability and minimise any deflection in the joists. They really arent going to bear too great a vertical load and no lateral loads either. The posts at the end are the primary ones.

Stopping for coffee.

Posts and joists up. squared and level. Now to sort out the two half-lapped binders – one at the end, one in the middle.

Decided not to fuss about with the joist ends. will leave them square cut. Maybe Im no aesthete but I think twirly ends are a pain to do and a bit twee.

PS joy of painting freaks me out. Its the hair.

Lickspittle lackey of the ruling classes…

Nice paving, by the way.

my landscape guy did that for me. I dont have the skillz. They are recovered flags from inside the barn where the cattle used to get driven through. Some of them are properly sodding “4 man lift” heavy.

Yes, I, erm, am familiar with the concept of a pergola. They used to be popular in the nineties didn’t they?

bloomin nora how many work mates do you have??

bloomin nora how many work mates do you have??

?

At the moment, none.

At various stages of the project I had various trades (sparks, screeding team, turf layers etc) in and a full time builder while on the main build.

Most of it since we moved in last september Ive done myself.

main frame done, although if I can find some suitable bits in the off-cut bin I might but another set of lateral braces on the central pillars.

Now to sort the rafters out and sift eBay for a hammock over lunch 🙂

bloomin nora how many work mates do you have??

Looks like one to me.

Aah, New Yankee Workshop, the Wurthers of the TV world.

Could’ve pointed the whole place in the same muck, and those flags look like it’s incomplete… IMHO 😉

Im knackered, but that’s not bad for a day’s work.

Found some offcuts for another set of braces. I know the perfectionists out there (im looking at you pickydarcy) will whine about them not being jointed, only screwed but there’s less chance of my bolloxing it up if I just throw fixings at things 🙂

making lap notches in the rafters

eased the braces and posts with some 80 grit since they were sawn finish only.

Next job: the BBQ.

And anyone know what the hell this is?
It was huge, at least 2″ long!

This Old House was a fave of mine too…

was that another american one? recognise the name, but dont think I ever watched it.

ahh, unemployed TV: New Yankee workshop, followed by Poirot and the Professionals. Happy times, happy times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Old_House

The American fixation on anything older than 10 years showed through as they gutted and rebuilt old/period houses. Did the odd barn conversion too I think. Can’t remember if I watched it on UK or US TV …

EDIT: Mention it as Norm was on it for a while

time to build pergola = not real mtber

time to build pergola dawdle on internet forum = not real mtber

FTFY

And anyone know what the hell this is?
It was huge, at least 2″ long!

Wood wasp, hope you chased it away if it’s lays eggs all that wood will need replaced within 6 months.

It didnt hang around. maybe it doesnt like tanalised timber, all that arsenic?

You’ll find out in a few months.

well the bit he’s sitting on there was the over-length of one of the posts so was cut off. Its in the off-cuts bin now. Monster sized maggots?

looking nice that,

whole area would look nicer with a bit of veg though, i’m assuming that’s the intention ?

hang on a minute, are those gabian baskets on your lawn ?

Garden was only finished a few months ago and now’s not the season to be planting too much.

Got a list of things to plant, got some rose cuttings from our old house B&Bing at mums. Also some wysteria and desert vine going up on that wall/pergola. And then the wife’s got ideas about some other shrubs round there.

Nice work, as usual!
Another big fan of This Old House, haven’t seen any reruns for years though. Bob Vila > Norm.

gabian baskets are “in” the lawn. 🙂

There’s an earth bank behind them which is the clay spoil from the land drains. Weve sown the bank with wild grasses and meadow flowers, will take a few seasons to mature. Then going to put a couple of birch trees on the bank. too.

I like gabians and always wanted to build with them. They provide some relief to the flatness of the garden which was just a field. Also a wind break as the wind comes in off the common (SW0 across) there.

The photos dont really show it, but the gabians and the bank curve and taper down across the lawn. makes for a nice shape.

EDIT, this shows it better. Meet Tellytubby hill 🙂 :

well the bit he’s sitting on there was the over-length of one of the posts so was cut off. Its in the off-cuts bin now. Monster sized maggots?

I could go on winding you up but I have to go to work.

Lovely house and a very tidy garden.

I could go on winding you up but I have to go to work.

dont trip over the gurney on the way! 😉

Looking good.

cheers

Stoner that looks well lush. 8)

Mrs Stoner is very lucky

This Old House was the love child of The New Yankee Workshop and Grand Designs.

Your property would fit right in to the sort of thing they would do.

Next job: the BBQ.

Based on your previous work I assume that will be a pit capable of roasting a whole ox.

matthewjb – Member
This Old House was the love child of The New Yankee Workshop and Grand Designs.

This Old House can’t be a child of Grand Designs, it’s been around for much longer! It’s not so good Steve isn’t on it anymore though, Norm is still there.

Oh what i’d give for a workshop like Norm’s. First thing I would have bought with my Euromillions win…