Portable Mews? Additional Views Added

[cliff]

[As I've changed so many design features of my hawk house since starting this thread I am trying to keep the diagrams updated too. I may be a wee bit slow on occasion, but I'll get them done and change the links too. (9-23-11)] Drawings modified 10-7-11.

I've been putzing around for the past several months with various designs that would allow me to contruct a mews that could be taken apart in sections, moved and reassembled in a day. I've finally come up with something that might work for me. This is a view of the front of the mews framing:

www.pbase.com/image/137188335

This is a view of the left side of the mews framing:

www.pbase.com/image/137228527

This is a view of the back end of the mews framing:

www.pbase.com/cjmax/image/137226631

This is a view of the right side of the mews framing:

www.pbase.com/image/137225467

This is a view of the flat roof framing:

www.pbase.com/cjmax/image/137971102

In order to keep the overall height of the hawk house under 8' I chose to laminate 2-2x4s for strength. I don't want any sagging and ponding.

The "outside" framework is of 4"x4" and 4"x6" cedar lumber fastened with Simpson Strong Ties. Inside this outside framework will be inserted the "inside" wall framework, preassembled, put into place and then secured with screws. Hopefully this design will allow me to take the mews apart, move it and reassemble it without too much difficulty when the need arises.

I had initially intended to use treated lumber for ground contact, but after having seen some that sprung as much as 5" I decided to go with 4"x6" cedar. I don't like the added expense, but I'm stuck...perhaps a couple of 2"x6" pieces of treated lumber bolted together would provide the needed stability and keep my costs down??? Any other suggestions?

The footprint of the mews is limited by the shape of the lot, utility easements, and city permit requirements (120 sq. ft. maximum shed size without an engineer's stamp of approval - an added expense that I want to avoid). I've submitted the plans to our housing association's architectural committee and hope to hear from them in a week or so for their comments...

I'll be posting other side views during the week as I complete them.

Any and all suggestions, comments, etc. are welcome

Good hunting,

Cliff.

[killjoy]

i made my mew modular and it already paid off.
the way i did it was frame up 4 walls and use 4 4x4 post in the corners to screw the frames to.
my mew is 8x8 so there was minimal cutting.
as for treated wood, the off gas is posinous.
BUT i did use it on the bottom of my mew to resist rotting. i also put the mew on cement pavers to keep the wood from rotting also.
when i moved all i did was unscrew 2 walls fom the four post , after removing the ceiling, and 2 people were able to move a wall.
resetup wqas just as easy, 2 walls up and screw into the 4x4 post then the rest fell into place.

[cliff]

Killjoy, I like your idea of the cement pavers. I'll have to use that or perhaps some gravel.

Hopefully I'll be ready to trap with you next month, if that's not too early. I don't know about where you are, but over here I seem to be seeing fewer hawks than usual. I hope that the hot weather and drought hasn't affected them too badly...

Cliff.

[cliff]

I finally ended up modifying my mews plans once more to satisfy the Architectural Committee and cut down on some lumber waste. Here are links to views of all 4 sides.

Front:
www.pbase.com/cjmax/image/136358070

Back:
www.pbase.com/cjmax/image/136358073

Left:
www.pbase.com/cjmax/image/136358074

Right:
www.pbase.com/cjmax/image/137248268

Siding shown is 8" with a 1" overlap. Being forced to use 8" siding I have lost some of the modular design that I had originally wanted. I'm going to use cedar siding which, when we move, will have to be torn off, discarded and purchased new again. I could have opted for Hardy siding, but I've used that before and never again...

Later...I went online and checked out an old favorite supplier of mine, Jamestown Distributors. They have what I need - stainless steel, bugle-head screws. Now I can screw the cedar, bevel siding in place on the hawk house, and when it comes time to move it I can remove the screws, take down the siding and re-use it JD has come through for me once more time.

I've ordered seamless, white, EPDM, rubber roofing for the top. It will be fully adhered to 1/2" plywood decking with a radiant barrier (facing the inside of the hawk house). Our daughter has this in her house, and it does make a notiecable difference. This should help to keep the mews a wee bit cooler next summer and dry during the rains (if they ever come). This summer was scortching hot.

The base will be cedar lumber. Enough falconers out there convinced me to stay away from treated lumber. We have lots of cedar in this part of Texas. So it will be 4"x4"s on the front, left side and back. The right side will be a 4"x6" as I will have to cut into it a couple of inches in order to use a full-size, exterior metal door that I have. This modification was due to the Architectural Committee notice that the total height must be under 8' - see plans. A phone call this afternoon notified me that the cedar 4"x6"x10' piece came in today from the mill along with some more 4"x4"x8"s, and I will pick them up tomorrow

With luck I'll start leveling the foundation and start building my hawk house this weekend. The grandkids are all excited about it and want to help too. Yeah, I know. They will help by asking all sorts of questions at the least opportune time...lol...but that's what grandkids are for