Still alive - just tackling a HUGE DIY

thanks, I just wasted the entire morning...

 

I don't remember the details at this point, but when I put my specs in now, I too get 1,600. I know it wasn't that low before or I would have for sure gone that route. Ah well, it'll get done either way!

 

must have been with shipping.

 

Reading this thread is like watching a very good TV series. You're better off not finding out about it until it's over that way you can read/watch it all the way through instead of having to wait to see what happens next. Amazing work Jester. As someone who is dreading building a collar for a keezer, I really admire people who can do this kind of stuff. I'll stick to building software.

 

So here is the first method I used to make the dome: The ribs were nice and light, and strong, but where they attached to the hub they were very flimsy - the wood just wanted to split horribly, even with pre drilling.



So I went with a solid two-by rib, formed from two smaller pieces joined with a plywood plate glued and stapled into place.



I also made provisions for bolting each rib to the hub with a hardwood plate so that they won't split. Now that I have the basic structure down, now I just need to crank out a bunch more.

 

Looking good!

 

Ok, so some progress...

Here are some of the rib parts waiting for assembly:



And here they are in place:



And, no, it's not a perspective thing - that hub is canted. Not on purpose. Since I have more full ribs on one side than the other, I realized it was never going to sit level under equilibrium. So I did a little rigging:



The turnbuckle let me get it just where I wanted it. I may add a couple more similar for when that central brace gets removed once all the ribs are in place.

Also, there will be another set of shorter ribs between the main ones around the outside to give a tighter on center spacing for the drywall to attach where the curve is more pronounced.

And on a totally unrelated topic, my pantry sink arrived!

 

Welp, you have thoroughly convinced me never to try building a dome. I'm sure it will look great, but oh lordy...what a pain.

 

Had to sub so I could follow along. Incredible stuff.

 

Wow, that dome!

It is going to look very cool but man... what a PITA! Reminds me of building half pipes as a kid but 1000x worse!

 

Once you get them all on, you may find it's all good. Typically domes are built equally on all sides rather than stacking one side... Did that make sense?

They do it do that way for the exact reason you noticed. Keeps equal forces all the way round...

 

Like a torque pattern on a piece off plate steel or an engine head... it spreads out the load more evenly.

 

Yes, I understand exactly what you mean. Two reasons why that doesn't really work here - 1, the dome isn't a complete 360 but more like 270 with 90 of a much shorter rib, due to a bump out in the wall, and 2, I'm way too lazy to move the scaffolding back and forth to alternate adding ribs on opposite sides!

But it's all good - I added two more sets of rigging points so the center hub is now supported at three points, and by adjusting the turnbuckles I was able to get it dead nutz on, even after removing the temporary center brace.

 

And made some decent progress on the dome -

Here is the first split rib installed - my drywall friend said the OC spacing was too much to get a good curve without them.



Then I went around and installed some steel plates cut and drilled so that I could really crank the attachment bolts





You can see where the sun tube is now, and I have cut a hole in the roof for it.

Here is the top of the sun tube, just temporarily popped in for measurements. It's amazing how much light it brings in even with the protective coating still on, and no tube connecting it to the ceiling fixture.



Here is a whole lotta LEDs for the recessed fixtures. Was blown away by the dimmability of these little suckers. No hum, and wide range of intensity, along with a great color temperature..



And a man's gotta relax sometime, right?

 

Jester - what kind/brand/model of LED lights do you have there? Very interested in going that route with my lighting.

 

It's a Cree Ecosmart ECO-575L. Home Depot has been selling them on sale recently for $25

 

Is that a hammock, or a slingshot? Or both?

 

Subscribed! Definitely Jealous!

 

Did ya give up? These posts are some of my favorite non-brewing related on here.

 

Nope - just been busy. I'll try to get some new shots up soon!

 

Holy crap, I'm sitting here crying from trying not to laugh too loud in my office... That is just unreal!

 

Please do so. Some of us have been waiting patiently for some new pictures...

 

Epic

 

And others of us have been waiting less patiently...

 

I tried to...

This is more me.

 

Amazing!!!

 

I have endless respect man, this is amazing. How much do you think you have saved to this point DIYing it, when all is said and done how much do you expect to save? My guess, seeing all of those curved walls that what you saved in framing and drywall make the savings worth all the effort.

 

Ok, some new shots - nothing dramatic, but progress at least...

Finally got some garage doors installed


All the home run circuits back to the panel (yes, they are all labeled!)


Tub and toilet




Wiring run in the exterior wall foam


I ran some conduit from the projector bay to a box in the wall for a panel, with Cat6, speaker wires, and an HDMI cable




All lit up


Some ugly guy taking pictures of the temporarily set kids bath medicine cabinet placement


And the temporarily placed sink


Fire sprinkler head


And last, the dome with more progress - all the small ribs installed. Waiting to do the last three big ribs til I get the solar tube hooked up

 

Well oh em gee! Your build looks just amazing! Your craftsmanship is quite apparent in pretty much every detail. I absolutely love the framing on the domed ceiling. You should sheath it in plexiglass so that all may marvel on your handiwork!

:rockin:

 

Everything continues to look amazing. Wanna come on down to Kansas and replicate this build for me?

 

As a licensed Fire Protection Engineer, I'm glad to see residential sprinklers going in!

 

With all the work he's putting into this project, I'd be protecting it however I could, too!

 

:rockin: that is all

 

Really amazing work! Are you going to motorize the projector so that it will hide up in the ceiling when not in use? Check out SmartThings it will give you some really neat ideas for home automation! Can't wait to build my own house so I can make it almost completely automated and controllable by smartphone or tablet

Subscribed

 

Yeah, when I got the build permit, there was a site evaluation from the local FD that basically said, "If you have a fire, you're screwed." My driveway is just under a quarter mile, uphill with a couple of tight turns and they figure they'd have a bitch of a time getting equipment up there.

 

No, it's fixed in place. Neat idea though!

 

Ok - progress!

First sheet up. Not easy for one person to do! I have a lift, but it won't lift that high, and it won't slant that direction, so it was by hand on a scaffold.



Ceiling almost done


First walls, etc

 

Wow. Nicely done. I hate hanging drywall myself. At least the now stuff weighs no where near what it used to.

 

None more epic. If I had anything bottled in my pipeline, I'd send it.

 

For the cost (about the same price as wall-to-wall carpeting), you can't beat the safety factor and likely reduction in insurance premiums. Did the county let you design / install them yourself?