Article Index

Assembling the Panels.

It's nice to finally assemble all the panels.

The panels are placed on a layer of bricks. This prevents rotting of the panel bases.

Door & end sections. These two sections had to be bolted up & slid into position due to the proximity of the back fence,

Three sections assembled.

A willing (?) helper is a must in lifting these panels & holding them in position for drilling the holes for the coach bolts which hold them all together.

Roof assembly & polystyrene insulation ready to fit. A total of 48 - 8' x 4' sheets 1" thick will be used.

Opposite end showing roof assembled. Note joist hanger plates to hold roof supports in place. The weight of the roof will be supported by the centre stand.

Guttering work in progress. From the hidden garden to civilisation.

Roof from above showing the 1·05 metre sheets in width held together by glazing bars & held down by screw cap fixings.

The roof after overnight snow 8th Feb 2007. Demonstrates the insulation
capabilities of the Polycarbonate triple wall roof sections. Inside the temperature was 28°C.
Well worth the extra expense in roofing the fish house.

Laying the Roof.
Polycarbonate sheets were used for the roof. These were 16 mm thick & triple walled which is enough to stop snow melting completely. I have used these in previous fish houses without problems.
Sheets should be layed on good carpet underlay or polystyrene. The sheets are tied together with glazing bars. A small gap should be allowed for expansion.
Screw buttons hold the sheets down. Again, a larger hole should be given to allow for expansion.
The open ends (top & bottom) are blanked off with plastic end stops. The top end is small but the gutter end has a larger drop to feed the gutter system.