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The great styrofoam build of 2009 continues...
For the past two years, I have turned our two car garage into a witches apothecary with storefront and tower. I originally built everything out of 7/16" sheathing. The sheathing is great because it's solid and strong. Unfortunately, it's also heavy!!
This year, I'm building a whole slew of new facades and I'm replacing the old, ugly, plain sheathing roof with a new, extremely detailed styrofoam roof.
The original tower stands 16 ft tall, with an additional four foot tall roof in a simple mansard style.
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Above: Testing the foggers a few days before Halloween 2008.
My plan for this year is to build an all new roof (again in the mansard style) and add more detail and texture to the existing wall units. Better window frames, more detailed paint job, etc.
I apologize for not taking pictures of the wood frame as I built it, but it only took me one afternoon and I couldn't find the camera at the time -- later found out my wife had it with her at the park.
So, this is what I have accomplished so far.
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Above: This is the new roof with the first layer of styrofoam skin glued on. All of the primary layer styrofoam is 3/4" thick. The new roof is just over four feet wide, two feet deep, and 5 feet tall.
My plan is to cut more finished pieces of roofing above each dormer window, so please excuse the current, unfinished look.
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Above: Here is the roof with the interior painted in chocolate brown paint. (I swear, it's the color of chocolate. Every time I open up the five gallon drum of paint I feel like Willy Wonka!)
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Above: The next thing I did was cut out a template shingle from a scrap piece of MDF. From that template, I was able to trace and cut many, many shingles from 1/2" styrofoam.
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Above: Many, many shingles.
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Above: Here my oldest daughter is holding rows of shingles against the base styrofoam of the roof. My plan is to paint the shingles (similar to the way I painted the Cider Hut shingles) and then layer them like real shingles.
My thought here was that this roof will be 16 feet above the ground. I worried that, at night, people wouldn't be able to see a shingle paint job (again, like the Cider Hut) and that my efforts would be lost. But, maw-ha-ha-ha, if I actually cut out shingles, then the roof would have texture and depth and look absolutely amazing on Halloween night when the lights hit it and cast great shadows.
So, that's what I've been able to do this past week while attempting to juggle work and a house full of girls who are in a constant cycle of either wanting to spend time with the newborn, or get away from the newborn.
Cheers,
For the past two years, I have turned our two car garage into a witches apothecary with storefront and tower. I originally built everything out of 7/16" sheathing. The sheathing is great because it's solid and strong. Unfortunately, it's also heavy!!
This year, I'm building a whole slew of new facades and I'm replacing the old, ugly, plain sheathing roof with a new, extremely detailed styrofoam roof.
The original tower stands 16 ft tall, with an additional four foot tall roof in a simple mansard style.
Above: Testing the foggers a few days before Halloween 2008.
My plan for this year is to build an all new roof (again in the mansard style) and add more detail and texture to the existing wall units. Better window frames, more detailed paint job, etc.
I apologize for not taking pictures of the wood frame as I built it, but it only took me one afternoon and I couldn't find the camera at the time -- later found out my wife had it with her at the park.
So, this is what I have accomplished so far.
Above: This is the new roof with the first layer of styrofoam skin glued on. All of the primary layer styrofoam is 3/4" thick. The new roof is just over four feet wide, two feet deep, and 5 feet tall.
My plan is to cut more finished pieces of roofing above each dormer window, so please excuse the current, unfinished look.
Above: Here is the roof with the interior painted in chocolate brown paint. (I swear, it's the color of chocolate. Every time I open up the five gallon drum of paint I feel like Willy Wonka!)
Above: The next thing I did was cut out a template shingle from a scrap piece of MDF. From that template, I was able to trace and cut many, many shingles from 1/2" styrofoam.
Above: Many, many shingles.
Above: Here my oldest daughter is holding rows of shingles against the base styrofoam of the roof. My plan is to paint the shingles (similar to the way I painted the Cider Hut shingles) and then layer them like real shingles.
My thought here was that this roof will be 16 feet above the ground. I worried that, at night, people wouldn't be able to see a shingle paint job (again, like the Cider Hut) and that my efforts would be lost. But, maw-ha-ha-ha, if I actually cut out shingles, then the roof would have texture and depth and look absolutely amazing on Halloween night when the lights hit it and cast great shadows.
So, that's what I've been able to do this past week while attempting to juggle work and a house full of girls who are in a constant cycle of either wanting to spend time with the newborn, or get away from the newborn.
Cheers,
I have lost my way prop building wise, so I need to live vicariously through someone. Everyone else seems to be going through the mid summer doldrums. 
