How-To questions - pump house

[rlee6]

I am making a 8'x8'x8' tall pump house from 2 by 4's. I need help from experienced TBN'ers.
1) How do I join walls together at corners? (2"x4"x8' frame walls @2' center)
2) The roof will have a 2"x6" ridge and 2"x4" rafters. How do I actually fabricate it? Assemble everything on the ground and lift it at 4 corners? Or somehow fix the ridge beam first and nail rafters to it? I am clueless.

Thanks.

 

[Kays Supply]

Not wanting to hurt any feelings, but have you considered a prefab building. Around here you can have one delivered to your site for practically the same money as you can build it. I did that a couple of times. It worked out pretty good for me.

 

[turnkey4099]

I am making a 8'x8'x8' tall pump house from 2 by 4's. I need help from experienced TBN'ers.
1) How do I join walls together at corners? (2"x4"x8' frame walls @2' center)
2) The roof will have a 2"x6" ridge and 2"x4" rafters. How do I actually fabricate it? Assemble everything on the ground and lift it at 4 corners? Or somehow fix the ridge beam first and nail rafters to it? I am clueless.

Thanks.

1. Normal corner framing calls for 3 2x4 - that provides a nailing surface for the interior wall covering. Check google for some diagrams or visit your local library. That can be cut to two but...
Frame up each wall on the ground and then erect them. Use some diagonal braces to keep the walls verticle and square.

Wall framing is a simple job but does require a bit of framing knowledge. Should be a library book worth checking out.

2. Tack up some temporary stock to hold the roof ridge in approximate location. Cut _all_ your rafters using the first one you cut as a pattern so you have them all identical. You will need a helper. He nails the bottom of the first rafter to the wall plate, you nail the first one to the ridge which will be flopping around. Swap to the opposite side and repeat that. Then go to the opposite end of the ridge and repeat. That gives you 1 ridge and 4 rafters. Then just install the rest of the rafters. That can be done by yourself but it is a hassle. The ridge will automatically center itself IF you made all the rafters identical.

Harry K

 

[Jimbrown]

Well for an 8X8 I would just make a flat type roof. Here is a picture of one of my well houses it is 8x8 8ft on one side and 7ft on the other flat roof. whole lot easier to build.

 

[jinman]

Jim, your wellhouse is almost a "dead ringer" for mine, including the flat roof. Some of my neighbors joked that it looks like an outhouse, but I don't care. It works great and the assembly was very easy.

Now if style is a consideration, the possibilities are endless. My well driller just suggested that the main part of the wellhouse not cover the well. I just put a little "doghouse" about 2' square around the wellhead with an opening into the main wellhouse. That way if the pump ever needs pulled, the main wellhouse can stay in place and only the little wellhead house will have to be moved. I even screwed it into place for easy removal. After 6 years, everything is fine.

Edit: Found a picture...

 

[rlee6]

Thanks for the corner framing tips. I didn't know the right terminology "Corner Framing" and couldn't get any hits on internet. Now I know.

It never occurred to me that the roof can be flat! Also, thanks for sharing the 2x2 box design. That's exactly what I am going to do.

Followup questions: How do I connect rafters to the wall? Should I cut out notches on the rafters? Or a special hardware? What about wall studs to the slanting top plate? Should I cut the studs in angle?
Thanks.

 

[Jimbrown]

My wells are actually about 50 ft from my well houses. I just keep the pressure tanks and controllers, control valves, ect in the houses.

 

[Jimbrown]

Boy you need to go to a good home store or home depot and look in the framing section. They make all kinds of neat stuff to make what you are doing a lot easier. They make rafter hold downs, several types there is no need to waste time and effort trying to notch stuff. I think you are making this a lot harder than it really is. if there is any place close by that sells the pre built stuff just go and look at one and it will become very clear how to do it.

 

[Kays Supply]

There is a local lumber yard that sells "trusses" that are the walls floor and roof all in one. You buy 9 of them and you are floored ,framed and roofed.All you do is sheet the floor inside and walls and roof outside.

 

[Egon]

A book or phamphlet on framing may be of help.

Or as suggested; a small metal building. Quicker, easier to maintain and all the assembly tools will be inculded in the package.

Or some sheets of 5/8 plywood and a few 2x2's for eging and fastening it all together.

 

[jinman]

Followup questions: How do I connect rafters to the wall? Should I cut out notches on the rafters? Or a special hardware? What about wall studs to the slanting top plate? Should I cut the studs in angle?
Thanks.

I did cut my studs at an angle to mount the top plate on each end. I also layed the 2x4 rafters on their sides because my roof had only a 4'x6' span and laying the rafters on thier sides was all I needed. As a matter of fact, I was running out of framing materials and ended up using a 2x6 on it's side for one rafter. When I finished the siding, I notched the trim along the front and back of wellhouse to fill in the gaps under the rafters. Here's another picture showing the inside and the opening into the little "doghouse." I insulated and finished out the inside with OSB. Notice the drip molding on the roof. I think that's very important to prevent water damage to the roof edge. It's cheap and easy to install before putting on the composition roofing if you use wood framing.

 

[flusher]

I am making a 8'x8'x8' tall pump house from 2 by 4's. I need help from experienced TBN'ers.
1) How do I join walls together at corners? (2"x4"x8' frame walls @2' center)
2) The roof will have a 2"x6" ridge and 2"x4" rafters. How do I actually fabricate it? Assemble everything on the ground and lift it at 4 corners? Or somehow fix the ridge beam first and nail rafters to it? I am clueless.

Thanks.

Here're a couple of photos of the frame for the shed I'm building now for my telescope.
The gable section is 8'x8' and has 8' tall walls.
I support the 2x8 ridge board for the roof with a pair of simple jigs made from a few pieces of 2x4. I think the photo shows how this is done. You have to come up with these tricks if you work alone like I do.

Add an extra 2x4 stud in the corner so you can nail the corners together.
Note the doubled 2x4 top plates on the walls. I like to use Simpson metal tie plates to reinforce the corner joints.

I like to use metal angle to brace the walls. Since it's windy up here in the North Valley, I nail some 7/16 OSB plywood to the studs in the corners to give the structure added shear strength.

The rafters are 2x6s, the rafter ridge board is a 2x8. The roof is framed with 2x4 barge rafters that connect to the 2x6 rafters with 2x4 lookouts.

 

[turnkey4099]

Jim, your wellhouse is almost a "dead ringer" for mine, including the flat roof. Some of my neighbors joked that it looks like an outhouse, but I don't care. It works great and the assembly was very easy.

Now if style is a consideration, the possibilities are endless. My well driller just suggested that the main part of the wellhouse not cover the well. I just put a little "doghouse" about 2' square around the wellhead with an opening into the main wellhouse. That way if the pump ever needs pulled, the main wellhouse can stay in place and only the little wellhead house will have to be moved. I even screwed it into place for easy removal. After 6 years, everything is fine.

Edit: Found a picture...

Haven't seen one done that way. Not bad. Around here the well houses are more 'pits' with only a few feet sticking up. The roofs are made removable to allow for pulling the well if needed.

Harry K

 

[MikeyB]

Boy did I learn about pulling a well pump the hard way! The original builder of my house built a shop/barn and lived in it while building the house. The well head, pressure tank, and all the misc. parts are in a small building attached to the outside of the shop. After 10 yrs. the pump finally went and had to get it pulled. Here in Colorado our well is 385' so it is no small task. I used a plumb bob and cut an 18" square hole so the pump guy could pull the pump through the roof. One piece of advice I can give is not to build too high a building or the boom and winch system cannot get the galvanized pipe (if that's what you're using) up another 8' or so to clear the building. Each piece of pipe had to be pulled up, unthreaded, and set aside around my roof hole since the pipe couldn't clear the roofline. The pump guys weren't very happy. I have super insulated the building since it contains the pressure tank and bought a thermo-cube (basically a thermostat that plugs into the wall and powers whatever you plug into it) and plugged a heat lamp into it. Working o.k. so far.

Mike

 

[rlee6]

Thank you for many suggestions and tips, especially, photos. I will check out the sheds at Lowes and HomeDepot. A local lumber store stopped carrying shed kits. I cannot afford engineered metal buildings as of now. I am jealous of those threads.......

 

[turnkey4099]

Boy did I learn about pulling a well pump the hard way! The original builder of my house built a shop/barn and lived in it while building the house. The well head, pressure tank, and all the misc. parts are in a small building attached to the outside of the shop. After 10 yrs. the pump finally went and had to get it pulled. Here in Colorado our well is 385' so it is no small task. I used a plumb bob and cut an 18" square hole so the pump guy could pull the pump through the roof. One piece of advice I can give is not to build too high a building or the boom and winch system cannot get the galvanized pipe (if that's what you're using) up another 8' or so to clear the building. Each piece of pipe had to be pulled up, unthreaded, and set aside around my roof hole since the pipe couldn't clear the roofline. The pump guys weren't very happy. I have super insulated the building since it contains the pressure tank and bought a thermo-cube (basically a thermostat that plugs into the wall and powers whatever you plug into it) and plugged a heat lamp into it. Working o.k. so far.

Mike

What surprises me is the people who build new and put the tank in a pit or well house. Why do that? Use a pitless adapter and stick the tank somewhere that will never freeze such as in a basement or a utility room. My neighbor had to drill a new well and nothing would do but to pu the tank in a shed near the well head. Of course he then had a lot of fun trying to to build a couple walls to make a small room and then insulate it as well as having to provide for a source of heat in the winter time. The mechanics of a water system doesn't care at all where the tank is located, it could be 1/4 mile away and function just as well as at the well head.

Harry K