Ahem... Another New Project

I have a new little project to work on. Basically, it's to put up some shade cloth as an awning in the garden area (also known as the raised bed) for Dianna to use as a 'shade house' for her vegetable garden. It'll be about 12-feet wide by 30-feet long, as wide as the raised bed is and about one-third of the length of the raised bed.

In the diagram below, you're looking down on the shade house structure. The existing chain-link fence is on the right.

Overhead View - Shade House

Right now, our thinking calls for the shade house to have open ends and sides - that is, no shade cloth on the ends or the sides. The roof is going to have arched supports, giving the long center area a height of eight feet, curving down to a height of 5-foot 6-inches along the sides.

So far, I've gotten the round flanges, which will be anchored to the concrete wall along one side of the raised bed and nipples that will be threaded into the flanges. The nipples will be the supports for the vertical 1 3/8" diameter tubing (the same stuff used as the top rail on chain-link fences). That tubing will also be used around the upper perimeter of the structure, and will also comprise the bent pieces spanning the width of it. The shade cloth will sit on top of the curved pieces and be held by cable-tie-wraps.

Well, at least that's all our current thinking. I've gone to the muffler shop (I don't know the name of it, off-hand) near Villa's Imports to see if they can bend the tubing... maybe. They have the equipment to do down to 1 1/2" diameter, but they're at least willing to give it a try at 1 3/8".

Next steps? Well, tomorrow, I'll start measuring and drilling to put the plastic plugs in so that I can screw the flanges down to the concrete wall. The plastic plugs are ok to use for this since there's virtually no structural strength required, just to hold the vertical 1 3/8" tubing in place.

I'll also probably go ahead and get the tubing. I'll need eleven twenty-foot lengths of tubing for this project. After I cut one to the correct bent length, I'll take it to the muffler shop for them to attempt the bend.

I found a handy calculator online (of course) that figures out the radius of an arc [DANGER - Complex mathematics in use here]. Their calculator is at (http://www.handymath.com). you can see the results I got below.

Higher Math

Thank the gods for that calculator. You don't know what a struggle it was for me to deal with math in school and in my professional life. The 'Angle Subtended by Arc (deg)... Get real.

Anyway, this gave me the actual length of tubing I needed to have - thirteen feet four inches - "close enough for government work", as we used to say. It also gave me the radius, handy if I have to make my own bending jig for the tubing.

I think I have enough shade cloth left over from the pool awning project to cover the roof of the shade house. For now, that's all that's required.

This project will get worked on more or less when I don't have anything else to work on, so it might go slow. Then again, things change, as do priorities.

From On High

As long as I was up on the roof of the guesthouse anyway, I decided to take advantage of the situation and snap a few more shots of this and that before I headed back down the ladder.

The Pool, All Nice and Blue

I took several shots of the pool. Amazing what a new pump motor does to help rehab the pool. Well, that, along with Dianna and Cody scrubbing all the tile and the mosaic with bleach and CLR. I was right. I mentioned to Dianna what I had written the other day. She laughed and said that Vivien had emailed her, warning about this being a dangerous combination. Dianna also said that when Cody mixed the two (he only had a little bleach left in his bucket when he poured some CLR in it) that the mix immediately bubbled and gave off a very strong chlorine odor. We'll be more careful in the future.

Another View of the Pool

Just for good measure, I threw in another picture of the pool. Water temperature is staying pretty steady at anywhere from 92º to 94º (f). Too bad we can't get it more comfortable...

I know I promised a detailed look at the plantings in our yard. I'm working on that (in my spare time). In the mean time, here's a glimpse of the garden.

Some of the Garden

What this picture also shows is the guys still have some work to do on top. Filling all the blocks and plastering the sides and top to make a nice row that won't fill up with water.

Back Garden Area

The shot above shows the back garden, which has been really neglected. Now that the guesthouse is nearing completion, Dianna is looking much closer at that area to figure out what she wants to do with it, so I'd expect this part of the yard to become a bit more filled and complete looking in the near future.

We do get a nice view of the bay from upstairs at the guesthouse. If we ever finish the second story, this will be the view.

Nice View of Corozal Bay

Here's a nice peek-a-boo view of Denis and Vivien's house from upstairs. The palapa is Elsie's and it's protecting her car.

Neighborly View

And finally, I'll finish off with another shot of the Pooch family that lives up by Tony's Inn. The kids have just finished breakfast. Soon all four will be taking a nap.

Pooch Family