I remember seeing a row of apartment buildings being framed once where they where they had their cut station set up inside a big tent. They also had trusses in addition to large stacks of lumber in that same tent. A tent seems like such a good idea for framing, that I don’t understand why more framers don’t use them. <!—-><!—-><!—->
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Perhaps it could be possible to stick build a house as dry as one made in a factory with big enough tent. If that’s unrealistic, it could definitely be used to keep your cut station dry before the garage is roofed. Perhaps there could even be a use for a tent when building a large deck. A tent seems like it would move a job along so much faster, that as of right now, I absolutely refuse to even think about going into any exterior business without one. <!—-><!—->
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So then, why don’t more construction companies (especially framers) use tents?<!—-> <!—->
–T
Replies
"So then, why don’t more construction companies (especially framers) use tents?"
'cause framers don't melt when they get wet.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
A few years ago a motel was built here during the winter, mostly masonry. They put up a large enough tent to cover the whole site. When it came down, the motel was finished. In Venice Italy, they put up screens that cover the entire structure and are printed with a picture of how the finished building will look, pretty amazing. There are tents that exterminators use to cover a house during fumigation. A good option may be one of those portable garages, not too expensive and will stand up to severe conditions. Sure would be nice to work in a controlled environment out of the weather. It takes a big air system to keep the tents inflated and provide safe breathing. Considering what weather can do and the overall costs of an industrial tent and air system, they are beyond what ordinary jobs can afford. Besides, framers are only on a job for a couple of weeks at most, no time for camping out.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
I do have a 10'x 10' folding teat deal I use from time to time.
mostly on bigger jobs, in winter, when I'll be doing alot of cutting outside.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
"So then, why don’t more construction companies (especially framers) use tents?"
Because then they'd be chicken chit pansies instead of framers. Who do you think can demand more money on a job site. A chicken chit pansy or a framer?
I can see the use of a tent for a cutting station, that'd be decent. But heck, houses are framed in a week or two, so for most of the time tenting an entire site wouldn't be feasible. Unless you live up in the pacific northwest where they say it rains 25 hours a day during monsoon season, which I've heard runs from January through December.
Long time ago, on the back cover of Fine Homebuilding, there was a large house being built inside of one of them inflatable domes used to cover tennis courts.
Maybe somebody has the photo.
I do long projects with a lot of stuff built before the roof that can't get wet (plus we build around Seattle). We rig tarps and ropes to cover the whole structure, but this pretty much always leaks and is an ongoing issue. It makes our sites look like giant blue fun houses. I have looked into industrial tents but they are all very expensive. If anyone has ever used something that works and you don't need a second mortgage to pay for, I'd love to hear about it.
here in NW OR its the wind, You could not keep a tent up, Last year my neighbor bought one of those portable garage tents, He had cinder blocke and 8x8s to hold it down but finally the metal frames bent, Cause of the wind. However today i saw a carpenter under a little tent cutting with a table saw, It was one of those fold up ones . Not a bad idea but the wind came up tonight i hope he took it down again
One time outside Anchorage we decided (because of the cold) to cover the entire site with viscuine, put in a bunch of koresene heaters, fire them up and allow the heat to raise the plastic to create a dome.......for footers ect.
Others have done this but, we basically embarassed ourselves and slunk off to our igloos to wait for Spring.
You only learn who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out.......Warren Buffet
i've seen it done twice now
and i've seen it in magazines too
the structure has to be self supporting, strong enough for storm wind loads and leakproof
i estimate the one tent ran about $500K for the duration
and the other one looked like about $100K
both were viable because of time contraints.. so the cost of "tenting" was built into the project
If I'm doing a big project, I might set up a 10'x20' flea-market style tent canopy for covered outdoor space.
I also once framed a house with a 40'x60' blue tarp over a temporary roof frame which was lifted as each floor of the house was framed, so that we could work in any weather and not worry about the exposed structure (or our tools) getting soaked.
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