Belfries?

[Larry Edgerton]

I am building my wife and I a new house, and it is a replica of a one room school house. I have been looking at belfries as i travel around and I have not seen one that I like. They are either too fancy or too plain. I want to keep it somewhat authentic, but it is not an imperitive.

I have looked around the internet, but not found a good site for school houses. Does anyone know of one? I would love to find a picture that is just right. I am shingling the roof now and have left that section out, but I would love to button it up while I have the jacks on the roof.

Any help would be appreciated. You know, I have spent my life building homes for many people, but the toughest ones are the ones I build for myself!

Thanks, Larry

[Larry Edgerton]

Ok, I did a mockup today of the base for the belfry. The schoolhouse part is clos to the proportions of the Standard School, that being 30'x20'. Mines 30'x 27'4" but it works. Outside walls are 12' tall and it has a 7/12 pitch.

So I made the base 28" wide at the top with a 7 degree flair at the bottom on all sides, and 24" tall. I thought it may be too tall, but that is half a sheet of plywood. good place to start. Carried it up on the roof and set it in place, and it is good for width, but needs to be cut down about 4-5" to look right. So now I have that I just have to find a bell in the 15-20"range. and design the rest of the belfry.

It find it harder to work on my own house, I still do not have a kitchen design that I like.....

Larry

[curtis rosche]

im sure there is an amish place around here that makes what your looking for

[Lee Schierer]

I found this link from a google search for One room school house photos. Photos (http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/one-room-schoolhouse.html)

[Larry Edgerton]

Thanks Lee.

I had already checked out that site, it was the best I found. Still wasn't one that was just right, but I am using elements from the different ones to make mine. I am commited now, have the base done, and am using the belfry to hide my vent pipe, but have to wait till after my plumbing inspection. You can't cover the vent pipe here legally. Something about the rain washing out the spider webs. I'm just going to put a air filter on mine so no spiders can get in. I wonder what the service interval is on an air cleaner on a house?

The whole thing will be made of Azek, three posts on each corner, and a square hip roof of about 3/12 pitch with some dentil mouldings at the soffit, and a steel frame buried in the Azek to hold up the bell.

Larry