The Mad Housers

Construction - 6x8 Hut - Gables and Trusses

Tools

  • Hammers
  • Measuring tape
  • Marker
  • Chalk Line
  • Cat's Paw

Materials

  • 2 2x4 studs, at least 80", preferably longer than 90"
  • 3/8" plywood, 24"x72"
  • 16d nails
  • 6d nails or 1.5" screws

Techniques

  • Angle cuts

Notes

Gabled roofs are no longer used by the Mad Housers; instead, we use the Hi Hat saltbox roof. Hi hats use more material but are faster to assemble and make the upper loft area much more useable. 

The gables are the most intricate piece of carpentry of the hut; if you're going to be building many huts, we strongly recommend building a jig to standardize and simplify the process. The plywood for skinning the gables is from the 1/2 sheet of 3/8" plywood left over from the back panel.