The Mad Housers

Materials & Cut Guides

Base Panels

Materials for the panels
Panel 2x4 studs Plywood sheets
96" 91.5" 72" 69" 65" 62" Total 5/8" 3/8"
Floor 4     7     11 1.5  
Side 2 5         7   2
Side 2 5         7   2
Back   4     2   6   1.5
Front   4     2   6   1
Loft     2     4 6 1.5  
All 8 18 2 7 4 4 43 3 7

Plus:

Useful Extra: Insulated Floor

Adding floor insulation not only helps retain heat in the wintertime, but it also raises the interior floor to the level of the stud at the bottom of the front door stud, which makes the hut both safer (less of a tripping hazard at the door) and easier to clean (huts can be swept out without a dustpan). To insulate the floor, you'll need:

Hi-Hat Roof

Panel 2x4 Stud Plywood Insulation
96" 93" 81 3/8"
angle cut
72" 62 1/4"
angle cut *
41.5" 38.5" Total 3/8" 1/2"
Gable     1   1 1   3 3/8  
Gable     1   1 1   3 3/8  
Roof 1 2   5       8 2 2
Topper   2         5 7    
Total 1 4 2 5 2 2 5 21 2 3/4 2

* The 62 1/4" gable stud is not load-bearing and can be pieced together from scraps; see the hihat gable page.

Plus:

The insulation is built in to the hi-hat design; if you decide to omit the insulation, you'll probably want heavier plywood, say 1/2".

Useful Extra: Overhangs

The roof overhangs the tall and short sides by a few inches, but not the front and back. Adding these overhangs not only helps protect the front and rear panels from rain, but they also make the shelter look considerably more homey.

To add overhangs, you'll need:

Gabled Roof

Panel 2x4 Stud Plywood
72"
angle cut
45"
angle cut
Total 3/8" 5/8"
Gable 1 2 3 1/4  
Gable 1 2 3 1/4  
Roof   1     1
Roof   1     1
Total 2 4 6 1/2 2

Plus:

Note: this makes an uninsulated roof without overhangs. We recommend both insulation and overhangs.

Usefule Extra: Roof insulation

The roof is the single best place in a hut to add insulation. To insulate the roof, you'll need:

Useful Extra: Overhangs

The roof overhangs the sides by a few inches, but not the front and back. Adding these overhangs not only helps protect the front and rear panels from rain, but they also make the shelter look considerably more homey.

To add overhangs, you'll need: