Thunderhouse

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There were many unexpected perks which this design afforded, one being a wonderful place for an outdoor portable kitchen, completely protected from the weather by the overhang. On one side of the building, we built a deep shelf for the campstove and kitchen supplies; the pots and pans hang from the extending trusses on framing nails. We used the other side - a shelf of equal size - as a workbench. There was room for a tiny propane refrigerator (rescued from an abandoned camp trailer), which wedged nicely between the trusses. Even then, there was still plenty of space left for bicycles and tools without the cabin looking at all cluttered. Secluded underneath, out of sight under the overhang on the back side, is the Porta Potti.

We climb to the cabin's interior via a short stairway and ending in a trapdoor. The door opens with a simple pulley system and becomes part of the usable floor space when closed. One of the lessons learned the hard way, early on, was that the trapdoor will drop back down unless it is pulled past the straight up and down position. A counterweight solved that problem nicely, but not before we both were sporting a little head trauma.

One really unpleasant problem that winter residents of Florida have to contend with (when leaving a building closed up and empty for over half a year in the extreme heat and humidity) is mildew and condensation damage. Our design allows constant free flow of air through the camp building all year round so that everything is always clean, fresh and ready to use when we return. You will see that the pressure-treated fence pickets used to cover the screened gable ends allow air and excess heat to pass through but still keep the cabin dry. Scattering mothballs around when we leave in March seems to discourage the mice and other small wildlife intruders.

We realize that we have been very fortunate in never experiencing any damage during a storm. Even so, we plan to drive in ground anchors this coming winter so that there is no chance of the building getting caught in the wind. The damage experienced during Hurricane Andrew is a lesson for everyone about the efficacy of "an ounce of prevention ...."

We would suggest that anyone interested in building a camp like ours - or anything else, for that matter - take the time to construct a scale model. You will feel more confident and have a guide to follow as you work. You can see the shape and proportion in a way that a drawing on paper can never show. A scale of one inch to one foot works particularly well. Pete has often wondered why high school shop courses don't include model building; it is such a great tool to understand construction detail.

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