Kon Tipi...Our Home in the Forest

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STEP THREE: FLOORS GALORE
In order to make the best use of the space that would be enclosed by Kon Tipi's fabric walls, we decided to make it a three-story home (one of the accompanying photos shows the poles up and the floors under construction). Michael began the second floor by choosing two sturdy poles that were directly opposite (that is, 30 feet from) each other at their bases. He then measured the distance between the uprights at a height of 6'8" (it came to 22 feet), located a pair of 2 X 10's of that dimension, and nailed one of the planks to each side of the pair of poles (see Fig. 3). Parallel beams, getting progressively shorter as they approached the edges of the tipi, were added next. (These boards were used singly . . . only the initial span was doubled.)

Mike completed the framework by fastening 2 X 8 crossmembers to the joists at approximately 3-foot intervals. (Because of the shape of the tipi, these measurements had to be varied somewhat from one position to another.) He planked the floor with rough-cut 1" X 8" oak boards . . . leaving one quarter-section without flooring or crossbeams, to enhance ventilation, increase the dwelling's feeling of openness, and provide access for the stovepipe and stairway.

The third floor is simply a smaller version of the second . . . and our roof—which is positioned about 18 inches below the point where the posts cross—consists of 2 X 4 rafters and plywood cut to fit snugly around the poles. Now you might be wondering how we incorporated upright supports beneath our second and third floors and the roof, and you could well be surprised to learn that there are none! In fact, the only vertical walls in our dwelling are the ones that enclose the 5' X 8' bathroom (two bulkheads handle that job . . . both of which were framed with 2 X 4 studs and sheathed with oak boards).

The first floor is composed of sand, covered—in sequence—with heavy black plastic and loose oak planks. We left a 5' X 5' area bare, except for the sand and some large flat rocks, to provide a safe location for our woodstove. Of course, the ground floor could have been raised up on joists, and even insulated, but we were pressed for both time and money . . . and we can always go on to do a fancier job as our circumstances permit.

STEP FOUR: SETTING THE SAIL
While hanging the cover and liner on Kon Tipi, it was difficult not to imagine that we were unfurling the canvas on some ancient seagoing vessel. The huge expanse of fabric was really a sight to behold (and a real handful when the wind caught it). We began the job by tying a strong rope to the center of the liner's straight edge (at the point indicated in Fig. 1) and then raised the fabric, by means of a pulley attached to one of the poles. By standing on the roof, Michael was able to tack the liner to the framework at his feet, using lathe and roofing nails.

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