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Shelter Construction
1) Basic Shelter
Tudor timber framed building methods are emulated. The robust construction of Littlethorpe shelters is achieved using durable, heavy timbers combined with traditional methods. Mortice, Tennon and Doweled joints are used throughout the main construction while computers are used for the design work. The picture below shows the top outside front corner and a number of dowels for extra strength.
The main timbers are 140mm x 140mm square posts with 70mm x 200mm rails jointed into them, the rails (combined with our traditional construction methods) are so strong there has never been an incident of a rail snapping even when the shelter has been hit by a vehicle. The vertical, close timber boarding is 44mm thick and is designed to accommodate natural shrinkage and expansion of the whole shelter. The exceptional thickness of the boarding (44mm) was chosen to resist attack by vandals who may use anything from bricks and scaffold poles to karate style kicks to try and destroy any type of street furniture; so far we have not had a single board broken.
Littlethorpe shelters have in the past been hit by vehicles;
the force that our shelters have been hit with has been enough to split the
six inch square posts down the middle, despite this none of the joints broke,
which means the joints are actually stronger than the material they are made
from. The shelters also stayed together thus not causing an urgent public
safety issue. We conclude; Tudor carpenters may not have benefited from
computers but they knew a lot about joinery..
2 Visually balanced, strong and durable Mono pitched roofs :
The whole roof is strong enough to carry a considerable weight; either a snow load or a number of people should they climb onto the roof for reasons of maintenance or of mischief. The steel roof covering is not only durable against the weather but also against deliberate damage; it can not easily be bent at the edges, prised up or pierced.
Pitched roofs with gabled ends : The 30 degree gable ends are built from solid FSC certified hardwood. The roof substance is the same 45mm thick pressure treated softwood as the mono pitched roofs and screwed down in the same thorough way; the roofs are edged with hardwood instead of steel sheets; it is important that the softwood is protected from the weather, especially the end grain. The underside of the roof has an open void; the underside of the roofing planks are sprayed to match the hardwood and can be seem from below, this forms an attractive feature. Once the roof structure has been formed it is very strong and is ready for the final covering, which is usually cedar shingles, these are a wooden tile made from cedar. Cedar shingles are the roof covering of choice in much of North America and Canada and have a life span of forty to fifty years. Pitched roofs with hipped ends : The hipped roofs have a solid flat ceiling, (made from the same 45mm thick planks used on the other roof types) this overhangs the main shelter and is edged with a hardwood strip, unlike the gabled roofs there is no open roof void.
3) Seating Hardwood – warm in winter, cool in summer 4) Glazing Safety glazing is standard Laminated safety glass 6.4mm thick is fitted as standard.
The glazing system is “vertical shuffle glazing” secured with hardwood beading and silicon down both sides. There is no horizontal beading to trap water or to get perished by the weather.
Extra thick toughened safety glass is available as an optional extra and includes a 12 months money back guarantee should breakage occur. Our thinking is; if the glass is robust enough to remain unbroken in the first year there is a high probability it will give the same performances in each subsequent year. Polycarbonate or any other glazing material can also be fitted as alternatives to real glass. See our Guarantee page regarding glazing and breakages.
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