The making of Goodie Edwards Witches Hut


8 foot diameter octagon (almost a circle)

Here is a list of materials, places to purchase, and approximate cost as of Aug 2004


I used white Schedule 40 PVC pipe purchased at Lowes for the frame.
I made 8 panels 6ft high x 3 ft wide. This enables you to cut all the pipe for the frames the same length. You have the material to make it larger, but then you will need a larger roof. The next size is 12 ft. You would have to figure out the math to create an octagon with a 10 ft. diameter.
6 panels have a support in the center and 2, used for doorways, do not. The picture shows the roof support in the T.

Making the Frame

Scrub pipe with dish detergent in hot water, rinse with the hose and dry in the sun.
I also dumped all the joints in the soapy water bucket - you want all soap, dirt and grease removed for a good fit.

Cutting

You will need something to cut the pipe. I used an electric miter box.
Set aside 4 - 10 ft pipes for roof supports
Cut into 8 - 54 inch pieces
Cut rest into 33 in sections
As you can see you don't need fancy equipment.

Gluing

Lay out the pieces on a flat surface - like your driveway. Slip on the roof T over the top pipe and lay out the rest putting the corners, Ts and pipe close to where they need to be. First put the Primer (purple stuff) on all the ends (on the inside the corners and Ts and outside of the pipes). Wear rubber gloves to put the purple stuff on - it will stain most anything. Then Glue.
My husband and I worked as a team. He took one side and I the other and he smeared the all purpose cement (it comes with and an applicator) on the inside of the corners or the T's then I pushed the pipes in and made sure it laid flat. The first one was the hardest - it was a bit skewed. It dried so fast we couldn't go back and make any adjustments. We were more careful on the others to get closer to 90 degrees on those corners. Let sit for a couple hours before you move them.

Painting

I did try the Krylon spray paint and it did well, BUT I used 3 cans and still had 3 panels to go… so… I bought Rustolium in leather brown, black and almond. Got a small terry rag and a disposable aluminum pie pan, poured out a small puddle of brown paint and drizzled some black and almond on top with the paint stirrer. It sort of had that fancy dessert look. Then put on rubber gloves and dipped my rag in the paint and smeared it on in up and down strokes. The streaked look is good - it resembles the sticks and blends in pretty well, and also the white rub spots that show up later are not so noticeable. I went over all the panels so they were all streaked looking.




Making the frame

I joined the sections at the top, middle and bottom with black cable ties (not twist ties). You have to look closely to see them. I made two groups of 4 panels, one open door at the end and three "window" sections in each group. They fold up easily and are light to carry.

Keeping the door panels on the end allows you to have the doors on opposite ends or side by side - depending on which way you fasten the group of panels together. As you can see, in the picture, when we put it up the roof supports were not in place. We quickly discovered this was a bad idea.






Assemble the roof supports.

Drill a hole (about 3/8 in) all the way through the top of each of the 54-inch roof pipes about an inch from the end. Use an 18-inch piece of the #14 electrical wire. Strip off some of the outer plastic insulation and pull out one of the wires - I used the white one. Thread the wire through all the pipes leaving a fingers-width between each pipe. Number the bottoms 1 - 8. Then twist the wire securely together. Now you have a circle of pipes.
The picture shows how the pipes look when the roof is on.

Aligning the frame - so the roof goes on easily.

Make the frame into an octagon - get as close as you can now - putting in the roof supports will force it into a good one.
Fit the roof supports, one at a time, into the sliding Tee on the top of each panel. One person holds the bundle of pipes up in the air - the other pushes them in. Go around the circle of pipes and don't cross them. Start at 1 and go to 8. This keeps you from crossing the pipes. Make sure the T is in the center of each frame. Adjust the frame as needed, so the roof supports all fit. Even a couple of inches here or there makes a difference. This part is vital or you will have a devil of a time getting the roof up. It is real easy to move the pipe frame, but it is very difficult with the walls attached to it.

Attaching the fence.

Cutting the fence to fit required a branch lopper, a wire cutter and a pair of pliers to twist the wires together and bend them out of the way, and two people. Stand the roll of willow fencing up on end at the doorway.

Cut a notch at the top and bottom of the fence and wrap around the door frame. One person on the outside, lifts and unrolls the fence, pushing it snug to the frame. The other on the inside, attaching with cable ties at the top middle and bottom of each panel. The person on the inside pushing one end of the cable tie through, and the person on the outside pushing it back through.
The pictures below, show both the inside where the cable tie is wrapped around the willow fence and the frame and the cable tie on the outside. After the fencing is attached, take the roof supports down.


Putting on the roof.

This is probably the toughest part. It takes two people.
You are going to lift it all up together and open it like an umbrella (sort of).
Drape the rain cape over the roof supports so the circle in the top of the rain cape is over the circle made by the bundle of roof support pipes. Carry it into the center of the booth. Lift the whole thing up. You will both need to be underneath the rain cape.

This is where you appreciate having the top of the wall within easy reach.
The stronger person holds the bundle of roof supports up.The other person fits the pipe into the Tees like before - lifting the fringe of the rain cape up and over the walls as you go around. The first couple pipes are the hardest. The more pipes you put in, the more the frame supports the weight of the roof. Go around the circle, fitting the pipe into the Ts, 1 - 8, like before, and it should all fit neatly. Then lay the rest of the #14 electrical wire between the roof and pipes in a spiral between the middle and the top of the fence, to take out some of the sag.



Cutting the window.

I used a purchased 24 inch grapevine wreath and decorated it with flowers and greenery.

Hold the wreath on the outside of the hut where you want it. With a piece of chalk, draw around the inside opening. Cut the wire first - a couple sticks toward the center of the circle. Remove the extra couple sticks - so you have enough wire to twist and fold back. It is a bit hard to cut the first twig, but after that you can use the loppers and cut the circle out pretty easily. Attach a string to the wreath and hang it over the edge of the fence at the right height or use the cable ties to attach it to the wire. Don't attach it permanently, or you won't be able to roll up the wall easily.

Notes

The pictures doesn't show the streaks very well, but believe me they are there. And, by the time I put it all up with the help of my husband and fastened it all down tight with black tie wraps, it had plenty of white dings in the paint. You can see the difference between the places I used the Krylon Fusion paint and where I used just the Rustolium. The Krylon part didn't ding hardly at all. Dings are the most noticeable where the pvc Tee slides on the top.

Break down time

We timed ourselves when we took it down and put it in the truck for the show. 20 minutes from first snip of the cable ties holding on the walls to closing the van door. It should be about the same amount of time to put back up.

Compared to Ace Canopy whose 8x8 Pop up tents run $299 for frame and top plus an additional $80 - 90 per side, what I made is a bargan. The big plus is it is quite wind proof. The wind blows through it. Which makes it cooler and more comfortable than tents. It is also good in light rain. Heavy downpours will leak through. We left ours up for the tail end of a hurricane and it didn't budge. I checked it out in the light rain and it was a lot drier inside than out even after being well soaked. It also dries quickly. It was dry the next morning after the rain stopped in the night.

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