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Orchid main dormer roof


dorn27

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I have no idea what I'm doing or have done wrong. EVERYTHING has been done according to plan and I have dry fit each section before glueing. I did not dry fit the entire house though... but I can't figure out what is wrong! No roof panels have been glued. Porch is finalized.

I have assembled the porch. I have gone through it several times, checking and rechecking for error. Everything lines up. Porch gingerbread trim, railings, steps, and the little square porch roof/2nd floor outcrop all line up.

Front of dormer, fits exactly in the space it should. Roof panel lines up to the front of the dormer and the depth of the outcrop. However, it seems my tabs and slots do not fit!

If i fit it together to line up the dormer tabs, the dormer roof doesn't fit the main roof. If I line up the dormer roof to the main roof, the dormer front doesn't fit with the porch.

I'm very upset about this! I spent an hour last night trying, gave up deciding I was tired and... perhaps my 2 glasses of wine were in the way. Today... no wine... just WHINING as I realize I'm still having the same issue.

I can post pictures if it will help! I'm completely at a loss, the tabs and slots just do not line up!

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I have no patience, so at that point, I would just make new tabs and/or slots... But then that would probably come back and bite me later!

I haven't built theOrchid, so I don't know, hope you figure it out!

You could try looking through the building blogs, maybe somebody else came across that problem too.

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I've built one Orchid in wood and one in plastic and have another wooden one that was built with hot glue that I'll be taking totally apart and rebuilding. I go ahead and totally dry fit first, just to be sure I can get it ALL to fit together. I seem to remember I had the main roof pieces in place and then I fit the gable roof tabs into the main roof slots and brought them down over the gable tabs (I'm assuming what you're calling the "main dormer" is the front gable over the porch, the dormers are on either side of the gable) and then cussed and discussed to get the gable roof peak to close. I have found that a bamboo skewer or two and lots of spackle are a great comfort with most wooden kit roof peaks. I may have gently shaved the sides of the tabs during the dry fit, since that's a good time to do it. I do the overall dry fit first, then when I'm assembling with glue I do as you do and dry fit each section. I recall the porch on that first one required a few *magic* words and threats to get it to cooperate...

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At this time, I'm trying to dry fit all remaining pieces (roof). Yes, by main dormer I mean the gable.

The difference in the tab and slots is so far off it can't be the position! I will get some photos, but it's about 1/2 an inch!

If I fit them all together properly, the front panel of the gable sits about 1/4 inch back from the front porch edge and needs to sit about 1/2 inch higher! It seems as if my slots in the gable roof portions have the slots punched in the wrong spot

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That's totally wierd, but could happen. I once had a Buttercup that was misstamped and one of the oval windows was 'way off ( ).

That's when I learned that my utillity knife blade could cut through thinner plywood and how to make new trim & window plastic.

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I am getting some photos, but it is so far off and I know 1000% the porch is correct. Nothing I could have done wrong there, everything fits perfectly and tightly!

Front porch panel, tightly fitted, correct piece used.

[

Everything lines up flush

If the front of the gable lines up to the front of the porch tabs/slots and the gable roof is lined up with the tabs on the main roof... then the tabs to attach it to the front panel look like this!

If I line up the tabs to the front panel, and try to attach them to the roof... the roof tabs line up like this!

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I've not run into this on an Orchid, but on other builds I discovered that I had a piece backwards or turned wrong in some other way. Is it possible the roof piece is upside down?

As Tracy and Holly suggest, this may be the time to ignore the slots and cut off the tabs. Glue alone will be strong enough to hold the pieces in place without them.

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I'm probably going to cut off the roof tabs.

I thought perhaps, I had mixed up the pieces to the two sides, but they are exactly the same and interchangable, no matter the side of the gable I try to install them on, same problem. There is no other way to install the roof. The way the tabs are set up, there is no question. If you flip it any other direction, its tab to tab and slot to slot instead of tab/slot match ups.

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I keep a razor saw and utility knife handy for just such occasions. I had a similar problem with an Arthur and just cut off the tabs as was mentioned earlier. Improvising is one of the fun parts of this hobby.

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I was also going to ask if you had a piece inside out. If not, just cut off the tabs. You don't have to cut off the whole thing, you could cut off just the part that doesn't fit.

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I seem to remember having to use shims under the front porch posts to get them to reach the gable floor. I would just whack off the part of the tab that is "off" so that you have some tab to glu to the slot. You can always fill any little gaps with spackle, or else stuff the bit of cut off tab into the ensuing hole. Once it's covered with shingles, who will know?

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