NZ205361A - Pivoted verandah roof of house - Google Patents

Description

20536? ; Complete Specification Filed: *??.". F. 7?."? J Class: £ &(/.%&?.

....... Publication Date: ...;.2;0.F6?.!?■??... P.O. Journal, No: ..... ......

Patents Form No. 5 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSPORTABLE HOUSES" I,WE DONALD STEWART NAPIER, of 217 Colchester Road, Kilsyth, 3137, Victoria, Australia, an Australian citizen hereby declare the invention, for which I/we pray that a patent may be granted to me/us T and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- 205361 The present invention relates to improvements in building, particularly to fabrication and siting of transportable houses or parts thereof, and to verandahs therefor.

The object of the present invention is to provide attractive transportable or prefabricated houses which are simple to transport and relatively cheap in both building and siting costs.

: According to the present invention, there is provided a transportable house, provided with a verandah roof, said verandah roof, during transport or when the house is otherwise unoccupied, lying flat against the outer side wall of the house, but, at site location and during use, being raised outwardly and upwardly about a pivotal axis located on a roof rafter of the house, the angle of the pitch of the verandah roof when erected being less than that of the house roof, and the verandah roof lying under, *> but tightly wedged against, the house roof to form a 205361 Preferably the roof is supported by roof supporting posts which form part of the walls and an internal stud wall is located adjacent one of said roof supporting posts to reinforce and/or stabilize the stud wall.

Part of the external wall may not be completed during the initial construction, but rather the house may be transported to its site and there a brick wall constructed between adjacent roof supporting posts. This method of construction finds great use in the building of motels wherein a double brick, fireproof wall must be located between adjacent units. Units, with side walls omitted, can be factory constructed and transported to location where the double brick dividing wall is constructed.

According to yet a further aspect of the invention,1 the floor of the transportable house may be provided with trap doors to enable jacks to be inserted under the base to thereby provide easy access so lifting of the house when ,vy it is desired to lift it above ground level so that \-P a truck tray may be driven under it for transportation.

Preferably the transportable house is constructed by first erecting the roof on the roof supporting posts and then filling in the outer walls and flooring. In this way, the roof provides weather protection so that the house may be built in the open.

If desired, the outer walls can be constructed of panels, such as the wooden panels disclosed in Australian Patent No. 496455, or brick-faced panels. It has been found that use of the separate panels reduces racking and/or movement during transport to the site. Alternatively, as discussed above, ^ : -v ,si> „ 3 ■V;. \ ' >■ \ I v. "'v. 205361 the outer walls can be brick, laid at the site, where required.

Where it is desired to build a conventional, width house i.e. using the transportable house modules side-by-side, the two modules are constructed side-by-side, complete with wiring and plumbing. Doors and walls lying on the join of the two modules are designed so that on separation of the two modules for transport, cupboards lying on the centre line may have their doors on one module and shelves in the other - door jambs on the centre line are split, while wiring and plumbing pipes arranged between the two modules so ; that on site, the two sections can be quickly connected to complete the house.

Preferably the pivotal axis is provided by a coach bolt extending through the adjacent roof and verandah rafters, a split metal ring radially outward of said coach bolt and lying in complementary grooves in the adjacent rafters to provide further bearing surface for pivoting. 1^ i ■: -'•V According to yet another aspect of the present invention , _ , >/ 1 ' ~ 1' 7 » ^ c ~ ^ ( „ , , 4 . 205361 , #. . studs" the internal walls of the house have/faced with,half-plywood, half plaster surfaces, the plywood forming the lower half of the walls and being able to be pulled away from the wall studs to allow for on site plumbing and/or electric wiring.

But in order that the invention may be more fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein; •. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a transportable house on location with its verandah, in position; Figure 2 is a close-up of the verandah pivot when the verandah is in open position; Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2, but with the verandah in the closed position; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a base frame; Figure 5 is a cross-section bearer on V-V of Figure 4; Figure 6 shows two base frames with the roof supporting posts in position; and Figure 7 shows an interior view of the house.

The transportable house 11 is comprised of two sections 12 and 13 joined under the main ridge 14 of the roof 15, a verandah 16 being provided on at least one side.

■ * Each section 12 and 13 comprise a steel base frame 17 bolted to the other frame 17 after transport to the site.

Each frame 17 comprises a number of modules arranged end to end to form the desired area (having regard to transportability, the modules may be 3.6m square, with up to four modules in each section). The frames 17 are of a C section, as shown in Figure 5, butt welded together. The C-sections are preferably cold rolled steel sections which have been s~- 2 053 6' galvanized. By butt welding them together, strong yet comparatively cheap and light frame sections are obtained. Steel plates 18 are welded to the corners of each module to carry the roof supporting posts 19 which may be either wooden or steel.

The roof supporting posts 19, the roof itself 15 and the walls between the posts are provided, so that on site, the two frames are bolted together and the central roof support posts also bolted together. Preferably each frame has a sloping roof so arranged that when the frames are side-by-side, a pitched roof is formed. This roof is then capped to provide a weather proof seal.

Each roof supporting post 19 which forms part of the interior of the double-framed house is reinforced during transport by adopting a house floor plan whereby the post 19 is reinforced by at least one interior stud wall, often a door jamb. As the two framed sections are constructed at the factory site side-by-side so that the walls and doors are properly aligned, it is possible for one roof supporting post to form part of the support of a cupboard door, while the corresponding post on the adjacent frame section is reinforced by the cupboard shelves. Likewise * an internal wall, complete with stud wall to the door opening adjacent a roof supporting post may be located on one frame while the door and jamb are supported by the corresponding roof supporting post on the adjacent frame.

Wiring and plumbing fittings may be installed on each section, to readily connect to each other and to the main power or water supply at location.

The roof 15 is supported on the posts 19 a series of 2053 61 steel brackets at the top of the posts being bolted to both roof and post to hold the roof down and prevent up lift thereof, and on a series of rafters 21 running from the central posts to slightly beyond the outer posts to form eaves 22. Pivoted to the outer ends of the rafters 21, by means of coach bolts 23, are lighter rafters 24, adapted to support a verandah roof 16. Further bearing , surface is provided by split rings 25 which circle the coach bolts 23, one half of each ring being located in the house roof rafter 21 and the other half in the verandah roof rafter 24, as seen in Figures 2 and 3 .

During transport, the verandah roof lies against the side of the house,, protecting the glass in any windows along the house side. At the site, the verandah roof may be left against the house side to prevent unauthorized entry into the house. For erection, the verandah roof is swung about the coach bolt pivots to a near-horizontal position and outer verandah support posts used to hold it in position. The pitch of the verandah roof is chosen to be less than that of the house roof pitch - if the house roof pitch is 15°, 5° is a suitable pitch for the verandah. The coach bolt is located at such as distance below the main roof overhang that when the verandah roof is erected, it is wedged against the main roof. The continuous downward sweep of the roof, from central ridge cap to verandah edge also means that is is only necessary to provide guttering and spouting at the verandah edge.

Should the house of the present invention be used as a holiday house, it will be apparent that the pivoted verandah can be swung against the house when the house is 2 053 6 1 unoccupied, thereby effectively barring the windows against unauthori2ed entry. Similarly if the transportable house is located in cyclone prone areas, in the event of a cyclone, lowering the verandah roof against the house protects the windows.

As it is standard practice to finish the stud walls by providing an internal wall surface therefore, the internal walls of the present invention are formed by cutting a 8 X 4 sheet of plywood in half and tacking each half to the studs to form a 4' high wall, the top part of the wall being finished with plaster sheet.. Although some/or most electric wiring and/or plumbing may be installed in the factory during manufacture, often an electrician or plumber may be called to the site to complete the wiring or plumbing, or even install additional points. At such times the plywood sheet may be readily parted from the studs, so that appropriate wiring, plumbing or appliances such as kitchen sinks may be installed without the need to subsequently repair the plaster. Further the plywood surface around the lower part of the walls adds to their durability, the plywood not chipping or being otherwise as readily damaged as plaster. If desired, the plywood can become a decorative feature of the house.

For construction, an appropriate floor plan is selected, and the base frames set out side-by-side so that the house is constructed at the factory site as a whole - in this way alignment of walls between the adjacent sections is maintained.

The roof supporting posts are affixed to the plates on the base frames, and then the roof onto the supporting posts and brackets. Once the roof is in place, flooring, if 2;0 53 6 required, and external walls may be fitted, thereby allowing further work on the house in weatherproof condition.

Internal walls, cupboards, doors, plumbing and electrical wiring may then be inserted according to the plan. Once complete, the house may be then readily separated by independent jacking of each section to be placed on a truck and transported to the desired site / where it is located on appropriate foundations.

At the site, the two sections are bolted together, as are the internal fixtures and the roof cap. The verandah or verandahs are swung out to the desired slope and posts provided for support.

The floor 20 of the house may be a conventional wooden floor supported by timber or steel joists mounted on the frames. Alternatively a conventional prestressed concrete floor may be provided. However when the frames 17 are to be located flush with the ground concrete blocks 26, also flush with the ground, are located beneath the area of the module corners, and the frames left open until the house is located on. its foundations - i.e. on the concrete blocks.

Then either concrete screed or paving is poured into the * areas within the steel frame to become the flooring of the house, and/or to allow for use as the base for brick construction.^ If a floor 20 is provided during construction, it preferably has a number of trapdoors 27 or lift-up flaps so that jacks may be readily placed on the ground below the trapdoors to lift the house after construction, thus allowing a truck tray to be driven under the house base 2053 61 frame 17 so that the base frame can then be lowered onto the truck tray for transport.

The dual pitch of the house plus verandah gives an attractive bell roof to the house, thereby making it more attractive than many transportable houses. Use of the steel frames, the factory built verandah and the half plywood, half-plaster internal wall surfaces assist in reducing overall costs of construction, especially when the house is transported over a considerable distance such that supply of skilled tradesmen on the site becomes/prohibitive.

Further use of non-load bearing buter walls,especially as separate panels, and use of only half-plaster internal walls reduce damage due to racking and other movements . during transport.

The house of the present invention can be used as a holiday home, as a farm house, as a motel unit, or to form 'instant towns', e.g. on the mine fields or in a disaster area.

"If desired, exterior walls of brick may be used to enclose the house, the inner walls being chosen appropriately, their lighter construction being shielded by the hinged verandah during transport. it will be obvious that the various aspects of the present invention may be used separately, and that it is not a requirement of the invention that they be used together.

Claims (9)

205361 WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A transportable house provided with a verandah roof, said verandah roof, during transport or when the house is otherwise unoccupied, lying flat against the outer side wall of the house, but, at site location and during use, being raised outwardly and upwardly about a pivotal axis located on a roof rafter of the house, the angle of the. pitch of the verandah roof when erected being less than that of the house roof, and the verandah roof lying under, but tightly wedged against, the house roof to form a weather proof junction.

2. A transportable house as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pivotal axis is.provided by a coach bolt extending through the adjacent roof and verandah rafters, a split plastic ring radially outward of said coach bolt and lying in complementary grooves in the adjacent rafters to provide further bearing surface for pivoting.

3. A transportable house as claimed in claim 1 or 2 studs' wherein internal walls of the house have/faced with half-'; plywood, half-plaster surfaces, the plywood forming the lower half of the walls and being able to be pulled away from the wall studs to allow for on-site plumbing and/or electric wiring. ^ '

4. A transportable house as claimed in any one of the on a steel framed base preceding claims provided with a floor/having therein trapdoors to enable jacks to be inserted under the base to thereby provide easy access and so lifting of the house ii - 11 - w 205361 when it is desired to lift it above ground level so that a truck tray can be driven under it for transportation.

5. A transportable house as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the roof is supported by roof supporting posts which form part of the walls and an internal stud wall is located adjacent one of said roof supporting posts to reinforce and/or stabilize the stud wall.

6. A transportable house as claimed in claim 5 wherein prior to location at the house site, part of the external wall between adjacent roof supporting posts is omitted, and upon location at the house site, that part of the external wall is completed by laying a double brick wall.

7. A transportable house as claimed in claim 5 wherein at least some of the outer walls are constructed Of pre-fabric-ed panels.

8. A transportable house as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein the roof is erected first and then walls and flooring are filled in so that the roof provides weather protection enabling the house to be constructed in the open.

9. A transportable house substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accomp.anying drawings. A 12