For the roof, I used Solasafe polycarbonate corrugated sheeting. I chose this material because it is tough, provides for 99% UV protection and has a lifetime warranty. You can get this material in different colours.
I also used self tapping fixings. I was mindful of the prevailing wind when doing the overlap of the sheets. My initial spacings of the fixings was too wide (as per the pictures). On a windy day, this had the effect of simulating being in an aircraft readying itself for takeoff. Later I doubled the number of fixings to solve this problem.
Up to this point, I didn't really know how I was going to build the front section. My original design hadn't really taken into account the wind factor and it wasn't my original intention to build windows. I also wanted the front section to be removalable and up to this moment I hadn't quite worked out how I was going to achieve this. It was a good moment to take a few days off to contemplate. Here's out it finally came together.
Remove one coach bolt, two nuts/bolts, two slide bolts and the entire front section comes away.
Because I was going to end up having windows, the original gate now became a full sized door. I built window framing for the front and back. These would be fixed windows.
The door had to close automatically. I tried using a spring to do this job. However, this worked poorly no matter how I set it. Using a weighted system is simple, allows you to open the door fully and just works. In addition, it's the most use this weight has ever got.
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