Icehouse Coving Progress

Back in mid February I mentioned a small coving workaround that was taking shape. A small discrepancy between as-built conditions and the construction plan presented a challenge/opportunity for our coving progress.

There are ledgers along the north wall and south wall top plates that… [result in] a 1-1/2” step near the top of the wall… [but], our construction plan (A402, detail 4) does not account for this plane discrepancy. I’m endeavoring to integrate the step structurally into the cove construction. Although this structural element creates an added challenge, I actually think that it might contribute to a pragmatic solution. (Source: Ciphering on Icehouse Coving – Rosslyn Redux)

And today I have some good news to relay: structural integration for coving in the icehouse’s vaulted ceiling area is now complete. The photo at the top of this post shows it wrapping around the north, west, and south walls at the height where ceiling and the north/south walls meet. In the photo below you can see a close-up of the north wall where a new horizontal ledger has been installed and the “shelf” has been fastened underneath.

Rereading that last paragraph, I’ve stumped myself! To clarify, let’s start out with the original detail from the construction plan.

The most notable discrepancy with as-built conditions was a horizontal ledger that had been installed on the north and south walls. Secured to the top plate, this ledger provided alignment and bracing for all of the new rafters that were sistered in back in 2006/7 when we salvaged the collapsing roof. The detail had performed well over the last decade and a half, and we had no intention of altering it. But we did need to accommodate it in our construction plan.

In the sketch below, several tweaks to my earlier “cove ciphering”, allowed us to simplify, streamline, and better support the coving “shelf” that extends out from the walls. (See horizontal 2×8 in image below.)

The next step will be to encase the 2x8s with trim (dimensional poplar) that will meet up with T&G nickel gap paneling on the ceiling and walls as shown above. Cove crown will be installed beneath the shelf, and an aluminum track will be installed in the corner of the shelf to secure LED strip lighting. Updates soon, I hope!