Project Choose Your Own Adventure

[ScottyB]

Yeah not so much of the metal rusting but water getting behind the metal and rotting out the wood / messing with the electricals

yeah waterproofing is a huge deal with these. if even a little water makes its way in, welcome to Mildew Town, might as well burn it down.

the aluminum skin will be 3003 sheet, a standard grade that's great for just about anything. popular with aluminum sign makers and for the trailer skins on big rig trailers and comes in 4x8 and 4x10 sizes. it might show water spots/deposits over time, but won't rust.

the aluminum will be attached on the edges with trim, with sealant underneath the trim contact areas. here's an example:



otherwise no permanent adhesive - the panels will "float" over the birch skin, only being attached on the trim areas. this will allow it to expand/contract in the weather without warping since the metal and wood will expand at different rates and in different humidity. under the aluminum, the birch will have a heavy coat of poly to protect it from any hidden condensation.

side panels will be 1 sheet of 4x10, so no overlapping issues. same with the hatch. roof will most likely be at least 1 overlap because its a 5 foot wide cabin and common sheets are only 4 feet so i'll have to run the sheets sideways to cover the width. a simple overlap + trim strip across the width will take care of that.

you'll be seeing a lot of water intrusion measures coming once the skin goes on. its every builder's biggest headache/challenge/source of anxiety.

It would be sweet to just like Rhino Line the entire thing after you lay the metal down

people do that too! i didn't like the texture so i'm sticking with bare aluminum or a powder coated color. a big part of this is the retro look and feel, so i'm being entirely too emotionally swayed by that and i'm just gonna own it.