Saturday, May 30, 2015

The Cottage Has a Roof

 
I got the roof on the cottage, and it was quite a complicated project because of the distinctive roof shape.  I began by rolling out slabs of clay and cutting the four main roof pieces.  Then I cut out the extra decorative top part for each roof section and attached them with slip.  I let the roof pieces harden somewhat so they would be easier to handle.
 
At first I tried to assemble the roof in place, adding one piece and then another, but it just was too cumbersome.  So I ended up assembling the four roof pieces separately.  I let the joints harden a bit then added the roof to the cottage as one piece.  I let it rest overnight in a plastic bag.
 
Then this morning I added the curved piece along the front, scoring and slipping it in place.  I had to add a "snake" of clay along the joint to ease the transition.  Once the clay had hardened a bit, I scored the thatch lines.
 
The other thing I had to do was make and attach the chimney.  I referred to my reference photos for the shape, and as I was working on it, remembered the chimneys I saw on the old building in England.  What a nice memory!

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