Reinforcing the TG-12 "Trio Grandpa" Martin House
(by Kevin T. Day)
This article will explain the procedure I used to strengthen the floor of the TG-12 house so that the landlord might hang SuperGourds (or natural gourds) from each corner.
First of all, the TG-12 "Grandpa" house is made of aluminum which makes it light enough to move it up and down for landlord maintenance with a rope and pulley system. However, the floor is not particularly strong enough to support the weight of four (4) SuperGourds and the martins in those gourds. By strengthening the floor system the house should have no trouble holding the gourds.
Step #1
I began by purchasing four (4) 24 inch long aluminum shelf standards
at the local hardware store. I cut two (2) of the standards to the length of
the house from front to back. (Please refer to photo #1 which shows one standard
already in place along the bottom of the house).
Photo #1
Step #2
On each side of the house you should note three (3) pan head bolts
which protrude downward from inside the house and through the floor. Remove
the three bolts from the floor on one side of the house. Hold your aluminum
standard in place (as shown in photo #1) and mark where the three holes are
in relation to the standard. Drill holes in the shelf standard where each bolt
hole was marked and attach the standard to the house using new, longer bolts
you can purchase at any hardware store. I used stainless steel hardware as it
tends to last longer and resists rust better. (Photo #2 also illustrates the
bolt position). Complete this step for both sides of the house.
Photo #2
Step #3
Once the standards are bolted to the house, drill a hole up through
the standard all the way through the porch floor about one inch from the end
of each shelf standard. These four holes (one in each corner of the porch floor)
can be used to attach eye bolts to which will ultimately hang the SuperGourds
(see photo #3).
Photo #3
Step #4
Cut the remaining two (2) 24 inch aluminum standards to length so
that they fit across the house floor (see photo #4). The metal plate beneath
the center of the house floor is what supports the majority of the house weight.
Therefore, in order to utilize the strength of this plate, I attached the two
"cross members" to the house by drilling holes at the ends of each
"cross member" and up through the shelf standards that we bolted on
in the first three steps. This will require the drilling of holes that are not
currently in the house floor. I attached the "cross members" with
pan head bolts with the pan head on the top side of the porch floor.
Photo #4
The placement of where the "cross members" go is the most important step in this process. I placed my "cross members" over the metal floor plate so that I could use the existing holes in the metal plate to bolt my "cross members" to. I drilled holes in the "cross members" to coincide with the holes in the metal plate. I then placed shorter "short cross members" on the plate to fill the gap between the house floor and the longer "cross members" (see photo #5). By replacing the bolts that go through the metal floor plate with longer bolts that go through holes drilled in the long "cross members" and "short cross members" and the metal floor plate, the strength of the metal floor plate can be utilized to support the entire aluminum shelf standard system. This basically holds the gourds up without putting stress on the porch floor (see photo #6 which is the final result).
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Photo #7 is the final product in use from the summer of 1998. Only two of my gourds were in use last summer but the house and gourds survived several intense thunderstorms, some of which produced over 80 MPH straight line winds. No warping of the floor was found.
Photo #7
This procedure should take about 2 hours with minimal tools. All I used was a cordless drill/driver and a hacksaw. - Kevin T. Day
[Editorial comment: It is possible add just a few strips of shelf bracket to the bottom of the house without "framing" the entire bottom floor. It takes considerable less time and works just as well.]
