# Forum Home Renovation The Cubby House  Wobbly Walls

## scratchie77

Hello There, 
First attempt at a cubby and i have buggered up somewhere and the walls have a lot of side to side movement in them
I dont know what i have done wrong and how to go about fixing it. 
I thought that the weatherboards would shore up the structure but they havent.
I have a chipboard floor and have pre-assembled the wall frames and nailed them both to the floor joists and to each other.
 I have added strapping to the rear wall as an afterthought which has helped that end a bit, but cant really strap the front where the windows and door is. 
This is where the movement is the worst.
I am wondering if putting timber diagonally across each corner or lining the inside would help other than that im not sure what to do, any help would be greatly appreciated.

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## Uncle Bob

> Hello There,  
> I am wondering if putting timber diagonally across each corner or lining the inside would help other than that im not sure what to do, any help would be greatly appreciated.

  Sounds like a good plan. Start with bracing the top corners first before lining it.

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## scratchie77

No worries Uncle Bob, 
What length/size timber would you be thinking, i assume the longer the brace the better job it will do?

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## Uncle Bob

Say 400mm long. 
Is that roof screwed down at the eaves? If not, doing so would probably "tighten" it up.

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## scratchie77

Yes the roof is screwed down, i will give the bracing a go tommorow
Thanks for your help

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## METRIX

I don't see any noggins between the studs, put some of these in, and can you get any angle brace in the walls diagonally ? 
The roof should also have metal bracing in a X formation on each side tied back into the wall frame
Also looks like you have no corner blocking holding the frames together, put this in 
Line the walls with PLY sheets to keep little fingers getting cut on the metal bracing, clouts about every 200mm down each stud is what we use foe a house, but you can probably scale that back a bit, this will stiffen it up. 
See guide below http://www.pryda.com.au/media/fckupl...RCH%202012.pdf 
Looks Good, kids will love it 
Below is one we buit for my mate's kids, We put a blackbut deck around it LOL, need to find the finished photos.

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## gpkennedy

The kids should enjoy this play space. The walls can be made more rigid fairly simply. See attatched pic (I hope!)

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## Bloss

The answer is simple - boxes (squares & rectangles) are unstable triangles are stable - so you need to use angle bracing to create triangles. That goes for all the frames and the roof too. Noggins will not stop the movement you talk about, but if you plan on lining the cubby and use glue and nails every 150mm around the edges and every 200mm in the middle that will add great stability. But adding some steel strap brace in an X as others have said or doing the same using steel wall brace or speedbrace eg:http://www.pryda.com.au/media/fckupl...RCH%202012.pdf from PRYDA or  Multinail - Metal Connectors - Bracing Products - Wall Bracing is the best way to go.

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## METRIX

> The answer is simple - boxes (squares & rectangles) are unstable triangles are stable - so you need to use angle bracing to create triangles. That goes for all the frames and the roof too. Noggins will not stop the movement you talk about, but if you plan on lining the cubby and use glue and nails every 150mm around the edges and every 200mm in the middle that will add great stability. But adding some steel strap brace in an X as others have said or doing the same using steel wall brace or speedbrace eg:http://www.pryda.com.au/media/fckupl...RCH%202012.pdf from PRYDA or  Multinail - Metal Connectors - Bracing Products - Wall Bracing is the best way to go.

  My reason for adding noggins, was to give the angle brace another point of contact on its way through.

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## scratchie77

> Also looks like you have no corner blocking holding the frames together, put this in

  
Wow thanks for the help, there is heaps of good info in that pdf. Will be able to fit some angle bracing so will definitely get on to that. I strapped the roof but didnt tie it to the walls so will correct that as well. 
Can you please explain the corner blocking part im not sure what you mean there. 
I know i'm pushing my luck, you have already give me plenty to work with. 
Thanks again,
Glen

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## METRIX

Where your walls meet I can see daylight between the two, stud frame construction has blocks of timber nailed into both frames to tie the corners together, not sure what design you have used but it looks like there is no blocking. 
This is just part of the whole system when building stud frames, as you have already clad the outside then it's going to be difficult to do this now, so probably don't worry about it. 
Put some angle brace in the walls and brace the roof you will find it stiffen up heaps, but as I said I would also line the walls with ply to keep little fingers away from the angle brace, it can be sharp.

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## gpkennedy

Greg, previously I suggested using that metal cross bracing. It can be very sharp and hence cubby house would need to be lined. 
PS did you notice that your dog had photobombed the pic from the back porch in pic2?
George :Biggrin:

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## scratchie77

> PS did you notice that your dog had photobombed the pic from the back porch in pic2?
> George

  ha no I didn't see the dog good spotting.  She doesn't look much like a working dog in that shot does she 
no worries I wasn't planning on lining it at all but with the metal bracing I will be sure to line it to keep those fingers away

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## Uncle Bob

Good clubby btw! Chuck some flashings on the roof and Bob's your uncle  :Wink:

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## barney118

I would start with  a row of noggins first, then steel L bracket in the top 4 corners internally (horizontally) ( you could have put a steel plate across the corners before the roof went on instead. or you could cut a couple of triangles of wood to do the same job, I find it easier with steel 2 screws in each wall), then i would go with the strapping (if needed still), but with a cubby so small the lateral movement could be taken up with the top bracing.

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## Bloss

> My reason for adding noggins, was to give the angle brace another point of contact on its way through.

  
I realised that - wanted to make sure the OP did . . . :2thumbsup:

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## Random Username

Rather than finger slicing metal braces, how about a few sheets of braceply - it's cheap and will allow you to insulate the walls with some batts too!!

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## Bloss

> Rather than finger slicing metal braces, how about a few sheets of braceply - it's cheap and will allow you to insulate the walls with some batts too!!

   :What he said:  I mentioned this option in my initial reply - if you were planning on lining or even if not this would be simple and effective - and as said allow use of some insulation too.

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## ringtail

> I don't see any noggins between the studs, put some of these in, and can you get any angle brace in the walls diagonally ? 
> The roof should also have metal bracing in a X formation on each side tied back into the wall frame
> Also looks like you have no corner blocking holding the frames together, put this in 
> Line the walls with PLY sheets to keep little fingers getting cut on the metal bracing, clouts about every 200mm down each stud is what we use foe a house, but you can probably scale that back a bit, this will stiffen it up. 
> See guide below http://www.pryda.com.au/media/fckupl...RCH%202012.pdf 
> Looks Good, kids will love it 
> Below is one we buit for my mate's kids, We put a blackbut deck around it LOL, need to find the finished photos.

  
Now I would have trussed that Metrix. :Biggrin:

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## METRIX

Thought about it, but couldnt find a crane big enough that weekend, So we had to do it old school  :2thumbsup:

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## ringtail

> Thought about it, but couldnt find a crane big enough that weekend, So we had to do it old school

  Old school ? I see a hammer but no hand saw and bony F14 - what's going on here ? :Biggrin:

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## METRIX

That claw hammer was only thrown in there to confuse you, we don't actually know how it works, we prefer the THOR Hammer, and of course we had a handsaw, is there something else you can use ?
 We had to get the Big Ass one out with the huge teeth for this job, "Whip Saw". 
Hang on I think I have a picture of us cutting up that Bony F14, It was tough work trying to get them all dimensionally the same, my mate even had his armish get up on that day as well, he likes to wear it, doesen't believe in all thet new fancy lightweight clothing. 
You will also notice the Industrial rated kitchen 2 step ladder,  :Biggrin:

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## ringtail

What, no pit saw ?  Pit Saw

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## METRIX

Are you serious, that's what we have been doing wrong, First thing tomorrow im have to get me one of those modern things, do you think Bunnings stock them ?

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## shauck

> Are you serious, that's what we have been doing wrong, First thing tomorrow im have to get me one of those modern things, do you think Bunnings stock them ?

  I hear they only stock the cheap Chinese version. All plastic.

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## ringtail

> Are you serious, that's what we have been doing wrong, First thing tomorrow im have to get me one of those modern things, do you think Bunnings stock them ?

  Try Sydney tools. Dont forget the excavator....errr, shovel to dig the pit

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