That looks like a lot of back rubs!!! I bet you smile ear to ear just looking at the results of your long wait.

Looks great!
Jando

They both look great, Sue. I have been interested in building a machiai for some time now and have been accumulating photos and drawing up some simple diagrams to get an idea of proportions and materials and cost. Did you use pressure treated pine for your posts? This is what I was considering using, for longevity and economy. I was also thinking of charring the posts similar to what is done for bamboo fence posts (oyobashira) to darken the look and enhance the grain. Not sure if that would fit with the rest of the design though.

Can you describe what you used for the walls of the structure... plaster...stucco over exterior grade plywood...or something simpler? It looks very authentic.

Some of the things i am still trying to figure out are:
-how to make the inside of the roof look nice without nails sticking through
-how to create a sturdy structure with the feel of quality without using traditional joinery.
-how to set the posts on stones to keep the bottoms from rotting

I have very little carpentry knowledge, so after all of the planning and research is done, i may end up hiring the job out to a professional.

Any tips or lessons learned for the aspiring machiai builder?

Tanks for posting these inspiring photos.

-christian m.

I'm afraid my little machiai isn't as grand as you think. The carpenter used redwood 2x2's to make the sides, then screwed the 5/8 inch exterior plywood that I had primed and painted to the frame. We eyeballed the slant of the roof. I wanted to keep the height as low as possible, but let a 6'4'' person clear the roofline. I think the final height was 7'4''. The back panel was attached to the sides, the plywood roof put on, then he shingled it- I was lucky, the staples he used did not quite penetrate thru, the few that did, he nipped off with a special tool . I had him rip a 2'' tree stake lengthwise, and nailed those to the front to mimic posts. A split bamboo cane was attached to the edge of the roof to act as a gutter, I need to order a rain chain. Here's a few more pics if that helps. Once I get a foundation under it, I will drive rebar behind it into the ground, then strap the rebar to the backside of the machiai so it doesnt fall over.

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The plywood seems to be a very simple and practical way to go for the walls. I wouldnt even know where to go to find a plasterer, and im sure i couldnt afford the price. My concern isnt about using only authentic materials as much as creating an authentic and natural feel to the space. Do you plan on putting some bamboo lattice in the circular window? I think i see some propped against the side of the machiai in one of the photos. I like the color you chose for the walls, and im now wondering if using one of those texturized paints with sand would lend the feel of plaster...

It looks like a good place to sit and read a book in the rain or prop up and watch the sunlight on the plants and listen to the sounds of the garden. Thanks for sharing.

-christian

Yes, I plan to put a bamboo lattice in the window, just have been to busy to get to it. I used glidden exterior paint in the burmese gold color(home depot), since that seemed closest to that ochre shade seen in many japanese structures. I thought about the texure paint too, but the mixer was so fast he had it done before I could change my mind. If you build yours, I would make it at least six feet wide and three feet deep, mine looks a little weird since I had to restrain the dimensions to avoid blocking nearby sprinklers.

In the interest of Japanese design proportion vs code, steel is often used to strenghten traditional looking structures like garden gates.

Cutting curfs into the lumber and then inserting a piece of steel greatly increases the stregnth of a 2X2.

Stainless steel ready rod is often drilled from the top of the gate right into the concrete footing.

Gerald