The Door Takes Shape (Round, of Course)

I am finally getting to the most characteristic part of the hobbit-hole (aside from being under ground): the round door. Actually, truth be told, it is not going to be a fully round door. To make the door a complete circle would be an engineering feat. It is possible, but it would require that I spend a lot more money on a very large, specialized hinge. I decided to go a simpler route, and make a mostly round door, in sort of a "D" shape, but finish it out round to create the illusion of a full circle.

Above, you can see the same, where the hinges are located. Below, you can see how it opens inward. Once I paint it green, and put in some weatherstripping (also painted green), in the seem, it will look pretty seamless, like a fully round door when closed.

The next step is to frame in the left side and install a ball latch, so the door will shut and stay shut. Then I will prime it, paint it, and put on a brass doorknob in the middle. Then I will build out from there to create a door jamb, and a recessed look to the door.

With this much of the door completed, the kids excitement about the project more than doubled. The door, I guess, even unfinished, makes it seem that much more real to them. Since I built this, they have slept out in the hobbit-hole in their sleeping bags 5 times (in less than 2 weeks).