anyone know how to build a wall??

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by cookderosa, Sep 7, 2010.

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  1. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    TOTALLY off topic, but you guys are the smartest guys I know :) Each year we do a massive Halloween party for about 100 guests. Last year we started doing a haunted house in our 2 car garage. Mix in a little OCD with my type A and you get the idea. For this year, I have an awesome idea, but I can't find anything on google that is really useful.

    I want to build a maze. Smallish- like 12 foot by 12 foot. Open floor, open ceiling but otherwise a free standing box. Of course, it has to be sturdy because people will be bumping and leaning against all the walls. This will be inside of the haunted house, it will be one of the attractions.

    If I have to, I can build it in a corner, however, I really really want it in the center so the floor plan goes around it. A corner build is a last resort.

    I'm really at a loss. The ceiling is too high to do a pressure wall, and our other walls for the haunt are 4 foot high (I go to the ceiling with black plastic, so the lower 4 feet are wood) my usual wall won't work because you couldn't "feel" your way plus I want it pitch black. I can't anchor into the floor- my husband would flip.

    My budget is ~$250 and my skill level on a 1-10 is about a 4. :) I don't think I can afford to hire someone to build it because it took me weeks to talk my husband into hiring an electrician for this. *don't ask.

    Anyway, I'm running out of time if I want to keep to my schedule. I need a new ideas, I'm at a loss.

    Any suggestions?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2010
  2. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

  3. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Jennifer,

    The wall is only as good as your carpenter skills.

    Find the cheapest studs (or whatever length you want) and 1/4 luan (veneer plywood), or similar you can. Take the studs and make a rectangle box (use nails , screws, etc..) with a center piece going across at about halfway down the studs. Do this layout on the floor. Once the rectangle is built lay the luan on top. It will be longer than the studs but shouldn't matter unless you intend to secure from above, in which case cut the luan flush with the top cross member. Buld as many of these rectangles as you need to make the walls. You have several options with regard to standing them up as walls. You can stand them up and nail together in a 90 degree for a corner or use 3" hinges. For the hinges lay two rectangular sections side by side, mark the hinges and put one side of the hinge on each rectangular section. remove or install the hinge pins as needed to move the sections around, stand up, etc... The advantage to the hinges is the ability to use angles other than a 90'. When standing the wall sections up make sure you have the smooth luan to the side for the participants. These walls can be secured in multiple ways but the easiest is to run some extra studs across the top and secore with screws, lag bolts, whatever you want so that it can be disassembled.

    You can get real cheap lumber and materials at many used lumber yards.

    If you need a drawing just drop me an email and I'll rough you out a couple of drawings.

    Lastly, I used borrow a 12 or 16 foot utility trailer, fashion some rails for it, fill it with hay, 12 volt lighting (jack o lanterns, skeletons, whatever would light up), run a dc powered cd player with creepy tunes and drag the kids behind my truck around the neighborhood trick or treating, it was fun to see how many parents and strangers I had acquired before the evening was over.

    I love Halloween....
     
  4. Super cheap: Build it out of 1/2" PVC. If you glue the box together it will be somewhat solid. Buy some pipe cutters to make nice clean cuts easily. Use zip ties and grommets to attach black plastic sheeting. If you can't anchor it, run the PVC up through some cinderblocks in the corners to weigh it down. This will take planning but should work well and will be much less expensive than wood.
     
  5. Another idea is to buy thin plywood and 4x4s and just build your maze that way. It will be sturdier than PVC but much more expensive. Still, it will fit in your $250 budget. The whole thing will be freestanding. If you worry about it moving you could build it in the corner but I don't think it'll go anywhere.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2010
  6. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    This exact thing was my inspiration :) I did this for my son in our basement on a smaller scale. For our party, we have adults in costume, so crawling is out. Thank you though! I think I could use cardboard sheets and staple gun them to 2x4s?
     
  7. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef



    This is a winner- I'm going to try it. You may get an SOS email from me within the next couple weeks :)


    *by drag, you did mean ride, right?
     
  8. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Thanks for both ideas Thomas. I love PVC, and had considered it for my walls but I think I need something stronger. I'm going to do 3 PVC monster frames mounted in cinder blocks....they are for my Clone Room :) I have 4 identical costumed figures, 3 fakes and 1 real lol.
     
  9. james_lankford

    james_lankford New Member

    12 foot by 12 foot ?
    not to be offensive, but I don't see the point

    12x12 is barely enough room to walk, I don't see how you can incorporate enough twists and turns to make a maze
     
  10. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    for you....anytime....

    I meant drag, as in the trailer was being towed by the truck (I keep forgetting not all you folks understand Southern speak), but we did have the occasional mass bailout with kids falling all over each other to be first at a known candy rich house...

    Last thing, you didn't mention the height of your garage but leave yourself some room for standing the walls up, etc...

    Have fun!
     
  11. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef


    You underestimate me James :) It's an attraction inside the haunt, not the whole thing- I have 6 areas, this is only 1 thing. Besides, it will be pitch black, it doesn't take much to get turned around. My motto is excite not fright.

    Update- I've ordered double corrugated cardboard panels to use instead of plywood. I love projects.
     
  12. rickyjo

    rickyjo New Member

    Holly crap cook, I want to go to your Halloween party!
     
  13. Lindagerr

    Lindagerr New Member

    Ok Jennifer now we all want to come

    You are going to have one of those line of headlights coming up to the farm like in Field of dreams, You just have to post your address. LOL
     
  14. Anyone see the documentary Hell House on the Christian fundamentalist "Halloween" house?

    Worth a watch if you're into that sort of thing.
     
  15. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Thanks guys- I don't know why I started the halloween thing, we didn't used to celebrate it much, but the kids got into it as they got older so I decided to be the party I wanted to attend (cough).

    We do a bon fire w/ jumbo roasted marshmallows, make haunted ginger bread houses, have face painting, the haunted house, and a concession stand (free of course) with all the machines- nachos, snow cones, cotton candy, hot dogs, tons of candy bars, etc. I play corny music like Ghost Busters and Monster Mash. Everyone has an awesome time.

    We have a handful of friends who don't or won't trick or treat, so this gives them a halloween alternative. I'm pretty "anti-evil" so we don't do dead/blood/corpse/rotting/killing/etc. I'm more about spooky and kooky :) Last year I was a "Cereal Killer" which was me in a jail costume with paper knives stuck into a Frosted Flakes box lol.

    I'm waiting for my panels, I'm starting construction this weekend!
     
  16. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Jennifer,

    Wal-mart sells dry ice if you want to throw some in a tub. We used it to cause the bubbling cauldron effect, to chill adult beverages, with the nice secondary effect of fog.
     

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