gable vent

Evening all, we've been spending the evening trying to decide two things about our gable vent:
1. how do we work out what size will look ok, given that it's far too high to get up there and plot it out. We've drawn it to scale (it's 8metres across and 1.95m at it's highest point) and think 60x45cm, or a little bigger, might look ok. Any comments?
2. we're considering whether to get a timber one made, or buy a plastic one from Edmonds, has anyone seen the plastic ones?
With thanks

Jane

Drawing it to scale like you've done willgive you the best indication of how it will look. If you're fitting a rectangular vent then plastic is fine in my opinion. Once painted no one will know what it's made of and at least it won't rot. I've seen them used up here in the tropics and they seem to handle the weather okay. The triangular premade vents look pretty awful though when their angle doesn't correspond to the pitch of the roof.

Mick

Thanks Mick, if we could see the plastic one before we bought it there'd be no problem, but they're made in Sydney and the distributor doesn't stock them in Melbourne. They're about half the price of the timber ones which is a bonus.

I saw some plastic ones at Bunnings. They were about $100 which I thought was a ripoff.

Why doesn't his distributor in Melbourne stock them ? I can't believe there is no demand. Surely a distributor in melbourne could take a punt on having one in stock for people to inspect?

I guess there isn't the demand, I think the idea of a plastic gable louvre is quite new, and not a lot of people know that you can get them in plastic, who knows though!

Please give me the period of your home, a pic of the front and a pic of the vent and I will place it digitally in your gable if you'd like.

have fun!

:D:D:D:D

Thanks Steve, we've done this as well, but found that drawing the gable to scale gave us a better idea. I've had a look at the gable vent from Edmonds - unfortunately they don't make the larger size any more, but I've also found that Austech make them too. Drawing it to scale the smaller Edmonds one looks ok, and actually seeing it now has eased my worry that it won't look ok - it looks pretty good for saying it's plastic

Hi again -great news that you are getting what you want! Don't worry about plastic -remember the movie Love Story? Plastic means never having to say you'll repair it once it rots out

:D:D:D:D:D:D

Yes yes yes - lame I know .... my wife reminds me constatntly

:D

have fun - would still like to know the period and see a pic