Two-by-fours. An electric drill. A sukkah kit. Good instructions. A little humor.
OK, a lot of humor and, in less time than it takes to remodel a kitchen, add a bathroom or bake a challah from scratch, you can build your own backyard sukkah.
You’ll also need a tape measure, pencil and pick-up truck.
But for $150, or less depending on the wall covering, you can have a sukkah for life. Just take it apart and reassemble it every year into the next millennium for pennies a day. Of course, if you can’t borrow a pick-up truck and have to buy one, the cost will go up considerably.
It’s also good to know someone like John Solomon who can walk you through all the steps of sukkah construction. He also owns a pick-up truck.
A couple weeks ago he lead a sukkah building workshop at Oakland’s Temple Sinai.
Along with the how-to’s of sukkah building, Solomon dispensed retail, general carpentry, spiritual and political advice. But this is the man who created the “How Berkeley Can You Be?” Parade. For him, sukkah building, like everything else in life, is a gestalt.
Carpentry has been Solomon’s hobby since he was a kid. He’s remodeled restaurants, built a house and a bunch of other projects. In real life, he’s a Berkeley restaurateur, owner of Cafe Venezia and Rick and Ann’s.
Rabbi Steven Chester of Temple Sinai dubbed Solomon, “the one who always knew what he was doing,” at the synagogue’s annual Christmas in April project.
At the workshop, Solomon reassured the would-be sukkah-owners that fancy equipment and years of experience are not required.
While a commercial sukkah-building kit may seem to fly in the face of the natural, organic concept of the holiday, it’s a good way for the rank amateur to go.
With a $40 kit from The Sukkah Project and the assistance of a lot of eager rank amateurs, Solomon constructed an 8-by-12 foot sukkah frame in just about an hour.
This particular kit contains the basics — screws and brackets. You have to buy your own lumber, which is where the pick-up truck comes in handy. But the kit also has the most essential ingredient, a how-to manual. And these instructions got the nod from Solomon when he pronounced them “good.”
Maybe that’s because they are written by Jews for Jews. They are simple, methodical, thorough, well-illustrated and even have “Klutz Alerts” at those junctures where mistakes are most commonly made.
There is a complete supply list right down to a chair to stand on and a page of information about making your sukkah ritually correct.
A sukkah is a temporary structure. It should be strong, but not too strong. The roof should be covered with enough plant life to provide shade during the day, but not so much as to block out the stars at night. The sukkah should be constructed of organic materials, although screws or nails can be used except on the roof.
A mezuzah is not placed on the door because it is a temporary structure.
There’s still time to get started. Traditionally, sukkah building doesn’t start until after Yom Kippur.
When it came to the actual building, Solomon had lots of good advice and ideas. To make your sukkah politically correct as well as ritually correct, buy the lumber from an independent yard rather than a big chain.
According to Solomon, who priced lumber both places, it’ll only cost a few dollars more but you’ll be doing a retail mitzvah by supporting the little guys.
Walls can be covered with a variety of materials including burlap, reed fencing, jute or chicken wire with greenery woven through it.
Window treatment is not a concern because there are no windows. Solomon did recommend wiping down the metal brackets with vinegar to remove their finish and then painting them for cosmetic reasons.
The roof is made of wooden slats that can be held in place by twine. (Remember the no-nails-on-the-roof rule.) Tree branches and other greenery can be laid across the slats.
Solomon suggested calling a city parks department to find out where they are doing tree trimming and to ask about collecting some of the arbor debris.
The most technical part of the sukkah construction is screwing in screws. For the mechanically challenged, this is more difficult than it sounds. You need a power drill for starters. For those who don’t already own one, Solomon recommended buying a cordless drill. For many jobs the plug-in variety can be too powerful, Solomon said.
“Buy one without a key,” he said. Some drills have keys that are necessary to change bits. “Otherwise you’ll spend half your time looking for the key.”
To successfully install a screw, hold the drill straight, push a little and stop when the screw is in so you don’t strip the head. Stripping a screw means wiping out the grooves on the head where you put your screwdriver. When that happens it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to unscrew the screw.
When Sukkot is over, label the pieces before disassembling the sukkah and then pack it away until next year.
“Won’t the wood warp?” a sukkah builder of tomorrow asked.
Of course, Solomon answered. But not to worry.
“Crooked is beautiful.”