Shed of It

I am so glad that I finished the major part of my shed yesterday. I only have some pieces of trim left to put on it. I finished the last few pieces of the siding and hanging the door. It is a homemade door of two by fours, aluminum pieces to strengthen the corners, and covered with a sheet of the siding. The door is heavy, fits well, and has a coincidental advantage. It closes by itself. Unless it is propped open, it shuts on its own with no need for a piston or spring.

The cold, snow, and wind would make it very uncomfortable to work outside. I am a couch potato by choice. Working outside is a “do only when necessary” for me. Mowing, weeding and gardening used to be something that I enjoyed, now, not so much.

My shed was made with scraps from pallets and leftovers that I’ve had around the house. The base and flooring were two pallets four foot by six foot, placed end to end, they made a shed four foot by twelve feet. My kids call it a corn crib, but it is a place to store shovels, rakes, and hoes in the off season. I don’t plan on storing power tools or anything expensive inside. Too many people think that what others own, belongs to them and are willing to take it.

The framing for the walls were made by using deconstructed pallets and nails pulled from them. Building with used nails is nothing new to me. I think that I was almost a teen before I knew that nails came from the store straight and shiny. All we had ever used were rusty, straightened nails.

I had windows in the basement given to me by my dad and they were the ones I used to light the shed. Other than time and electricity for the power tools, the only costs were for a roll of felt paper, a bundle of shingles, some galvanized nails, two hinges, a lock hasp, and eight sheets of T 1 11 exterior siding.

My progress has been slow. I tear apart a few pallets and plan how and where to use the lumber. At first the framing was wobbly, even after I put on the roof. The roof was made from plywood covered two by sixes and very heavy. Angled braces nailed to the outside helped to steady it until I was able to apply the T 1 11.

I am the reason that the T.V. cartoon character is called Builder Bob and not Builder Tom, but for less than $350.00. I was able to put together a solid, snug shed. It isn’t the most beautiful, but it was built for utility.