We are between that time period where we finished a camp host position in North Carolina for July and August this year and another one coming up for Jan, Feb, Mar in Louisiana. So, September through December, we’ve backed off camping a bit and focusing on doing some stuff around the house, before we hit the road again for several months.
So! What DO you do when you are not camping? Build a shed of course!
Latest Project, School Bus Stop House for the grandson.
My wife wanted me to now build a bus stop house for my grandson that we could put at the end of the drive way. (Our son and grandson live with us). July and August this year, my wife and I were in North Carolina doing a camp host gig. We returned to Indiana on September 1, and after a lot of brainstorming and ideas morphing from a simple lean-to shelter, to a building the size of an old fashioned Out-House (We thought that would be cute at the end of the drive way), and the plan simply continued to morph.
I finally had the “Ah-Ha!” moment (a terminology from my days as a software tester before retiring) and the entire building bounced in my head. Every nail, screw, board, everything. That’s just the way my brain works as I’ve done a LOT of building construction and interior remodeling all my life.
The goal was to keep the “shed” looking rustic. So, my first step was to locate the right windows and door. Being a bus stop house I wanted lots of windows. Where’s the best place to go? Right… a “Habitat for Humanity Restore” store. If you are not familiar with one of those, it’s the equivalent of a Good Will Store, only they reclaim and resale building parts from tear downs and interior remodels. So, off to Muncie, Indiana I went and came home with 7 windows and a door. There were no frames. And if I ever did this again, I’d start with new windows. I had to do a LOT of modifications to make these windows work. That was my biggest headache from the very beginning to the very end with a final touch-up paint… those windows.
Anyway, the end result was:
5 weeks of work, every day, about 12-14 hours a day (really!)
7 windows and 1 door from the Habitat for Humanity Restore store
2 Six-by-six, 8 feet long treated decking posts
2 four-by-eight sheets of ½ inch treated plywood
80 two-by-fours, 8 feet long
6 two-by-four, 10 feet long
40 one-by-two fir strips, 8 feet long
25 one-by-four, 8 feet long boards
8 sheets of 4x8 outside siding (paneling)
8 sheets of 4x8 inside paneling
4 rolls of faced wall insulation
4 bundles of roofing shingles
1 roll of roofing paper
50 feet of electric wire
2 wall light switches
1 electric plug
3 electric boxes for the switches and plugs
2 outside porch lights
1 inside ceiling light
Over 200 screws
And then I got tired of screwing and all the muscle work it took with an electric drill and I purchased an air nailer framer gun. (I already had a finishing air nailer)
Before it was over, between the 2 air nailers, I used up 1500 nails.
1 roll of indoor-outdoor carpet (12 feet wide, 8 feet long –
I only needed 8 feet by 9 feet).
2 cans of exterior paint, different colors (gallon)
1 quart of Rustolium Leather Brown, oil based paint
I did not have to buy any paint brushes. I had plenty left over from my last several projects. I clean them very well to use again.
I had existing light bulbs for the light.
Total cost for all the materials (including the air nailer)…. $2942.17. (I kept a detailed account) We had a refund check that was $2751.59. My goal was to keep the project within this budget. Unfortunately, I went $190.58 over!
The photo below shows a snap-shot of the progression of the work.
The search for windows and doors started early in September. I had the “skies” and the floor done.
First row:
1st small picture with the floor complete was September 18.
2nd, September 20 shows the windows with the floor.
3rd, September 21 shows the window framing (2nd small photo)
4th, September 24, shows the framing for the door and wall.
5th, September 30, wall framing complete. Moved out of my garage because of the height) and assembled the wall panels.
Second row:
1st and 2nd, October 1 and October 3 - roof (I did not include a shot of the shingling)
3rd, October 11, paint and trim done (Lots of little touch ups later though)
4th, October 13, started on the interior. My little dog was my helper. Unbelievable, that air nailer never bothered him, neither did the saws. He did enjoy chewing up the insulation though. I appreciated his help though! He had good intensions!
5th, October 13, interior with the insulation installed
Third row:
1st and 2nd, October 17, interior wall complete, including trim, except for the baseboard
3rd and 4th, October 18, Indoor / outdoor carpet installed
5th, October 18, moved shed to the end of the drive way
4th row:
Photos of the complete work at the end of the drive way.
Here’s a few of the photos blow up bigger.
