Mountain Cabin DIY - Episode 6: The Caged Tiger

Our poor little camper was getting overloaded. Not only was the camper our home-away-from-home, but it had also become our garage. We kept everything in there: lawn chairs, power tools, hydraulic fluid and a large stash of pistachios. And every time we showed up on the land for some R & R it was a half-hour of re-org before any fun. 
 
It was time for a storage shed. For two months I studied shed design guides. I considered various floor plans and several roof designs such as gable, gambrel and hip. When the time came to pick our final design I settled for the elegance of the 8 by 12 model sold by the Home Depot. It's not exactly a Home Depot model but a home-version of the overpriced Home Depot model. I call it Shed Model 001 Nonstandard Gable T1-11.   
 
Our collective building experience is this: a tiny 4 by 6 shed behind our townhouse and a 20 by 60 foot roof on a building in South Carolina (another story). Building the Shed Model 001 Nonstandard Gable T1-11 was definitely within our skill-base, however, as things go, we encountered a few hardships that 2 people with 1226 square feet of construction experience should have foreseen. Included in our lessons-learned is 1) bring a ladder, 2) use a level, 3) if you don't bring a latter or use a level then be sure to have a Bobcat, winch and chain.

Here's a photo summary of the project. Cost:$902, Man-hours: 72. Splinters: 12. Blisters 3. Strained-groins: 1 1/2. 

 

First, we had to clear the space. Go, Bobcat, go!

Then we loaded my Dodge Dakota not once, but twice, with 1500 pounds of the finest pre-cut lumber.

 

Wait!  We we need a gravel bed under our shed.  Quick, go get some...

 

The framing of our floor: 2 by 6's, pressure treated.

 

I don't know what you call 'em in home construction but I call them stringers, 2 by 6's spaced 18 inches on center.  We put pressure treated plywood on top for our floor.

 

The walls were standard 2 by 4 studs, 2 feet on center.

 

Another view of the walls. 

 

Next up was the roof.  This is when we realized we didn't have a ladder.  We used the Bobcat bucket like a cherry-picker. Quite fun. 

 

Now you can see our wood siding in place - it's what you call T1-11: plywood with groves to look like siding.  In financial terms: $35/sheet times 8 sheets. Ouch!

 

Here's where it got interesting. About the time we were ready to finish the shed, we realized that the shed twasn't square.  The only way we could get it square was to do what any desperate shed-builder would do: muscle the hell out of it.  We used the Bobcat to shove it straight.  Then we hooked up the chain hoist and tugged it this way and that.  The thing creaked under the stress but we were able to square it up and nail it in place quick enough to get it to hold.  Our friend Pete (who was visiting from Austria) nicknamed the shed the Caged Tiger.  The shed has so much potential energy that we're scared that if one nail pops the entire thing will go critical and create a black hole. 

 

Now for some paint. A bit of oil-based primer and then some water-based primer.  Not sure if they mix well but that's what happens when you grab the wrong stuff.

 

The roof was an experiment.  We splurged and put a metal roof on.  Great idea except for the 196 screws.  All installed from that position.  Anyone know a chiropractor?

 

 

Yeah, metal roof is sweet.  Pretty as a purple pony.

And there you have it. The Caged Tiger.  902 bucks and well worth it.  

 

Comments

[Valarie Astwood]

Hi, Guys! You kept us nicely informed by phone/eMail on the progress on CT, but it's so nice to see the pix! It looks SO professional! Can't wait to see it when we come up - altho I'm bummed that P will see it first, darn it ... I especially like the nice 'hidden' door. Is the generator 'lean-to' we discussed next up? AND - we have an antique barrel in the middle of our side yard,(which we have already treated w wood restorer & preservative), waiting to become a water/electric service point. For this we are soliciting design help & labor ... we can't figure out or agree on how the ports for cords and hoses should be constructed. Hints, suggestions, blueprints and/or working models gratefully accepted. Great job, Heather and Greg!

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