61 replies to this topic

[Greg Luckett]

The bottleneck to building more boats at my shop has found a solution. A 12 x 16 gambrel roofed shed is being planned and laid out in the side yard above the creek. That is the largest size the city will let me build here without fighting over a varience. I will start posting some pics soon.
Yippee

[Frank Hagan]

That's a good solution, all right! I wish I had room for a shop or boat shed on my property; I do have a pretty good sized side yard that would work for building a bigger boat. But I can't put a shed on it without the variances you talk about.

12 x 16 would work for me! Congrats on the plans and keep us posted on it.

[Andrew_Butchart]

I've often thought about getting an old container or the body of a transport trailer and using it as a shed.

But then I've thought about trying to explain that to my wife ... :roll:

One thing that I found out that may be only in my area is that there are VERY different rules for "buildings" as long as there is an axle under it. A charitable group that I was working with lost their gift shop in a fire. It turned out that while we couldn't get permits to build again on that site, we "could" park a decorated construction trailer.

[Greg Luckett]

I just got off the phone with the Building Inspector and have approval of my plans. Tomorrow I will order the materials and start getting serious about the layout.

[Greg Luckett]

The bulk of the materials are supposed to be delivered here tomorrow after 4PM, and we are expecting snow about the same time......yuck.

[Mike Pennington]

Greg,

I really do love a big pile of lumber :roll:

I have been building a small house. I found that a build is a build, I still get just as involved as on a boat project. I feel your excitement :wink:

I did barter for two forty-foot vans that I would like to put about fourteen feet apart, skirt and roof over. This is a project put on hold, because the loader I borrow, blew a rod through the block. :evil: Lucky me wasn't using it at the time.

However, this means that my boats are out in the snow, again.

Someday, I'll have that boat shed.

[Greg Luckett]

Ok, the material arrived and was unloaded in a Lake Michigan snow pellet lake effect storm.......at least there were no bugs biting

We accidently misordered the 6x6s. 14 instead of 4 but I almost never let excess material go back...it is always used eventually. The felt roofing paper didn't make it but will be dropped of tomorrow. It won't be needed for a few days anyway. Man, those 6x6x16ft pressure treated timbers are HEAVY. They must weigh about 200LBs each.

Tomorrow we start digging holes and positioning the 6x6s for the foundation. Each of the 4 6x6x16 will be anchored into the ground by 16-4x4s about 3 to 4 feet deep encased in concrete. I hate a flimsy floor .

Here are some pics. Sorry about the blurry. It was getting dark and I was shivering from the wind chill. Must be down about 30F on the thermometer. The snow is starting to stick in places.

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[Greg Luckett]

We spent yesterday and part of today getting Nellie out of the water and set up for the winter. This had to happen before I could work on the shed.
We also had to replace the exterior lighting fixtures so that we had reliable lighting to work after dark.

This afternoon we got all the foundation pilings into the ground and concreted. Next step is leveling the foundation beams. I have not done any heavy timber work for many years and of course my drill bits are vanished....another trip to the hardware for more bits. At least the big 1/2 drive drill motor is still where I left it and it even works.

Progress on both fronts today makes this a good day. Now for a hot toddy and the recliner in front of the fireplace.

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[Frank Hagan]

Doesn't look that big in the picture, Greg. Are you sure its big enough? You might want to expand it a foot or two on each side. :twisted:

Just kidding ... looks like you got a lot done for the first partial day. As long as you don't get hit with snow, you'll be OK.

[Greg Luckett]

Frank,
I did want a bigger one, but the city limited me to less than 200 sqft, plus they will not let me build down by the creek, nor closer than 10 ft to any part of the house or 5 ft from the property boundry. The other constraint is the power easement just behind where the shed is sitting. All this meant I could squeeze in a 10x20 or a 12x16 size wise, but only the 12x16 met the city's requirements. I am going up an extra 2 feet. The original plan set called for 6 foot side walls, but I am putting on 92-1/2 studs and a gambrel roof. This is just below the city's maximum height limit.

Light snow will not be a problem, and even heavy snow will just be an inconvenience now that the pilings are in. Rain on the other hand will be a show stopper. If I can get the framing and roof on before the end of November, there is a good chance to finish. December may be ok but we sometimes get 2 to 3 feet of snow over a day or so in that month. The Farmers Almanac is predicting a dry winter here. Hope is still here.

Here is a link to the plan set: http://www.jerpat.co...ge.html#gambrel

[Greg Luckett]

Doesn't look that big in the picture, Greg. Are you sure its big enough? You might want to expand it a foot or two on each side. :twisted:

Just kidding ... looks like you got a lot done for the first partial day. As long as you don't get hit with snow, you'll be OK.

I think so too. We laid out the site, then dug 12 - 3 foot post holes, placed them with the floor foundation beams (6x6x16 PT and heavy), and hauled and mixed 15 bags of ready mix. It was dark when we picked up the tools and called it a day. I flat wore out my three youngest sons and myself too. Even the dogs got tired of barking at all the commotion and cussing we were all doing.

[Frank Hagan]

Frank,
I did want a bigger one, but the city limited me to less than 200 sqft, plus they will not let me build down by the creek, nor closer than 10 ft to any part of the house or 5 ft from the property boundry. The other constraint is the power easement just behind where the shed is sitting. All this meant I could squeeze in a 10x20 or a 12x16 size wise, but only the 12x16 met the city's requirements. I am going up an extra 2 feet. The original plan set called for 6 foot side walls, but I am putting on 92-1/2 studs and a gambrel roof. This is just below the city's maximum height limit.

I would have to get a variance to build anything other than a portable storage shed in my backyard ... I have this idea of making a section "shed" that is made up of 4 - 4 x 12 sections for a storage shed 12 x 16 (it would fit, but would be closer than 5' to the fence).

What gets me about the rules is that they are building houses here with only about 3' on either side, and some are "zero lot line", where the wall of one house is on the lot line.

Light snow will not be a problem, and even heavy snow will just be an inconvenience now that the pilings are in. Rain on the other hand will be a show stopper. If I can get the framing and roof on before the end of November, there is a good chance to finish. December may be ok but we sometimes get 2 to 3 feet of snow over a day or so in that month. The Farmers Almanac is predicting a dry winter here. Hope is still here.

Here is a link to the plan set: http://www.jerpat.co...ge.html#gambrel

Just after we left NY (visiting the grandson), my daughter said they got 7" of snow. When we were there it was about 45 to 55 during the day, but at least the sun was out, so it wasn't bad. I told my daughter that I had heard the forecast is for a warmer winter than usual, and she said that could mean more snow where they are (near Buffalo, NY). I guess the lake effect snow is worse when its just a bit warmer than usual.

Nice plan site ... remember to make the door big enough to get the finished boat out of it!

[Greg Luckett]

That is usually true about the lake effect snow. Buffalo usually gets it worse than us because of the East/West fetch across Lake Erie. Warmer weather means the lakes do not freeze and the water will then evaporate and ergo: lake effect. Once the lakes freeze, the temperatures really drop, and true artic like conditions come for a visit. Gary, IN gets hit a lot like Buffalo does. We get it too but it is more spotty. Sort of like when the snow drift above the door lets loose. Suddenly, where there was only a dusting, bang, 3 feet of snow on top of you and down the collar.....oh why did I leave Texas? :roll:

[Greg Luckett]

More progress. Sam, Ben, and I managed to get a bit more done this evening. The foundation beam are leveled and bolted to the pilings now and the excess pilings are cut off. Ben laid out the floor joist but we ran out of the steam and time for today.

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[Frank Hagan]

I could never get my girls to do the building ... they always wanted to plan the interior paint, but not help with the building. Good thing to see the kids being "useful!"

[Greg Luckett]

I managed to train all my sons to build and make things, but my daughter never would partake of that meal.

[Greg Luckett]

I managed to take off a couple hours early from work to take advantage of a day with sunshine and not wet. The previous work has been in "wet" conditions from the fog and rain. All the floor joist are fastened down and the floor panels installed. Next step is fabricating the roof trusses. Man!! that pressure treated wood and plywood is heavy!

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[Greg Luckett]

Gee, Oyster, it isn't slave labor at all. They are getting free apprenticship training in the trades. At least that is what my Dad told me when he made me drill holes in cresoted timbers with a hand brace and bit and standing in cold Galveston Bay water. I was 11 when that started. Actually, I loved doing it, except for the damn fish that kept nibbling on my legs.

How about some pics of the shed you are working on?

And one other thing: I envy your 70F weather. That would be a real heat wave here and I wish it were so. Take some pics of the sailing if you can?
I can live vicariously through them.

[Greg Luckett]

A bit more progress. We are now building the roof trusses, but the plan set has a few problems. I think we figured it out...hope so anyway since we have now cut all the 2x4s for the trusses. Now to cut about 45 gusset plates...that should take a couple of days and the assembly too. We actually have had a couple of pretty good weather days, for November in Michigan.

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