# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > General Homesteading >  I might have this one right

## kyratshooter

Just finished building a platform for a new metal storage shed.  Sitting on piers set in concrete.  I leveled and plumbed the posts, set the joists and leveled them, then laid down the plywood.  

Due to predicted rain I covered the entire thing with a big blue tarp.

Woke to find that not only had it rained but the platform was so level it would not drain the water off.  I had a skim of water covering the complete platform.  Had to sweep it off to do today's work.  

Hopefully it is also square so the metal shed will go together properly.

----------


## hunter63

So you are saying you did it with a real level?....instead of a 1/2 full bottle of Miller High life....for checking level.
Used to use them setting up campers.
(Congrats on phase one)

----------


## natertot

Congrats! Building anything level in your hilly terrain is a challenge. Good job to a great start.

----------


## hunter63

It always amazed me how little a grade has to be to before you really notice.....only when attempting a level surface.

----------


## kyratshooter

I started this project by shooting myself in the foot!  

I wanted a 10'x10' shed but the only one available is twice the price of the 10'x12' shed, so being the handy person I am I decided I would shorten the cheaper unit to the size I desired.  I am also moving the door from the gable end to the side.

It must be noted that these sheds are made by the thousands and all the holes are pre-punched and the instructions are specific to which screw to install at what time. They do not intend you to do things your own way.  

They also want you to have two or three people standing around looking bored as the assembler reads and re-reads the instructions and hunts for the piece of stamped metal with the proper part number pressed in.  They also insist that you be able to walk around the shed to tighten up things along the walls after assembly rather than tightening them as you go.  they also insist that once you start you should not stop until finished and not leave the shed half done and go take a nap!  

So I decided to build the shed right up by the house with no room to get between house and shed. I am shortening the shed, building it in the wrong spot, moving the door, and doing it by myself because I like to work a while and sit a while and that seems to irritate my over motivated friends.

But the platform is level!

I have been building the base frame this afternoon.  I have the base finished, shortened, squared and the end is now the side. I also have the wall braces fit and shortened to new size so I will start putting the walls up tomorrow.

----------


## randyt

good job, I use a water level for stuff like this. Usually I use windshield wiper fluid in the hose for better visibility

----------


## Rick

You had better check it again. That area is so hilly the water may have had a tough time deciding which way to run so it just stayed put. (Congrats)

----------


## natertot

Wow Kyrat! Sounds like it was kinda overcomplicated. Why not just leave the shed 10X12?

----------


## hunter63

I guy wants what he wants.....besides may have been a "fit there" problem......
I do stuff like this a lot....modify and existing unit of whatever to "fit" my use.

----------


## natertot

That is what I was wondering. 2 feet for an outside building just didn't seem like it would make a big enough difference to warrant all the additional work. In most cases, an extra 20 square feet can also come in handy. But I know Kyrat is a pretty smart guy (Don't laugh, Rick!) and thought there might be a nugget of knowledge that could be mined.

----------


## kyratshooter

> Wow Kyrat! Sounds like it was kinda overcomplicated. Why not just leave the shed 10X12?


Was not my choice.  I did not have 12 feet in the place where I wanted the shed.  This is intended as a workshop shed so I need it next to the house for electrical access and security.

Shortening the shed has not been an issue, since I just lopped off enough to eliminate one wall panel on each side.

I decided to uncomplicate part of the process last night after I sat and thought about it for a while.  

I am leaving the door where the plans call for it and just adding another door in the side where I need it, and I will do that latter.  The big sliding doors will be for moving tools in and out and a smaller entry door for regular access.  By doing that I eliminate all the extra engineering to make the door tracks fit in the wrong place.  This way I just follow the instructions in the book and after I finish I cut a big hole in the wall and add a door.

I have been working all morning and I have three walls up.  It is a bit windy to be fun but I have not lost any panels to the wind yet.  The plan is to get the walls up today and do the roof tomorrow.

----------


## Rick

You probably should have put the roof up first and do the walls tomorrow. I understand you are supposed to have some showers. Having the roof up would have kept you in the dry.

----------


## kyratshooter

The way these kits are made you can not put the roof up first. 

There is no frame.  You are building a metal box that requires the sides to go up before the roof beams can be installed and the roof panels screwed in place.

I have the floor covered with a tarp so it should remain relatively dry.  We are not expecting any showers here tonight.

----------


## WalkingTree

> So you are saying you did it with a real level?


Actually he did it the other way around. He used that rain to level it. Adjusted till the rain sat perfectly on the platform. Just didn't want to tell us that.

----------


## hunter63

> The way these kits are made you can not put the roof up first. 
> 
> There is no frame.  You are building a metal box that requires the sides to go up before the roof beams can be installed and the roof panels screwed in place.
> 
> I have the floor covered with a tarp so it should remain relatively dry.  We are not expecting any showers here tonight.


Built several over the years.....and yeah don't tighten anything up till you have all the bolts in....Then...tighten all to complete.

Neighbor up the hill at The Place" was talking about a dry place to store stuff and possible camp in....wanted to build a steel shed.
I had offered him the Shasta 16 ft. travel trailer....he and his wife stopped over to look at it....kinda turned their noses up at it.

He went ahead spent twice the money on the shed.......stored a bunch of stuff in it....collapsed for snow load over the winter.....WHOOP's

Last shed was built by the local high school kids.... and hauled to my site.

----------


## kyratshooter

Finished that SOB!

I will be hurting for a week!  I am stating right now that this will be the last big project I deal with alone.  From this point on I supply the beverages and supervision only.

I must say that I have been blessed by the weather.  Only a slight shower in the past week and that was after I finished the platform and before I started the shed assembly.

I woke this morning to engineer the last two roof panels, the part where I modified the build.  Had them in place by lunch and installed the door this afternoon.  Then spent a couple of hours on putting away tools and cleanup.

Not a minute too soon either.  It is now officially raining. Thunderstorms in the forecast overnight and rain all day tomorrow.

I rest up tonight and start getting ready for the jamboree tomorrow.  Pulling gear off the shelves, finding all the propane tanks, food shopping and getting the vehicle serviced.

There is a cold snap on the way so Crash will get his frost fix for the year.  We have been sitting around 75-80 every day this week with near record high temps.

----------


## crashdive123

You realize of course that in about two weeks you'll be saying.......Dang!  I wish this shed was a little bigger.  10X12 would be perfect.

----------


## hunter63

Yeah....Gotta love it when a plan comes together.....

----------


## fjrmurph

I think someone is messing with ya , just saying !! Saying to put the roof on first ?????

----------


## kyratshooter

> You realize of course that in about two weeks you'll be saying.......Dang!  I wish this shed was a little bigger.  10X12 would be perfect.


The 10'x12' would have been perfect except for that pesky telephone pole sitting at about the 11 1/2 foot mark!

I could have moved the power pole, moved the back porch, or shortened the shed.

Actually they had a 10'x10' model but it was $1500.  The 10'x12' was only $400.  So I shortened it and saved $1100 which I will spend on other impulse purchases.

----------


## Rick

> I think someone is messing with ya , just saying !! Saying to put the roof on first ?????




Who me? That's what they make sky hooks for ain't it?

----------


## fjrmurph

> Who me? That's what they make sky hooks for ain't it?[/COLOR]


OH OH 
I'm a crane operator , when  they start making skyhooks I'm out of work !!!!

----------


## kyratshooter

Had a real test tonight.  We had a severe thunderstorm with 70 mph gusts and an inch of rain in an hour.  The Shed still stands and the floor is dry.

Folks up the road had softball sized hail.

----------


## natertot

Glad to hear your shed is okay, Kyrat. Hope the rest of the homestead is as well. Up here, we just had a tad bit of rain and a ton of lightening. Stay safe!

----------


## WalkingTree

A shed looking like it was built around a telephone pole. The pole sticking through it. That woulda been a comical sight.

----------


## Rick

Oh, man. That would have been awful to just having completed the shed only to be pounded by monster hail. You must be paying the preacher the right amount.

----------


## hunter63

Hummmmm.......
Worked on a church.....we were doing prep work for HVAC.....was almost framed and inclosed......storm cam along and blew it down.....
Had to start over.....
Just when it was almost framed in again....blew down a second time.....

I think if it was me.....I would have picked a different spot....like an omen from above......"Don't Build Here"

Third time was a charm......my boss lost his butt on the job...and he was donating a lot of labor and equipment at cost...twice.

----------


## kyratshooter

I am wiring the workshop today.

It is not a complecated job.  I am running a single 30 amp circuit for now.  All my gear will run on 110ac.

I am going to use plastic boxes for this application to avoid short circuits and lose wire problems and such.

It seems that while I was in the construction phase of this totally metal building I had a worn spot on my electric drill cord.  Said bare spot came into contact with some of the metal when I laid down the drill and I electrified the entire structure, which I noticed the next time I grabbed part of the building.  

Strange tingle, metallic taste in the mouth, realization that this did not happen the last time I touched the building....

Anyway, the building is about to be put on the grid.  

After the power is run I will build workbenches using the internal power rather than a tangle of extension cords.

----------


## madmax

Now I know why you showed up late to camp.  Ya know you can't electrify a tent...

----------


## hunter63

Maybe run a ground rod with strap to a wall?

I have 250 ft, outdoor buried Romex 10/4 2-30 amp breakers......down the hill to my shed....with electric box for distribution......box grounded on the lower end....rod and strap.

----------


## kyratshooter

I could do that Hunter.  The shed is 3 feet away from the ground rod used for the house and I could run a ground to it with no problem.

As for electrifying a tent???  Do You really think I have never done that???

I have rigged tents with electric blankets, lights, refrigerators and window fans, not all that the same time of course.

----------


## madmax

well... shoot... doesn't surprise me.  lol

----------


## hunter63

Yeah....We had (friend and I) full gallon Ham radio station in "Tent City" Boy Scout Camp.......Tapped the line to the out house yard light. (Wasn't me, but the kid who's father ran the Co-op".

Shooting skip was great in 1963, lot of sunspot activity.

----------


## Rick

Wait a minute. If you just power the skin on the shop it would save you installing outlets.

----------


## hunter63

Used to be a guy on many forums.....think he was/is a mod on a few....12vman
Was professing using your copper pipe as a leg of a 12 v. circuit.

If a ground was wire form the house can't see where should any problems.

That said and as all electricity works on FM.....I would still add a ground.

----------


## kyratshooter

Got that sucker wired!

I still have three outlets to go but it is now connected and hot.

Tomorrow I clean things up and start getting the equipment sorted. 

Amazing how much stuff you accumulate.

----------


## fjrmurph

Strange tingle, metallic taste in the mouth, realization that this did not happen the last time I touched the building....

 Anyway, the building is about to be put on the grid. 
 Sounds like a "shocking " experience

----------


## Batch

> OH OH 
> I'm a crane operator , when  they start making skyhooks I'm out of work !!!!


The first crane I run in 1982 was a Phoenix Skyhook 100'. We had the last crane by Phoenix and also the first on Manitex made when they bought them out in the mid 2000's. Now, we have 5 Manitex and 2 Elliots. But, we rent cranes all the time. Usually, 40 tons and use there stick and kib with our man basket when our booms won't hit.

----------


## kyratshooter

I got the workbenches installed today.  13 feet of bench space.  Moved some of the equipment in.  Trying to figure out why I own three belt sanders and two drill presses?  Got some shelves in there.

Sure would be nice if it had been a couple of feet longer! :Surrender:

----------


## hunter63

> ..........................
> 
> Sure would be nice if it had been a couple of feet longer!


Bhohahahaha.....now ain't that the truth.

----------


## Wildthang

But you still haven't finished the shooting shed!

----------


## kyratshooter

This is a replacement for the shooting shed.

I will move the bullet trap to the bottom of the hill and shoot out the door of the shed.  I will have about 25 yards to the back of the lot and straight into the bank of the creek.

----------


## finallyME

Where did you get the building from?  I might be doing something similar in the future.

----------


## kyratshooter

It was a cheap Arrow Shed from Lowes.

I got the 10'x12' unit for $400.  I eliminated one panel from each side to make a +- 10'x10'.  The platform I put it on was more expensive than the building.

It is not a building you will really brag about but it is cheap shelter you can have done in a day with two healthy men. Or one healthy man and griping teenage boy.  Do not press your wife into service on this.  Divorce would be certain or the shed would fall and crush you like Samson pulling down the temple!  Use help you can yell at, then read the instructions and do it right.

If you have help with a reasonable IQ you can put it up in one day.  And the instructions are good!  They have made thousands of these things and have the assembly down pat.  Each panel is numbered and the diagrams show where each number goes.  As long as you start with a level foundation, and follow the instructions, everything will line up with no problem.  I had to wiggle a couple of panels into alignment but it was not a big issue or anything to complain about.

I had no problem with holes in the wrong spots or out of line.  If your panel does not line up then turn it over, you're holding it upside down!

Like Hunter said, do not tighten everything up until the walls are up so you can wiggle things around a bit, and then go back and tighten all the bolts.  

Your helper is most useful for holding a nut driver on the bolts inside the shed while you tighten the screws on the outside with a drill gun.

I get a real kick out of reading the reviews on these sheds.  Mr. Clumsybutt would not recommend this shed to his worst enemy because he cut his pinky on a sharp edge.  Or the guy that gave up and left his shed half assembled with no roof because it was just too hard to figure out how to put the roof on.  And the guy that would never do another of these because the wind blew and bent one of the panels.  Hey buddy, they told you not to assemble this thing on a windy day!

And the best ones are those that claim "*nothing lines up*!"  Guess what dude, your foundation is not level, or you are putting the wall panels on upside down!

As I said before, working completely alone, with a bad back, weak heart and weaker brain I assembled the foundation one day, walls the next and roof on the third day, working 3-4 hours real time each day broken by rest stops, ice tea breaks, and nap time.

----------


## Wildthang

> This is a replacement for the shooting shed.
> 
> I will move the bullet trap to the bottom of the hill and shoot out the door of the shed.  I will have about 25 yards to the back of the lot and straight into the bank of the creek.


OMG, I am so proud of you, never thought I would see the day!!!!!

----------


## finallyME

Well, I happen to have a strapping young 14 year old....and a 10 year old that actually stays and helps.  If I don't completely engage the 14 year old, he wanders off.  The 10 year old waits for the next instructions.  Guess which one got paid more when I did my metal roof?

I've been debating on whether to frame it myself with wood and cover with steel, or buy a premade shed.

----------


## kyratshooter

I bet you won't be able to beat the price of the kit for a 10x12 with roof.  

It just depends on how much framing you want on the structure and what you want to cover it with. 

Your climate and situation might be different from mine.  Like Hunter said, if snow cover were heavy I would want something other than this particular kit.  In fact, I cut 2x4 posts to use as roof braces when we expect heavy snow here.

----------


## hunter63

> I bet you won't be able to beat the price of the kit for a 10x12 with roof.  
> 
> It just depends on how much framing you want on the structure and what you want to cover it with. 
> 
> Your climate and situation might be different from mine.  Like Hunter said, if snow cover were heavy I would want something other than this particular kit.  In fact, *I cut 2x4 posts to use as roof braces when we expect heavy snow here*.


Good move....Did one of mine as well.....and I had some of that aluminum mobile home roofing sealer/paint/tar?.....any way di seal up the roof and seem to tie it all together.
Last shed (beside lean-too's) was built by the high school shop class.......8' X 13' with 8' walls...then the barn roof over that.....
Didn't not think about how tall this was gonna be....LOL

Interesting transport to the bottom of the hill....at "The Place"....but was a few more bucks.

PS...Steel shed ...hole do line up...as stated if you are following directions......
If it doesn't ..resist the temptation to use self tapping sheet metal screws to "fix it"...it just gets worse.

----------


## Wildthang

I just built a 12' x 16' in my back yard. I am currently wiring it and insulating it too. I set up a tool bench so I can tinker in there. Can't wait it get it finished!

----------


## hunter63

That the one they were giving you bad time about........?

I love putting lean-to's on sheds....

----------

