While scraping up and moving all the sand under the patio bricks could be considered part of #3, it is actually only part of #2 in my list... "Pull up patio bricks and scrape up sand base." I got that done on Friday, though I had to take some time to tighten up random bolts on my old-but-still-kicking wheelbarrow first.
Then I was playing with the compressor that my brother-in-law gave me. He and I thought we had figured out the issue at his house (being something to do with the drain valve being stuck), but when I got it home it would not run again and was tripping the breaker. (I was glad I had checked the breakers for the location I was plugged into first and determined it is not on the same circuit as the office and computer.)
Poked around a bit and figured out it wasn’t an issue with the electrical being loose or a drain sensor or anything… there was a screw bracket broken on a section of the motor and it let the end farthest from the fan hang loose. So when it was bumped snug, it would run, but then as soon as it jiggled loose again it wouldn’t start running right and would trip the breaker trying to spin the fan and motor.
Replacing the screw with a longer screw and washer to hold the section firmly in place seems to be all it needed. Now it seems to start up like butter each time I turn it on. Yesterday I also tried out my new toy... a cheap framing nailer. Pop! And there is a nail! Much easier than I thought it would be, and I think I am really going to be glad I got it, even if this project is the only one I use it for. Sadly I could not find a local source for nails appropriate for the ground treated wood, so I will still need to do a lot of hand-hammering in the base.
So.... back to #3 in my list... "Dig skid trenches and any other areas that will need dug for base."
I have been digging a lot today. Getting a somewhat shallow starter trench for each “skid”. I will not be able to get the holes scraped perfectly until I have the beams and other materials delivered here Monday or Tuesday... however, getting a start on it seemed a good idea.
I stretched a string close to level about where the floor level will be, so I can measure down from the string to estimate how deep the holes should go.
Next to the house seems a little too soft and not nearly as compacted as I would like. Makes for very easy digging though. I may need to slurry sand (water and sand mix) and pour into the trench to get a very firm base in it.
However, the outer trench is a bear... both solid and about 50% rocks. I will have to work on that in spurts. A couple hours is all I can stand digging in the hot sun at a time. Hopefully it will cloud up a little later in the day and I will make better progress on it.
I will also have a center trench that is only 2x4 deep (instead of the 4x6 outer skids). I liked the idea of having some center support for the floor, but just could not justify another $50 for a skid that probably isn’t even necessary. Digging that will almost certainly need the two outer skids already in place though since it would be really easy to over-dig that one.
The Master List:
My list for building the shed goes something like this: (and while I have gotten some very hard parts done, it freaks me out a little that I am barely on step #3 of about 25 steps)
1. Paint above, around, and where the shed will go.
2. Pull up patio bricks and scrape up sand base.
3. Dig skid trenches and any other areas that will need dug for base. 4. Install, level, and square the skids. 5. Build and square the floor base. 6. Add water-barrier and attach flooring. 7. Build wall that will go next to house, fully outfitted, painted, and prepped... then somehow get it stood up at the edge of the floor super close to the house. 8. Frame and stand up the rest of the walls and add double top plate. 9. Add sheathing osb to outer walls. 10. House wrap and other weatherproofing. 11. Add siding to outer walls. 12. Roofing supports and roofing OSB. 13. Install facia boards, drip edging, felt, then shingles. Then my list gets pretty unorganized since I am not sure what order #14 to #25-ish will go: Soffit boards and soffit vents, door jambs and doors, electrical and lighting of some type, roof insulation and ceiling, wall insulation and interior walls, vinyl flooring, windows, window and door drip-cap and trim, exterior corner trim, interior window casing, exterior caulking and paint, interior caulking and paint.
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Hope you got your much needed cloud cover. The cloud cover here is iffy when it's up there and I go out to maybe do something the sun pops out and the sweat pours.
We did get a hard rain yesterday which was great for the short time it came in and then moved out.