Siding, framing & brush clean-up, oh my. (Late August 2012)

By late August, the windows were in and *I* was ready to focus my attention to the interior wiring and insulating and paneling... here I go:

As it turns out, there was still the small matter of wrapping up some important details. The siding around the windows needed to be replaced. The framing needed some bolstering. And there were hundreds of small trees laying dead all around from when Ray cleared my view for me. Details, details.

Mark worked on the siding...

Chad worked on the framing...

And I dragged the brush into piles... for hours on end...

They did have time, however, to do one very exciting thing on the inside: remove the center rafters (and reinforce the remaining trusses). We wanted to open it up to install a ceiling fan from the peak. On the two ends of the building, we're leaving the rafters, as-is, which will be made into two small lofts (can be used for storage... or sleeping space for small nephews :-) ). It was hard to get a photo of it, but trust me, it *really* opened up the place!

Mark also finished the tree clearing to make way for the electric/phone lines

Meanwhile, the brook was so low, we could barely hear it

And in the end, we wrapped it up and called it another productive weekend

Windows! (August 2012)

With the roof done, we moved onto windows. We decided to install a total of 5 windows (4 salvaged from my old camp, and 1 that Buzzy found). All of the existing window openings needed to be modified and re-framed, and one of the walls needed repairing. Mark, Chad, Matt & Turbo all helped get the windows installed in two weekends.

Wall fixed and rough opening for window

Inside of fixed wall. And Matt.

Chad, Turbo & Matt working on the brook-side window openings

Two brook-side windows!

First window in!

Turbo checking out the rough opening for the 4th window

5th and final window in!!!

The roof! The roof! (July 2012)

Last October we'd intended to replace the roof. We had scheduled a weekend to tackle the job not once, but twice. Both times we were washed out with record amounts of rainfall. So the leaky tin roof remained until Mark, Chad and Ray had time to work on it over July 4th, 2012. After stripping the tin off, we could see that several pieces of plywood needed replacing. After that, we added drip edge, installed ice and water shield over the entire thing, added a ridge vent, and installed shingles. One of the first things people ask us is why we didn't use new tin instead of shingles - the answer is simple: the shingles were free, found curbside in CT :-)

Replacing rotten plywood

Temporary skylights

Looking a little better, as a storm rolls in

Waiting out the storm

Cousins, up to no good

Drip edge

Shingles started :-)

Meanwhile, Buzzy, Chad and Ray worked on freeing up one of my windows

Foundation Pier Reconstruction (November 2011)

In November of 2011, my dad went up alone and spent some time digging out and reconstructing the foundation piers, filling around them with crushed rock for drainage. It survived the winter very well and didn't shift from the frost at all.

My dad's block pier construction - hole dug

Crushed rock and cement pads

Rest of the cinder blocks

They held up well over the winter!

More demolition (Mid-September 2011)

For a just a few minutes we actually gave some consideration to leaving the interior paneling the way it was and painting or staining it. I am so glad we came to our senses and decided to take it down to studs! Nasty, nasty, nasty stuff was behind those boards. We salvaged as much of the paneling as we could, but some of the planks were pretty stubborn. We left the rigid board insulation in for the time being, but I took that out the following spring.

Nasty!

Found some rot in one of the walls that will need repairing

Dad cranking on a stubborn plank

The salvage pile in the front, the burn pile in the back

Jacking it up (Mid-September 2011)

One of the things we wanted to get done before winter was to jack the shed up and get it up out of the ground and onto cement blocks. It was sinking into the ground pretty well, but in mid-September of 2011 the boys used some handyman jacks and started cranking on anything that wasn't rotting. They managed to get three pressure treated 6x6s under it. My dad came back later and improved the foundation piers (blog post with more details to follow...)

One side up

Canine supervisors, Hobbes & Nieko (RIP :-( )

Other side

This wall is in rough shape!

Out of the ground!

Demolition time! (September 2011)

Before we could start rebuilding, we had to take it apart to see exactly what we were dealing with. So in early September of 2011 we started tearing things out.

Papa Turbo pulling down the sheetrock ceiling (great use of the mask!)

Mud wasp nests!

A look up at the roof after the sheetrock is all down. Notice electric running through the gray conduit right in the middle of the shed.

Anyone missing their fish hooks?