Building a near free RV storage garage

Started by glenn-k, January 28, 2006, 02:27:40 AM

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Sassy

#125
Hey, that's nothing!  You should have seen him the other day - he was laying culvert pipe - foot in diameter, for a guy he's helping build a house for.   Anyway, the guy had dug a 6-7 ft deep trench with his excavator & had one track barely resting on the edge - anyway, when the guy started filling the trench back up, the side of the trench broke & for some reason the excavator didn't fall over...   :o  I think it was all the prayers  ::) anyway, Glenn started shoveling dirt in the trench - they ended up shoveling about 3 yds of dirt - lots of fun - were able to keep the excavator from tipping over but it lost a track in the meantime.  Now I should have taken a picture of that!   ;D  Sassy

glenn-k

You may get up now, PEG.  :)

Sassy does better when she's not watching---- always praying otherwise. ;D


glenn-k

#127
I got the West walkway covered clear out to the end now -- I drove the Bobcat over the parking area with a full bucket - should have weighed in at about 14000 lbs.-- Half of that was supported by the bridge timbers .



Getting more cave-y looking all the time.



My buddy gave me that big stack of corrugated iron the other day so I can continue to expand at no cost. :)

glenn-k

#128
I threw a 23" dia x 20 foot log on the sawmill today.  Got some nice boards for the garage.

I cut a 2 x 14 for the steep stairs and started laying them out.  I am limited for space to get to the loft so went with a 9 3/4 rise to 7 1/2 run.

I set the stair gages for that rise and run to make layout easy.



Here they are on the square for laying out the stair.



I cut to the corner with the skill saw then finished with the hand saw to keep from weakening the stringer by overcutting.



After I made the first one I tried it - made a couple of slight adjustments then it was ready to use as a pattern for the other stringer.



The thickness of the tread must be taken off the first riser.  The top riser must come out flush with the second floor so be sure to allow for it.

There are different ways to do the stairs -- this is just the way I did mine - note that this is not a code stair.

glenn-k

#129
The grandkids were up Saturday wanting to do something, so we put extra joists in the loft to cut the floor span down to 24" spacing.  This way I could use 3/4" boards and conserve my good logs -- still plenty of bridge timbers left.  Danny, our friend from the valley came up to help with the floor.  He considers it his recreation.

I cut 1x16"s 20 feet long for the loft floor decking.  They are green and will shrink about 7/8" overall -- the gaps will be big enough to fill with strips, and , hey - it's just a storage loft in a garage. :)



Thinking about putting a tempered glass with wood diagonals over it here.  Chair is in the cupola.



Holes are almost small enough so I won't lose any small children through them. :-/


glenn-k

Back from the family reunion -- currently sitting in the above chair in the cupola on the net, testing out a problem with my DSL.  Had to hook up at the telephone pedestal so thought I would try the wireless here..  Current views are only about 40 miles over the valley below due to smoke from fires and usual smog in the San Joaquin, but still with doves cooing in the nearby trees and the sun slowly sinking in the West..... what a relaxing place. :)

desdawg

Glenn, the garage is beautiful. I think we may be kindred spirits. I love building stuff out of nothing. It is one of my greatest joys. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying the Bobcat. I have had an 863 for quite some time and they are really versatile. I have a set of pallet forks, a post auger and a trenching attachment for mine. I bought a dozer blade attachment a while back but I don't have the poop to use it. That makes your tracks look pretty interesting. However last year about December 15th I talked to my bean counter about where I would be at tax time and he said you will owe $xx,xxx and I said "NO Way" so I raced around and found this:

I would rather have this and a payment book than a cancelled check to the IRS. It now has bucket teeth and it is ready to "rock".

glenn-k

#132
Thanks for the compliment-- I have to get to work on it again -- and fix things that get away from me when working away, and when it's too hot out.

That Cat's a beauty desdawg.  

Always buy new toys if it looks like you may have to pay.  You can't have much fun with a spent check.  

I used to put slopeboards on Cats etc, of all sizes.  

I tried a blade on mine and at 1/4 throttle I was afraid I was going to fold it in half so I decided to get or make a heavy duty tilt-tach rather than fool with a blade.  The tracks are great- the rocks here would shred my tires In a few hours.  Already blew a $350 tire in about 20 hours even with the tracks.  --Rocks embedded in clay -- sharp ones.

Tracks make all the difference in the world -- over the tire ones seem best - lots of problems and fast wear out with dedicated track machines -and real expensive to change.

I've been in your area when trucking years ago-- way too hot for me.  Even hotter than here if that's possible.

desdawg

#133
Where did you get the tracks for your Bobcat Glenn? I see rubber track kits around. Did you give those any consideration?


glenn-k

I got mine directly from McLaren Industries.  They make rubber and full steel for the smaller ones but mine is too big so only has the open bar type available.

glenn-k

Our friend, Danny came up today to help do a bit more on the Garage.  Project of the day was getting the planter done so we could get a crop in before winter.  I needed a guard around the front - rail coming soon, and a place to keep plants away from the large rodents we call deer.



The planter is made from a log slab - first cut cap 20' long.  It is about 16" deep and 18" wide at the top.  I wanted to be able to grow root crops.  Also by using a slab I could tell PEG it was the log that was crooked - not my building.



We put boards under the plastic to make reservoirs about 2" deep in the bottom - also gave us an easy way to splice the plastic by lapping over the board.  



Roots need air and water to grow so we put 4" drain tubes in the bottom with socks over them to prevent clogging before putting in the compost.  This will also store water to keep things growing well.



I wanted the supports to match the scheme so used old barbed wire to help hold the weight.  Note the dogs leg bone used as a winder to tighten the wire. :)

Just kidding there --it's really a piece of wood that looks like one --- yeah -- I know --I'm one sick puppy --- maybe because I'm missing a hind leg--- doggone it-- I have to stop this. :-/




glenn-k

Well - more progress today but not because I wanted to or had time.  I went to water the plants in the planter and the stupid deer had eaten about a third of them  --- so deer proof the walkways to the planter.



It takes about a 7 foot fence to keep them out so I made gate frames and covered them with aviary netting.  Then I had to put up hand rails to make a fence so they wouldn't jump behind the doors.



The hinges were made from reinforced fire hose cut into rectangles on the table saw then shot on with 1/4" crown x 1" staples.  Latches were made from bent nails.  The fencing is jute landscape erosion control netting stapled to the hand rails and floor framing.  It should last about a year unprotected from my previous experience.


mark_chenail

GLENN:  Im just absolutely blown away by this project.  I dont know HOW I missed this thread until today, but sure glad I stumbled on it this morning.  This is just a wonderful building and its given me a couple of great ideas and solutions.


My house in Missouri has these two wooden chimney stacks about 4 x 8 that hide the triple wall chimneys from the fireplaces. They are a bit oversized as they help support the roof ridge, but they give the house a bit of presence too.  One of them has two chimneys running up through it and the extra space provides some closet space in a bedroom.  The other has the big chimney for the living room's fireplace and the extra space is going to be used as a utility closet for the free electric garage furnace I got the other day.  im going to use the shaft to run some ductwork to the upstairs bedrooms and over the living room ceiling to to give some auxiliary heat.   ANYwho    Ive been trying to think of some way to side the exterior of those two chimneys.  I didnt want T1-11(like a bad 80s condo) and rock facing would have looked good but beyond my skills, ability and budget.  I thought about old slates, but I think that adirondack siding might be just the deal.  It would give plenty of rustic texture and if stained gray would give the effect of courses of rough stone slabs.  And I bet I can get it cheap from the local sawmill.
And Ive been wanting to build a little barn into the ravine behind the house and this is just what I want.  I might make the side walls a big taller and widen the side porches to make a little chicken house on one side and a small goat shed on the other.
And it would look just dandy as a boat house on my pond.  The pond sits down in another little ravine.   Store the row boat in the arch area and the upper level at the top of the ravine.  A nice little summer house with a little cantilever end balcony where I could sit and read and throw a fishing line in the pond. :)
Heres a pic of me and Jon at the pond. The drop off is a good deal steeper than it looks:



And maybe something along these lines.  This is somewhere in Tuscany but a definite italian cousin to your building.  Maybe you  and Sassy need a guesthouse near that future pond.


glenn-k

#138
Glad you enjoyed it , Mark.  I think I can safely say that I am still at under $200 for this project.  I used some twisted salvage 2x4's I bought from the lumber yard for the deer fence/handrail and about 35 feet of jute netting.  This was probably in the area of $20 added cost to the cement, nails and felt.

I modified the Little House Plans from The Big Enchilada Kit to go post and beam because I wanted to get a feel for the look and size.  Everybody who see's it really likes it.

The Adirondack siding is one of my favorites.

I have been considering a rainwater catching pond but that will be for another year.  Still too many unfinished things.


glenn-k

#139
The planter is looking better a few weeks after being ravaged by the deer (large furry rodents -  Deer= a method of keeping fresh meat).  Maybe you have to have an overabundance of them to get tired of always having to protect yourself from them.


glenn-k

#140
Tore up the mighty Bobcat last weekend - told my buddy,Al and he was down here determined that we were going to get it fixed immediately.  We ganged up on it, tore it apart on Sunday afternoon -- clear into the belly of the whale-- and found the problem.

While working on a bit of fine grading around the outside of the bedroom on the Underground Cabin, the idler shaft lock nuts came loose allowing the shaft to drop into the chain case and the final reduction idler gear to roll around loose in the case.  With Al's determination and ingenuity we were able to repair the shaft, replace the damaged bearing cup, get a spacer from Chicago and get it back together tonight.  Not bad for a couple of good ol' redneck boys if you ask me.  We are working some barter on my old truck for the labor.  Trading is good. :)



The loose parts were found in the bottom of the chain case under about 30 gallons of oil about 2 feet under the drivers seat.  What fun. :)

Amanda_931

Sounds like all kinds of fun!

that I'd just as soon miss.

glenn-k

The RV garage gets a snow job.

Snow started last night - we got about 9 inches.


Amanda_931

Purty!  (and why I thought fairly seriously about moving to Alabama or Mississippi when I left Nashville)

Crocuses and daffodils are blooming their little heads off here.  And we're getting in another cold front.  I was hoping to plaster this week and get the last of the windows in at the barn.  Bad idea.

glenn-k

Purty as long as it doesn't overstay its welcome.  It does give a bit more water penetration time into our clay soil on the mountain though.



glenn-k

#146
Expansion time has come.  We made the rock walls around the raised garden beds beside the garage, and now comes time to fence out the deer before they eat everything in sight.  

This couldn't be a simple straightforward fence job--- no way.  Before I do that I have to put the addition on to the right side of the garage as the fence has to hook to it.  

Can't do that until I regrade the drive to keep water going the right direction.  

Can't build the framing until we pull more nails out of the bridge timbers.  Get a bunch out and am not satisfied with the quality of the timbers so have to get more.  Then comes grade- I decide to brace posts and level with a 4 foot level.  Stakes are driven into the claystone and rock soil. Posts are drilled and stood - beams fit as necessary to hook into the RV garage.  

Two things are key here - it must be near free.  It must look decent and old.

Just in time a friend brings over a load of 2x4s and timbers, and mentions he has corrugated metal at his house for me.  He was going to bring it in a couple weeks but I said I would get it as I needed it now.  There goes -- blew my budget.  40 mile round trip in the Dodge uses about $9 worth of diesel.  Then nails --- had to buy roofing nails at the store.  Bummer that cost $2.59 a lb for 2.5 lbs -- there goes another $6.50.  Wow - this hurts. :'(

This area is to be used for the steam engine and other old antique machines - a bit of a museum.  Sassy wants room to sit around out there in the shade also -- guess I'll have to see if I can make room for her. :-/  Hope she doesn't get mistaken for an antique. :o

Pictures in the next day or so.




glenn-k

OK - I wasn't ready to show you this but I didn't want you to think I wasn't doing anything so here it is in all of it's unfinished glory.  More to come soon.


MountainDon

Following the progress, such that it is   ;D  . Can't hardy wait wait till the end of May rolls 'round and I can take off for the mtns. all summer and get some work done myself.

glenn-k

Every time I try to do one thing I have to do six other things first.  Clean up piles of lumber - steel dirt etc.  But -- it continues one thing at a time. :-/

I forgot -- were you going to be able to check in from your project, Don :-?