The Project that Stole the rest of the Summer

It was the first of August, and we were restless.  We seemed to have run out of space everywhere we turned, and driving around the back roads looking at land and homes for sale had us dreaming of starting over to make a place work just right for us.  Of course, when we could get our heads out of the clouds, we could see the benefits of staying put and making do.  So...we started to look at ways to make this place keep working for us, and the answer was in the neglected corn bed in the garden.

Planting was way too late this year to get a decent crop of corn, so we voted to live off Farmer's Market cobs instead.  This left a vacancy in the garden that turned out to be just the right size for a garden shed!
8.6.11 This "weekend project" began with foundation and floor structure.  Colleen signed up to help.  Hallelujah!

 

 

 

 

 8.7.11 Off to town for 3 hours to get plywood to finish the floor, and supplies to build the rest of this thing.  Then, framing begins!

 

At this point, we realize we are not even halfway done and our weekend is over.  Uh oh...  For the next week, we spend every spare hour we can find hanging plywood and roof rafters.
8.12.11 Andy starts sheathing the roof. Don and Faith stop to check on our progress.

8.13.11 Andy's still hard at work on the roof.  More sheathing, and fascia, and flashing.  We have a deadline to get the roof prepped for shingles by tomorrow morning!

8.14.11 I brave the dreaded extension ladder.  Andy needs help on the roof and I just can't do much from below anymore!  Forrest shares his roofing expertise, and the shed is dried in just in time for our afternoon car club meeting!

From here, progress slows to a crawl.  It is truly amazing how long it takes to do the "finishing touches" on a building!  Motivation and spare time were getting scarce as the weeks went by, but somehow we (mostly Andy) managed to install the door, 2 windows, soffits, siding, trim,and interior shelving in a month's time.
9.22.11 Time to pick paint colors.  I think most people use the little paint chips, hold them up to the wall, hang them on the fridge, and then pick a favorite.  Well...I had tried that for a week or three.  I needed to see the whole building those colors!  So, off I went to Photoshop and painted our garden shed 5 different color schemes in one night!

9.24.11  Painting day!  Colors chosen and purchased.  Spray gun rented.  Sun shining, very warm day perfect for drying paint, but...wind gusting like a Burley afternoon.  No paint coming out of a spray gun is going to land evenly on this little building!  So...spray gun returned, rollers purchased, and we tackle the job the normal way.  Marie and Dave stopped by in the afternoon and we all touched up the last of the green as the last bit of daylight disappeared.

9.25.11  Autumn officially arrives - the rain begins, and exterior painting and rain just do not mix!

Someday the trim will be painted, a ramp will be built, and this monster of a weekend project will actually be finished.  Until then, it holds all seasonal items in a very organized fashion and keeps us from running for the hills!