Finished?

  I'd like to say this is absolutely finished. But there are just a couple of tweaks yet. But... the shelf is installed, and it's level enough that the heater doesn't shut itself off. Just in case you care, this was a royal pain in the patootie to mount. But I did it.

I do have to keep going down in the pit for the next few days and playing with the thermostat control until I can get it low enough that it will keep the temperature just above freezing and not higher. If it's higher it runs up the electric bill like crazy.

And in an ideal world, I'll figure a way to secure it to the shelf. When the train goes by, the ground shakes enough that I think it could walk itself off the shelf after a month or so.

I think I'll just remind you where this started in September. A Dirt-y Beginning

And the intermediate state of done-ness, when I got the top built. Exterior Completed

So, I'm feeling somewhat self-satisfied. But it won't last long. There are several other small tasks in line before winter really sets in. And there is always something that needs fixing!

In other news: I finished Chapter 15 in Dead Mule Swamp Singer, and worked on my editing jobs. And got some groceries. And worked on that "other" project. Will reveal that soon.

See Back to the Pit

Back to the Pit

  I managed to get one of the two remaining well pit jobs done today, and the other one started.

I have been doing one small tub of cement any day that it hit the mid-forties. Well, it would have been better if it were warmer, because one of the anchors didn't hold. The cement I've done the past two days just wasn't set up hard enough, but 3 out of 4 should be OK over the winter.

This is just to show you what's underneath the next layer. Hardware cloth. More durable against critter teeth.

Then I put a layer of wood over that and bolted it into the anchors. Of course, none of this happened without things going wrong and slight changes needing to be made. It seemed like a simple project, so I didn't load all the tools in the car, but walked to the house and back every time I needed something. Ha! I think that got me about a mile of walking. Seriously.

In an ideal world, I'll screw a little piece of wood over the chunk I had to cut out to fit around the tubing. It might happen.

Bought a new heater, and the hardware to make it a little shelf. By the time I got home from all of that and getting gas, it was nearly dark. So... the shelf will have to happen another day. But I'm getting really, really close to done for this fall. Oh yeah, and I ripped an old broken bracket off the wall that keeps threatening to put my eye out, or slash my carotid artery. That felt good- to just crowbar something out of the way!

In other news: I worked on my other project, and this. That's all.

See Done, Done, Done, and Done

Exterior Completed!

  WooHoo! Give me a pat on the back. The exterior of the well pit cover is done. Here are the corner trim pieces with primer on them.

Then they were painted brown and nailed over the corners.

I did the last of the sealing of the rolled roofing, so I can take off the concrete blocks. It's on its own now to lay down, seal itself, and not get torn up by wind.

The weather was decent for the job- mid 40s and a bit of sun. The clouds did an attractive little dance across the northern sky.

Still that interior concrete work to finish, and an awful lot of cleaning up of junk around the perimeter, but a structure, after 47 or 48 years (I can't remember exactly which year the first shed burned) is replaced.

In other news: I worked on notes for Dead Mule Swamp Singer. But I confess to adding some notes to the file for the next kids' book too. It just keeps coming to me, so I better write it down!

See Almost Exterior

Almost Exterior

  I sure learned some things today. The biggest one is that I wish I hadn't done this roof with rolled roofing. It was cheaper than regular shingles by far. So that is good. But I don't think it's going to last as long because I don't think I put it on quite right. And I think the wind could do a lot of damage if it gets hold of an edge.

And if I'd realized that one roll would do the whole thing, I'd have gotten gray instead of white. I got white only to match the old pieces we still had. But I ended up not using them anyway.

I ran out of sealant, so I'll need one more trip to the store. That's why the blocks are back on top. I needed to weight down the places that need sealing yet on the top strip. I also have to get a couple of 1x2s for the corner trim. I'll do this tomorrow since I have to go to town anyway.

I am kind of pleased with my ingenuity for a flap to cover the hinge and the edge of the hatch. When one of the conveyor belts at the newspaper (where I used to work) had split so badly that they actually replaced it, I asked for the old belt. Those pieces of rubberized fabric are tough, flexible and waterproof. I think they are going to do the trick just fine. The hatch works great, and it's manageable by someone my size.

We need a warm day for those edges to soften enough to fold down a bit.

Working backwards, here's the picture of the rest of the drip edge in place.

However, don't forget that I still have cement work to do inside. For sure, I have to finish blocking off the hole where the woodchuck got in. I think this is the never-ending project.

In other news: I did the next to the last day of the class I'm taking. That and this project is all. I'm having a tired day, but I need to recover because tomorrow is going to be busy.

See Still Not Quite

Still Not Quite

  Spent another 4.5 hours on the well pit project. Still not done, but 4.5 hours closer, right? I decided that paint was the priority because there may not be any days warm enough to be painting for a while. I got all the exterior painted brown, and the trim boards. It would be cute with white trim, but I decided I'd rather it just be unobstrusive. And what I just claimed isn't quite true. I still have to buy 2x2s for the corner trim. But those pieces can be cut to fit and then painted in the house because they are small.

I have the trim boards and drip edge on 5/8 of the perimeter. It will take a little bit of fussing around the hatch, which is why that part is not done.

Then I decided to do one of the short pieces of rolled roofing to see how that would go. Well, it's OK. It's awkward to work with. But I saved money since I only had to buy one roll.

It was starting to sprinkle, and although we aren't supposed to get any real rain, I decided to quit. It was after 6 pm, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish the outside before it got dark, anyway.

So, I had to cover it all up with the tarp and blocks again. I managed to mash a finger between a block and the edge while lifting one of the blocks. I iced it for an hour. Purple and fat, but not very sore. I think I just broke a blood vessel.

In other news, I spent all morning on the course I'm taking with its assignment.

Did I tell you the copies of The Lonely Donkey have arrived?

See It's Hatching

It's Hatching

  I spent five hours on the well pit today. Didn't get quite as far as I'd hoped, but it will have to do. The lid is on, and the hatch is attached.

The first second thing I had to do (the first was go to the store again) was haul those sheets of plywood off the top and line them with the 1" thick used but still good foam sheets. It had to be made to fit around the rafters.

Then I figured out where I wanted the split for the hatch to be. The answer is that I didn't really like any of the sensible choices given the width of the rolled roofing sheets. So, I picked what I hope is the least problematic of the options that gives me a large enough access. Then a cross-member needed to be fitted between the rafters to give the hinged area some extra support.

Cut the plywood, and attached the hinges. Works fine. See top picture.

By then I was running out of time and energy. I knew I couldn't get as much done as I had hoped. But it's supposed to rain a lot tomorrow. So I tacked the tarpaper in place with plenty of overhang for finishing. Yes, I know I covered the hatch. I can just slit along the edge the next time I am able to work on this.

Then I covered it with the raggedy tarp held down with cinder blocks and rocks again. But I think with the tarpaper underneath it, lapped properly, the plywood will stay dry. Hope so.

There is no other news. Waking up this morning was exceptionally nice. I was warm and lazy in bed, and there was a cool breeze coming in the window. It was just perfect. I had a ginger-pear scone, and my coffee, and finished reading a book before I decided to get busy.

See Four Out of Three

Four Out of Three

  Yes, I got back to the well pit, and I accomplished four steps out of the three I had planned. Hooray for me!

First, I had to use expanding foam to close the gap between the blocks and the frame. Just ignore the old yellowed foam- that was from some previous iteration of this job when plywood was just laid over the pit. This task turned out to be as easy as I had hoped, and the one can was the perfect amount.

While that set up, my next goal was to check the rolled roofing I knew we had in an outbuilding. I needed to see if there might be enough to do this shed, and to find out if it wasn't too dried out to use. The answer is that it's fine to use, but there is a little over half of what I need.

You can still get rolled roofing, but it's not clear to me from looking on line if the stuff you can get is the same. The newer stuff seems to have the pebbled surface the full width. I have to think about whether that matters. I don't care if the color matches exactly, I'd rather save the $35 if I don't have to buy two rolls.

Next, I wanted to get the sheets of 2" foam board in place. These needed to be cut to fit the four sections of the framing. Not too big a deal, except remember that none of this is square. Nevertheless, I got them cut and in place without too much trouble. This will be the primary insulation between the big open pit and the above-ground air. I suppose I could buy another can of the spray foam to seal in the three sections that don't have to move, but this is going to be so much better than has ever been on the pit before, I'm not thinking it matters too much.

So, maybe you are asking, "But how do you now get inside?" The sheet that is in the quadrant where the hatch will be just pulls up and slides out of the way on top of the bracing. I added a little scrap-of-rope handle to make it easy to lift that corner of the sheet. Works great.

Those were the three steps on my to-do list. But I still had a little more time and energy, so I finished priming the back edge of the walls. And remember, I had to cover everything back up. It's unlikely to rain before I get back to this, but I'm not taking any chances now.

The next steps involve hauling those sheets of plywood around again. I'm not really looking forward to that part. That's about all I did today. (Started reading a good book.)

See Stuffing Styrofoam

Stuffing Styrofoam

  What a beautiful day! This was the morning sky. Very cool and crisp. A perfect day to hike.

But guess what I was doing instead. Yup... back to the pit. Today there were two projects. I used the remnants of 40 years of deteriorating styrofoam (previous iterations of keeping this hole covered) to line the vertical walls on the inside. I got this done all the way around. This was easy, just tedious to sort through the garbage pieces to pick ones that still had structural integrity.

Now, before you tell me this is not adequate insulation... I know. This is kind of like icing on the cake with a recycling component. Remember, I still have those sheets of green foam. Be patient.

The other project was to repair the second broken block I discovered. The hole needed to be made inaccessible to critters, and it was plenty large enough for many.

This repair job doesn't look as nice as the first one, but it will do the job. I also did some more on the inside of the pit sealing cracks since I needed to use up the rest of the tub of cement I mixed.

Then I had to put the tarp pieces back in place. They have too many holes to really seal it, but they did keep the rain from really getting into the pit. The plywood was wet, but I'll get the roof finished soon. There is one more thing to do that will be much easier before the plywood is nailed down.

It's supposed to rain more significantly tomorrow and the next day. That's good, because I need to spend time getting The Lonely Donkey formatted.

In other news: I picked up the cover art from Linda Sandow, and went to bell choir practice.

See The Issue is Water

The Issue is Water

  Today I finally had to seriously deal with water. Falling from the sky. Yes, the rain arrived.

I pulled up the remnants of the tarp I bought just 2 1/2 years ago. It cost a lot, and it's just shredded. These plastic coated tarps do not last, and big ones are not cheap. Anyway, I salvaged enough of it to pretty effectively cover the new construction.

And by the way... How does Facebook know, even before I made this post that I'm annoyed at poor tarps? That word does not appear in yesterday's post, and I said nothing about it on line. And yet... I am seeing ads for tarps. I was talking about them with Cathy, but I do not have any of those personal assitant "ladies" on my phone. I don't really want my phone listening to me. But, I think it is managing to do so anyway.

Anyway, I got this temporarily covered and then decided to see if I could get the undercoat of paint on before the rain started. The answer is, "almost." I was working on side number four, the short one. The rain was very light at that point, but the wind was blowing crud into the paint can. So I picked up and cleaned up. You guessed it. It pretty much stopped raining after that.

But by then, I wasn't going back outside. I'd already started on the next illustration for The Lonely Donkey. I'll show it to you.

And that is all the news from today. I spent a bunch of time playing my game. I guess it was my goof-off day.

If you want to preorder a signed copy of The Lonely Donkey, email me at jhyshark@gmail.com

See Impressive, But...

Impressive, But a Long Way to Go

  This really looks like something, but don't be deceived. There is a ton of work yet to do.

Just to be clear, I got the other three walls in place,

And then I just slid the plywood on the top. The forecast is still for no rain, but it's pretty gray and breezy out there. I'd rather just have some leaks instead of a total downpour on the pump if the sky decides to dump water.

My friend, David Snoek (see hike in the links below) was in town helping with a beach cleanup at Nordhouse Dunes, so we met for a sandwich and ice cream in the late afternoon

And of course there was a stop at Lowe's for more overpriced items on the way home.

Worst discovery of the day- there is one more broken concrete block that needs to be repaired. It would have been easier if I'd noticed it before, but I can deal with it. It will just chew up more time.

Be assured that mistakes were made, but so far nothing that couldn't be "salvaged."

Best discovery of the day- I have two of these combination squares, so instead of constantly adjusting one for inside and outside squares, I just set one each way.

And that is all that happened today.

See Well, Wall One See More Nordhouse Dunes

Well, Wall One!

  Things are coming together. It was unpleasantly hot this afternoon, but I took a little break and went back out when it was cooler. Got the second angled wall framed.

Then I added the rafters. Only made one mistake, but I was able to fix it with a 2x4.

Then I started adding the exterior sheeting. Just this one wall is done.

I'm beat. But I really should be able to get this covered before we get rain. Maybe not painted and all, but at least enclosed.

In other news: I FINALLY found out how to finish the top edge of a lean-to shed roof. You'd think that would be mentioned in the hundreds of shed plans that are available. But, anyway, I found instructions. I also finished one piece of the extra materials for The Lonely Donkey, and I made pear muffins. But now I'm d-o-n-e for today.

See Framing and Friends

Framing and Friends

  Please notice that I did not say "framing friends." That would be in really poor taste, even for a mystery writer.

Cathy met me at the store today, and then helped me get the full sheets of siding and foam that I needed to buy. Unless I've calculated something really, really poorly, I shouldn't need any more help with a truck. You can see my loot behind us... in the weeds with everything else.

What I did today is the kind of thing that looks really impressive because, suddenly, there is a structure that wasn't there before. Framing is fun. In this picture, I just have the two straight walls in place and tacked together.

I did get one of the angled walls built and put in place. Some of the pieces are cut for the other one, so hopefully it will go together easier than this one did.

I did mention friends, plural. Another friend stopped by to pick up some things. Also, Joshua came by to explain some things to me. You know that none of those events happened in a flash. And I also had to do some errands. On top of that, I did manage to work a little bit on extra materials for the book.

The weather forecast is now saying no rain before Tuesday. I think I'm in good shape to get this well pit cover done by then if I don't let up.

See Turning a Corner