Getting a Brand New Shed - Progress and Pics!

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Ahhh, but that's NOT my property. I am a renter, and that's the open pasture next to "my" back yard where I have all my chickens and coops. The land-lady owns a full acre, she lives in the front house, I rent the back house which is in the middle section of the acre, and there's about a third of an acre of pasture land to one side of the house and yard I rent.

I asked her if I could put a shed on the pasture, just outside of my back yard. The fact that I bought the shed myself and am building it certainly contributed to her agreement. And that the shed next to "my" house, in "my" yard, is full of all her stuff and I haven't any place to put my garden implements and stuff.

I am very, very lucky she loves to watch my chickens ranging freely into her back yard (keeping company with her 3 sheep, who have full access to all of the acre EXCEPT for my back yard). The chickens and Cayuga pair have learned to go running up to her when she steps outside to give treats to her sheep!

******
Today, I entered Lowe's to get the boards for framing the shed foundation. I brought the shed instructions and showed the page briefly describing the "alternate" foundation method, which were sized to fit the basic shed footprint. I bought the extension, too, so I needed to know how to get the correct length of wood for the 8x10 footprint.

The folks at the "Commercial" desk know me well, from all the projects I've built. They always ask to see photos of whatever it is, in progress (because I manage to need to go back during the builds). The associate selected the straightest of the 2 x 4x and 2 x 6s, and cut down two 12 footers to 10 ft for me, charging me the 10 foot price. Chose the most appropriate L brackets for me.

And all that stuff is now in the back pasture. Tomorrow I get out the big, long spirit level, my power drill, the nails, and get started. (Hey, it's my vacation and I slept late today.... after doing all the chicken chores.)

 

[BWKatz]

So is it a coop or a shed?

 

[gryeyes]

It's a shed where I'm going to be putting the most amazing, ginormous brooder EVER. And storing other things.

 

[bburn]

You also have a nice big fence to that is already there to help you keep the chickies in. We are out here watching you. Keep posting.

(gonna have to get me one of those t-shirts!)

 

[gryeyes]

Here's where the shed is going. Notice the Rottie on the other side of the fence. Tends to keep predators away on THAT side of the property; my coops are near that where it runs past along my back yard.

Shed foundation boards secured and leveled.

Proud of myself - pretty darned level!

Dooley double-checks my work.

Starting to pour in the pea gravel.

Leveling the pea gravel.

Greta checks my work.

Dooley checks the foundation.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Lookin' good!

 

[gryeyes]

Today I put the roof struts together, then set up the left corner walls and some of the left side walls before I pooped out. Started late, too. MUST get to it first thing tomorrow! Supposed to rain on Sunday.

Before I got the first corner wall section up, Betsy BR meandered out into the pasture to check out what I was doing; Zorro, the former chicken killer, kept edging away from her as she got closer. After Momma and then 2 roosters kick your butt whenever you charge a chicken, you tend to learn you're not supposed to be at ALL interested in them.

Joy G. Sebright even felt safe enough to come see what was happening outside of the back yard.

Rebecca EE came over, too, with Alice S. Sebright, and Joy joined up with them and they left to go look for bugs where there was greener grass.

I wish I'd had the camera when my pair of Cayuga ducks came to check out the build. First they billed EVERYthing, ate some of the pea gravel, then ventured onto the black floor surface. Louie led Thelma across the length of the shed floor, stopping to bill the shiny screws holding the floor panels together. Of course he pooped before he got off the surface. Then he and Thelma billed the metal of the struts I'd set down on the ground, and wandered off to poke their bills into various hummocks of grass.

A field mouse has set up residence in one of the big cardboard boxes with the wall panels and, terrified when I pulled them out of that box, jumped 3 or 4 times before it could get over the sides to escape. The evidence suggests just a day or two of sheltering in it.

Now I know why my yard cat has been spending so much time around those boxes..... and I think it's interesting Greta BSL spend a WHOLE lot of time investigating the stack of shed materials.

She even snuck in around behind and underneath panels I left leaning against each other.

But this was the best shot of the day, Greta on a mission:

I'll try to remember to take pictures as I get various sections of the walls installed. I'm still dithering about "shed? or coop?"

 

[Iheartchicks<3:)]

1/4 shed 1/4 brooder 2/4 coop!!!

 

[BWKatz]

You'll end up using it for both.

 

[goatstafson]

I love that you are stopping in the middle to take pictures of the chickens. I mean isn't that the mark of real chicken lover, you have to stop work and go get the camera to take a photo of a bird that looks the same as every other bird of it's breed? I do it all the time and my family just laughs at me. Glad I am not alone in the obsession!