Home Works!

The leaves are quickly morphing from green to red and yellow.

The title pretty well sums up this blog.  It was a lovely fall day - a perfect one to catch up on some home works.

The next project on my handlers list was to level off a site in the north west corner of our yard in preparation for an 8' X 10' garden shed.

Bright and sunny day.

After reading several blogs and reading the morning edition of the Vancouver Sun newspaper, I readied for the task ahead.  The first task was to cut six wooden pegs from some 2 X 3 boards.  I would use those to square the area for the 8X10 shed.

Circular saw to make some pegs.

Required tools for the job.

The slope in the back yard corner - from front to back - drops down between 6 and 8 inches.  The back side supporting concrete blocks would have to rest above grade and the front and middle blocks would have to be dug into the ground.  Pick, ax (for roots), shovel, rake and more tools would be required.  I loaded them up into the wheelbarrow and proceeded to the back yard.

Making sure every corner is level - front to back - back to front - corner to corner - etc.

While I was busy digging, leveling, digging some more, leveling some more and hauling in some heavy concrete blocks, I did not bother with photographs.  Suffice it to say that the task did take all of five hours.  It was bull work....but the workout was well worth the effort.  I burned many calories and sweated buckets too.

Big, heavy, concrete blocks for the back of the shed.

For those of you who are wondering about the 1X4 boards, I am merely using those for leveling purposes.....and  to make sure the blocks (front to back) line up properly.  When the shed arrives, it will be placed directly on the blocks.

The middle blocks had to be dug in more than the back blocks. The front blocks are dug even deeper and jot out ever so slightly above grade.

 Once the shed is in place and the exterior finished with siding to match our home, the blocks won't be seen.  The building will be completely skirted and finished.

Sure had to did deep and hard in places to get the job done.  Good exercise though.

Once the shed is in place, new crushed rock will fill the front, sides and back.

Once I was satisfied that all blocks were securely in place and level from every which way, it's now time to call the crane truck company that will move the 8' X 10' wooden framed shed from White Rock to our place here in south Langley.

You read right.  The garden shed is being moved from another home to ours.  Madeleine, a good friend of ours, does not want the garden shed in her yard.  She already has a lovely 10 X 20 garden shed so this second one will be leaving her yard for ours in the coming days.

The finished garden shed will sit behind this foliage near the fence and cedars in the corner.

The shed that Madeleine has given us is a stick built 8 ft. X 10 ft. X 8 foot high building with hip roof, framed 16" on centre and finished in plywood with a metal door.   The shed is solidly built on 6X6 treated posts with a wooden floor.

Once it arrives here, the shed will be re-shingled to match our existing house roof, soffits will be installed, a new window will be built into the east facing wall, new matching vinyl siding will cover the existing plywood walls, and new gutters and drains will be installed too.

A few trees and plants had to be removed before I could start the project. When the truck crane company chooses to move the building I will be at the ready with the camera at both ends of the project.  The company claims to be able to use a truck boom to move the shed off Madeleine's property from the street, over a fence and on to a truck deck.  At our place, the truck will rest on our driveway and they will boom the shed all the way back - about 70 feet back.  The 5th wheel will be removed for that process.....and, although they claim to be able to go over it with the boom and shed attached, I will not take that chance.    Stay tuned.  Sure glad this part of the job is done though.