cement block foundation

So I had a few blocks of cement block laying around from shelves that we made for the kids and some landscaping projects.  I want to place a cement block at each corner of my structure.  I am doing this because the ground is NOT level.  The ground slopes downward towards the back of our property.  I think this is good as rain SHOULD flow underneath the structure.  I already had staked out the area with string; so I set a cement block at each corner just inside my string.  I then took sown the string rectangle and spray painted around the cent blocks with a color of spray paint that would show up on my grass.  I figured that when I dug this would keep me from being WAY off.  That kind of worked.

The back corners of the structure are level and I do not need to dig. I took a 2x4x12 and placed it across the 2 cement blocks then I used a level to make sure.  I am pretty sure that was a lucky break for me.  i only had to dig in the other 2 locations in order to level the outside frame.  

I just dug a little outside the spray paint and set the cement block in.  I did not use any gravel or cement.  I just dug and evened out the soil where I needed to and placed the block in the hole.  

It took about 1 hour to dig in the 2 locations and actually get the blocks to create a level plane.  I checked the opposite sides by placing a 2x4x12 corner to corner and using the level.  I had to try a couple of times; but I got it.

staked out

So the only think I told Aunt terry is that the pallets needed to be all the same size.  This will allow me to build a structure like I'm using building blocks.  So I took the measurement of the pallet and began to determine how big did I want the structure to be.  Will it fit in the spot I have allowed for it? I decided that I would use the longest length of the pallets to make the structure wider.  144x106 will be the exterior measurements of the structure.  I placed tent stakes in the ground an attempted to make a rectangle that exact size.  Wow that is harder then you would think.  It took me most of the afternoon to make a somewhat square rectangle with the determined exterior measurements.  It was helpful to visualize the size of the structure that I am building.  I am hoping that when I make the wood frame for the foundation that it will help me square up the space.  The size and placement passed the voting process.  Michelle is very kind when I have ambitions.  Thanks Michelle!

pallets arrive

I attend a heavy metal festival called rock on the range every year with my brother-in-law Noah.  The festival is a crazy weekend.  We leave sober and relaxed and come home 3 days later bruised and battered.  Usually Noah needs a massage and I need a new pair of glasses.  Why do we do it?  I think for me its the excitement and the rush of massive crowds of people.  The bands are awesome but the people around us in the crowd are amazing.  One year I was on a 2 beer walk. (walk until 1st beer is empty then crack the 2nd and walk home) I heard some fellow RVers call my name.  It is such a small world.  I 2 beered directly into the campsite of someone I knew.  The Brandi, her boy friend Dave and Dave's Aunt Terry were camping for the festival too.  Needless to say I had more then 2 beers that morning.  Anyway Aunt Terry is my pallet supplier.  Thanks Aunt Terry.

The pallets are 40x48....

windows

So I want windows in the shanty.  I plan on windows on 2 opposite walls.  I would like for the windows to be hinged so I can open them out.  I have 3 old church windows that were labeled too dirty for inside our house.  I bought these windows at a garage sale.  I ended up with a lot more because the salesperson had no change so he wanted me to just spend more.  I really liked the windows so I spent more.  I pulled these out of the garage and hosed them off.  This took out most of the glass was barely hanging on. I removed the rest of the glass and scraped out the old dried crap that held in the glass before.  After that I hit them with steel wool.  I jumped on the scooter and hit up the hardware store for some clearance paint.

I think I will just buy plexiglass for the windows when I am ready.  I also think that I will leave them empty until I have them installed and mostly done.  Windows and doors will be my biggest challenge.

shanty inspiration?

I really find these pictures exciting because the structures look fairly simple and something that I can do myself without too much brainpower.  I really like the lean to roof.  I am only 5 6" and my partner is only a half inch taller then me so I don't think that an 80 inch structure will be a challenge.  That's rite only folks under 80 inches may enter the shanty.  I guess that's rule number one.

pallet shanty

I will be attempting to make an enclosed space in my back yard.  I have never built anything enclosed so I did not want to invest a lot of money in this project, or my skill. I live in an area that at one time was flooded with factories and industry.  Sadly that is not the case anymore; but wood pallets are amazing only used a couple of times then stacked where they are burned or thrown away.  So wood pallets are my main building material.  I would like to use a lot of recycled material to enclose and insulate the structure.   I want to have the shed built and under roof by the time I return to my job as an intervention specialist at my local High School this fall.