How To "SHED" Your Troubles...

mrrsm

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Part I

I’ve had this nagging problem of living long enough to have accumulated an awful lot of ‘stuff’ that I USED to Own… but which now Owns ME. The ‘Stuff’ is everything imaginable that relates to Mechanical Repair and GOK “God Only Knows) projects going back before the time before many of your own Fathers were born. But since: "Death is a Gentleman, Too… He Makes ‘Good Losers’ of Us ALL...”

I can’t ...and for the most part never would want to ...take all of these “Things” with me when I ‘Step off into The Void to see what The Great Mystery is all about’. What comes to mind about having all this ‘stuff’ reminds me of what Prof. Howard Carter described the first time he broke open the seal on King Tutankhamen’s Tomb and saw that this young Egyptian King WAS able to take everything he might need right along with him after he died in a Two Wheel Chariot Hunting Accident and was ceremonially entombed. Carter’s eyes bugged out when he whispered that he could see: “Things… Wonderful Things...”

Me… Not so much. When I’m Dead… As far as I’m concerned...they can stick a Carrot in my Hiney and let the Rabbits drag me away to fight over me for all I care. But… since I DO have so many ‘Things’ in my Garage and in various rooms around the house that I’d like to leave to my family and still get all this Junk out from under foot (& cane) while I can still move around and give my Garage some Blessed Breathing Space… I need to Build Me a Shed. Hell, who knows… if I can move enough of ‘The Stuff’ out of the way it might even make enough room for me to get the Trailblazer pushed up a little closer to the Garage when the time comes to pull out the Old 2002 TB Engine and install the 2004 Re-Manned Engine when its finished.

Wow… Now those are some serious aspirations when you consider that the only way to Clean Out One Garage… is to have Another Garage to put all of the stuff that has conspired to get in the way. You would not believe it, but almost a decade ago I was preparing a space in the back yard by building a raised platform constructed out of weather and bug treated lumber and completely painted every stick of lumber (Yup… even the Achilles Tendon of the feathered open edges of the Plywood Flooring) with weather resistant paint. The platform I built back then was 10’W X 16’L X 8”D and strong enough to support any building or shed I might add later on. I covered the broad plywood floor spaces with the Gray Rubber Utility Mats sold by HF and Gorilla Black Taped them all together as a decent, easy to walk on surface for accessing the storage area.

As a temporary solution… Way back then, I bought two of those Giant Yellow Tarps from HF and at the time, I moved enough stuff out onto that platform of the things that needed moving to clear much needed Garage utility space. After covering it all with the Tarps held down with Cinder Blocks, I seldom ventured back there on perhaps only a few occasions since and so that platform has never been finished and used to its full capacity. But Lo and Behold… Enter the Arrow Metal Shed and Utility Building Company with a Metal Shed that will be capacious enough to do justice to the work I put in with laying down that platform so many years ago. This is the one I chose:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arrow-Galv...nterior-Dimensions-9-85-ft-x-13-13-ft/3125503

Before I finally settled on an Arrow Shed Model that has the Classic Barn Roof Design and occupying the dimensions of 10’W X 14’L X 7’ 8”H and ordered it for a scheduled delivery a few days ago. The next problem I had to overcome was to hire The Yard Man who was able to remove all of the foliage and junk blocking the entrance and egress to the Platform and be able to openly construct the metal edifice. I wanted to figure out if this was something I could actually do myself since the hard part in my opinion is getting a level Platform made first. Of course everybody and his Brother has a video showing how they “ ...put together a Utility Shed with an Eiffel Tower ARRL Short Wave Antennae on Top...Blah, Blah, Blah...” … in 20 Minutes with a Swiss Army Knife. Yeah… Right. But No… for to my very great surprise… a diminutive but resourceful woman who probably does not reach 5 Feet in Height was able to construct a similar size Arrow Building and document these activities in the following Youtube Series:


...and follow all (5) Sections of how she does the Build… I know… I know she could have done things a little better here and there ...but at least she DID this job all by herself!

… To Be Continued in 10 Minutes…
 

mrrsm

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Part II

After studying her well staged instructional videos… I watched a few others being done by men who displayed somewhat less robust organizational and mechanical construction skills than this Young Lady. After that… I found the building I wanted available from Lowes at the Best Price and Availability and ordered the unit as a single 300 lb (approx) heavy cardboard boxed Kit. First, I had to solve the problem of how to first get “The Boxed Shed ” delivered and parked inside of my fenced in property. I decided to knock out the end of the western side fence line of my property and the Lowes Dude used his Transformer Lift Machine to get close enough to the fence posts and set the wood pallet down about a foot inside of my fence line so I could hammer the fence panel right back up into place. Sweet!

Next… I had to find the means to maneuver “The Boxed Shed” around in my back yard without inviting another Major Back Operation… so I scoured Amazon for a $159.00 Gorilla “5th Wheel Style Four Wheel 1,000 Lb Limit Utility Cart that also has Removable Side Panels and Superb Strength:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BECQEA2/?tag=gmtnation-20

Here is what it looks like fully assembled:

http://s557.photobucket.com/user/60dgrzbelow0/library/GORILLACART?sort=3&page=1

I needed some flexible means to move all the various shapes and sizes of this mostly heavy junk from the Garage out to the new “Utility Barn” as I intend to call it as easy as possible after I get the building constructed. I finished putting this Cart together in a matter of a few minutes and IT IS AWESOME…! I took some “Un-Boxing and Assembly” images of this thing so everyone can see what this very sturdy, easy driving device looks like. Tomorrow… I’ll drag “The Box” up on top of the Gorilla Cart and move it around to a fair-thee-well until I find the right area to open it up and get started. Gotta stop and rest now… and jack up the Ol’ Left Leg for a while. Overall… It has been a Very Good Day!

More to Follow...
 

mrrsm

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Here is an update for anyone following the process...

After examining the perimeter edges of the “sturdy” 10' X 16' platform I built many years ago... I discovered that with a Firm Poke of the Tip of my Cane... it went through the Deck Boards like a Fat Kid through a Birthday Cake. The insects must have been having Fun and apparently been Making a Meal in the time since I've been back there to look under the huge tarp... Welcome to Sub-Tropical Florida... Right? I remembered that for reasons that are a puzzle... Arrow does NOT sell a Base Kit for these Large Sheds... but a company called "Go-Chrome" does have it... and while Lowes does sell the Arrow Shed... they do NOT sell the Base Kit. Amazon however does have them... and at $108.00 and Free S&H:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I4Q6Y02/?tag=gmtnation-20



upload_2017-3-30_8-51-35.jpeg
It makes damned good sense to get this Base Kit as this is the very thing that not only eliminates the problems of the damned shed flooring being eaten from the the bottom up... but guarantees you won't have to Use a Clumsy Tape Measure, Drive Wood Stakes, Run String and have to Remember the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate the position and orientation of the building when it settles down and remains Perfectly Square. My plan is to have Six Post Holes dug and then using a plastic bucket above ground to pour the Six Elevated Concrete Pads for the Shed to settle down on.

After the Frame is put together and aligned... The interior spaces will get filled with Rough Gravel until it levels off everything underneath, right up to the top of the Base Frame and 3/4" Treated Plywood laid on top of the Base Frame will serve as the Interior Floor, That should make for a decent base that is Level, Stable, and Strong. I'm considering sinking some 5/8" Stainless Steel Rods into the Wet Quickrete Fence Post Cement and fabricating Strong Hold Down Cleats to custom fit around the Base Frame and Anchor the building against Severe Weather and Wind. Again... Welcome to Florida...

And as for the Rock Gravel issues... I've never actually used the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 to transport anything as large, loose and heavy as say a Yard or more (...at one load at a time, I suspect) of the Crushed Rock... but I don't think my son would appreciate having to shovel all that stuff off of the truck bed, especially since there is a MUCH easier way to do this task and drop the Gravel right into the Gorilla 4-Wheel Cart I just got that can haul up to 1,000 pounds of the stuff. Unlike The Days of Old... I'm not going to be able to do most of labor on this project. But I've hired one of my New Yard Man's employees to Set the Posts, Build the Base, Fill it With Rock Gravel and Erect the Building incrementally over the next few weeks:

After seeing this Guy's impressive video of the Harbor Freight version of the 'Load Handler' I ordered this $39.99 item:

 

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mrrsm

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Part III

Okay… So for the sake of Argument… Lets say You get a decent sized Arrow Metal Shed… and by hook or by crook… You make a decent foundation and set the building up as pretty as you please… and now You have an area that for the 10’ X 14’ = 140 Sq Ft two dimensional surface that is NOT Your garage… but pretty much looks and behaves just like one. But… As soon as You walk inside … You figure out that it is not really as big as You thought it would be and You begin to wonder just how much stuff You can really expect it to hold once You begin transferring the mess from Your Garage Floor… out and inside of the Metal Shed.

But Wait Half-A-Mo…

It might be better to think about the inside of this New Shed from a Three Dimensional Perspective and figure out a way to Multiply the Floor Storage Area in a clever manner. Entering through the main doors by now should be these Five Sturdy Shelves that can support up to 4,000 lbs of whatever You decide needs to be on any of the Five Shelves in this easy to assemble Set. Consider this… Each shelf has an area derived from multiplying the Length X the Width X the Number of Shelves available:

2’ X 4’ = 8 Sq Ft X 5 = 40 Sq Ft X 6 Units = 240 Sq Ft + 140 = 380 Sq Ft - 40 Sq Ft for Shelving Occupancy:

340 Sq Ft of Free Storage Space after the 6 Shelves are Installed... !

Now THAT is an impressive gain of Floor Space and besides that… once filled with all the Junk that needs to be moved out of the Garage… The Shelving naturally lends itself to allowing for things to be better organized and elevated well enough that if you are very clever...will lead You to putting the least used items on the Bottom Shelves and thereby Take Pity on Your Back. When arranged against one side wall and along the Back Wall… This “L” Shaped Storage area will not only allow You to move MUCH more Junk the Hell Out of the Garage… All that “Stuff” will begin to make much more sense when the time comes to actually USE those things.

And so it just comes down to a Matter of Money: And at around $55.00 & Change from Walmart with Free Delivery.. This particular Brand called “Muscle Rack” does NOT require any Screws Nuts or Bolts to assemble…. You simply slide the Lock Pins into the Fully Adjustable Corner Slots and tap it in tight with a Plastic Mallet… and it is Ready To Load up to 800 Lbs Per Shelf (4,000 Lbs). There are other less expensive ones around and some are even more so… but those require an Engineering Degree from MIT to assemble and will NEVER be as strong, capable an inexpensive as ‘The Muscle Rack’ Designs are… which by the way…. are ON SALE RIGHT NOW:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Muscle-Rack-48-W-x-24-D-x-72-H-5-Shelf-Steel-Shelving-Black/21685762

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mrrsm

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Part IV

It would be best to visit my Photobucket first and look over the Final Build Images of this Arrow Metal Shed to get a feel for all the descriptions of the work needed to do the job right:

http://s557.photobucket.com/user/60dgrzbelow0/library/ARROWMETALSHED?sort=9&page=1

It has been a very eventful time over the last two weeks and though I had planned to get this Arrow Shed Project completed much sooner… a tragedy befell my Wife that demanded my undivided attention (and still does for the need of my help). She tripped over our uneven concrete sidewalk and fell headlong into the front yard… and she fell so extremely hard on her upper right shoulder and injured her Upper Arm Bone (Humerus) of her right arm that it ended up snapping the ball in the shoulder socket clean off of the upper arm bone. I managed to help her up and get her to the Docs ASAP and get her positioned so that the arm will heal properly. And so now it comes with a prolonged need for me to do almost everything she will require while she recuperates. So everything else has been set aside until she is well on her way to mending. As we all know… Elderly Women have a big problem with their bones becoming quite brittle and I will have to be very gentle and careful when acting as her “Nurse”. From across the yard, I watched the poor woman falling in slow motion ...and it was all over too soon before I could stop her impact. Christ... it made me stomach sick to hear her shoulder break with sound like a .22 Cal “Rifle Crack” and then she cried out like the wail of a Newborn Child.

As for this project… I finally realized that the only way I was going to be able to “GET MORE SPACE” would be if I “MADE MORE SPACE” and finish the Project was to do a little work in discreet groups and now finally ...it is done. And since more than likely... most of us have at least enough free space in our back yards to do this job… I thought it worth mentioning how I went about the building of the “Arrow Metal Shed” in my back yard. As I mentioned, I wanted to get an Arrow Shed at least 10’ X 14’ in order to have at least 140 Sq Ft of Floor Space… and then bump that up to 340 Sq Ft of Storage Space using some very sturdy, Modular Metal Shelves (6 Units having 2’ X 4’ X 5 Shelves Per Unit) and still have enough room “High and Dry” to move around comfortably inside for wheeled equipment and even have a work bench set at the back of the Shed. Of course… This and every other Mechanical Project will have to get done as time permits ...with a little more work here and little there.

If you decide in favor of this idea… the most important thing to remember though that will make this project a brimming success is to first clear a decent yard space and create a (9) Nine Position Concrete Post Footer of 8” X 36” Sacrete Tubes filled with Sacrete and leveled off… starting at least 6” above the highest ground with an Nylon under-layment covered with White Quartz Rocks. Then using (2) 2”X6” X 16’ and (12) 2’X6”X10’ Boards set at 24” On-Center to create the Deck Base and covered the entire upper area with (5) 3/4” X 4’X8’ PTL Marine Plywood Boards to have a solid foundation. I used the 3.5 Cubic Foot Cement Mixer I recently bought a Harbor Freight on sale to make wrangling with 15 or so Bags of Sacrete much easier on “The Old Man”.

I used a 5/8” X 3’ Threaded Galvanized Steel Rod to poke down inside and clear out the air pockets and ensure each Cylinder was fully loaded and then fitted some Heavy Galvanized 5/8” “L” Rods with matching Galvanized Right Angle Brackets and Washers to secure the Cross Members at (9) locations on top of the Concrete “Tubes” and leveled the the entire structure by drilling through the 2”X 6” Planks to use Lag Bolts, Washers and Nuts to get the structure as plumb as I could. Arrow makes a separate Galvanized Metal Base Frame Kit and separate Anchor Kit that will be a MUST used in order to get everything squared up, screwed down snug and aligned at the screw-in points for the entire Metal building, making the usual requirement of measuring everything prior to the assembly completely unnecessary. The results will become what you can see in these images. Jesus Palomino… the Bag of Fasteners weighed about as much as Christmas Turkey! (Keep that Instruction Manual Close At Hand!)

PS: I make a special mention that this process took place over a two week period with intermittent levels of physical activity that culminated with a HUGE Wind and Rain storm with 50 MPH gusts during a hectic “Weather Murphy” just after the roof panels were only partially anchored… but no damages whatsoever occurred! The Final Construction is much stronger, much sturdier and much more roomy inside than I would have ever imagined. This approach was well worth The Planning, The Time and The Money invested. I have also purchased a Metal Lighted Work Bench, some Rubber Inter-locking Floor Matting and some Double sided Aluminum Insulation Rolls to place inside all of the wall and ceiling areas to keep the building cool and dry inside. I am also obtaining some long Aluminum Car Ramps to fix a section of Marine Plywood to as a proper inclined Ramp.

More to Follow…

http://s557.photobucket.com/user/60dgrzbelow0/library/ARROWMETALSHED?sort=9&page=1
 
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