Enlarge the place of thy tent!
On July 4 through 7 (Wednesday through Saturday) Dad had four days off work in which to put up the shed. Uncle Alan would be here to help on Thursday and Friday. The lumber had been delivered and we had been able to finish the sill plates, band boards, and some of the floor joists ahead of time. It still seemed like a lot of work for a 4-day period, but with a good start, and Sam Potter here to help, we hoped to get it under roof by the end of the week.
On the 4th of July Dad, Donald, and I finished the floor joists and put down the plywood floor. Sam and Jonathan helped us pound nails. 🙂
Thursday morning Alan arrived, on schedule as always, and despite some rain we were able to put up all the walls. We also figured out how to do the rafters and put up the first one.
Friday we finished the rafters, plywood, facia board, drip-edge, and tar paper, and even got a start on the shingles! We were so grateful for Alan’s knowledge, time and diligent work!
Saturday was hot and sunny. Taking the shingles to the roof was a task I dreaded, seeming like a job far bigger than me. One bundle was a chore of its own! But they had to go up, and there was no one else to do it. Alan was gone, Donald had to pack for his trip overseas, and Dad was not quite up to it. Well, if you must, you must! Holding a bundle over my back with one hand and holding onto the ladder with the other, I made one slow trip after another. The edges of the shingles had a way of digging into your neck and shoulder and backbone.
Thinking back now, it was not as bad as I expected it to be. What would have been far worse is a fool’s wrath. Yes, a stone is heavy, and the sand weighty, but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both. A fools wrath is a severe hindrance to a team that is trying to work together and I am very grateful that we did not have to deal with such a weight in our project. To tell the truth, Dad, Jonathan, Sam, and I had a jolly good time up there! And before evening on Saturday, the roof was finished. Victory!
Excellent title Michael – summarizes it well. I concur with you on the weight of those shingle bundles. Will you be storing the bee keeping supplies within?
It’s so neat to see the whole process of building the shed from the ground up and all the hard work that went into it! It looks like quite a group pitched in and worked together to make it happen. The finished product is fantastic!
I love the way the pictures show the story of how the shed was raised. And all in one week end! That must have been a long one. Thank you so much, Michael, for your infomative post. I wish I could have been there to help.
What great teamwork. Praise the Lord for such a skilled brother. Also, many delicious meals refreshed our weary bodies.
Thank you everyone!
Uncle Alan sure is a worker. He would keep working away even when the three of us thought it was time for a break. That was fun though — and fast. It seemed every time I would walk out of the house, there was some new addition on the shed!
I have to say that looks like a fine shed! What great pictures! You all amaze me in your diligence, and bulldog tenacity ( A Wilkes team saying when one shows an extreme amount of dedication and determination) 🙂 in getting it to that point in only a couple day! I look forward to seeing it.
Amazing Michael. That must have been a joy to record. I noticed how most of the photos were from the same angle too, so it was easy to visualize the shed going up. Praise the Lord. “The world has yet to see what God can do through one man” (or one team!) “wholly dedicated to Him.”