So. Here are a few Live-and-Learn thoughts...maybe they'll save you some detours!
Lay out your floor plan at least twice before you start to build...happily it wasn't too late to decide 8 x 10 was really TOOOOO small. Two chairs and a small desk would have been about it, in there...and the 2 extra feet make a surprisingly big difference!
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MOST IMPORTANT--make absolutely SURE you have all your ducks in a row. We thought we did, we thought we'd covered everything, but...nope. Go, in person, to your Planning & Zoning and Building Permit departments, if you live where these things apply, and make sure you are clear on what you're doing.
Mind you, we'd checked the building codes online, called City Hall, and talked to the president of the P & Z commission--no problem, or so we thought. And yes, so we were TOLD. By several people.
Appears to have been a communications problem somewhere!
The wee tiny deck was apparently the hangup. Buildings less than 120 square feet are not supposed to need building permits in our town, but ALL decks do. Sheesh.
We were also told that if the property we were building on was contiguous to our own, we didn't need to deal with P & Z, since it would be far enough from our neighbors' property. Apparently, wrong there too, but since it was well along at that time and their P&Z guy was a sweet, practical sort, we didn't have to stop work for long. Or tear it down!
$30+ dollars later, we had a building permit. (And of course had to get an electrical permit, later, which also cost...)
Check THIS POST for more info on what can happen if someone, somewhere doesn't understand something.
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This was a design goof on my part...the small window was too far from the door and it gave the place a surprised look.
Happily, we were able to move it closer and down a bit, and it looked a lot better...
Somehow the window didn't get put in the back wall when it was framed out,probably because we hadn't bought one yet! :-P
It became obvious it was going to be a bit dark inside to work, so we quickly ran back to our junk-store source and found this one. It's half of a double-hung window...it's installed awning-style now, with hinges at the top.
It's a lovely size, but yep, I had Mark put it in a bit too low. Oh well. So. It's a GOOD idea to put a chair inside and sit right where the window is going to be. I marked it from the outside. Duh...
Well, anyway, it adds a lot of light and it looks terrific...I just have to hunch down a little if I want to see the martin house or the street...
Kinda wish I had had the little round window put up in the peak on the south for ventilation or light...
We had leakage problems for a while, at the bottom of the French doors. Somehow weatherstripping on the inside didn't do a thing about the splashing when the rain hit the deck...
Had to solve that one! So Mark came back, removed the French doors, and put a different kind of weatherstripping on the outside and bottom. Success! Haven't had any leaks since...
And below, the insulation falling like large snowflakes off the underside of the floor...the adhesive says it's for Styrofoam panels, so we were at a loss...obviously it was melting the stuff!
Guess what? Reading directions is good. We took it back to the lumberyard, they called the manufacturer, and found out that you need to press it in place, THEN REMOVE IT after a minute to let it off-gas, then press it back where it goes. It hasn't all come off and we hope it doesn't! Not a lot of fun crawling around on your back under there...
SO. Last fall Mark and his son came back and put up NEW insulation underneath the shed, fastened securely, and it helped, a lot. Much warmer feet...
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And then there's recycling. It is a GOOD thing, and we highly recommend it, both to save money and to go easy on the planet.
But only if you use sound materials. This board had gotten waterlogged in storage in a chicken house. It's now mid-August, lots of hot, dry weather. We've tried the fan, and even a small heater. It gets ALMOST dry, then attracts moisture again overnight. Can't varnish it till it dries...if it ever does...
NOTE: I'm editing this in mid-October. It still draws moisture. USE GOOD RECYCLED MATERIALS. Grrrrrr...
NOTE # 2...it's the shed's second spring, and I've thought that was dry a couple of times. Put varnish on. It attracts moisture, AGAIN. Siiiigh...
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I had used spar varnish on the trim around the white door--from the inside, it looked weird, so I was going to paint over it...um. Latex paint won't stick on oil-based spar varnish. I had to wash this off, sand it, use mineral spirits, and THEN it would stick.
I'm sure we'll learn even more as we go...
And this spring I hope to repaint the door, which wanted to chip and peel. I may go for a nice subdued blue gray instead of the white on that and the two windows...
