September 4, 2020

Building Plans

It was fun having Jerry write my blog post yesterday. I swear he doesn't listen to anything I say, because he totally skipped out on my day from the hours of about 12 to 8 pm!

Today, I decided that I absolutely MUST do something about our front porch before it gets too cold outside. We had no luck with the concrete, so I thought maybe I'd build a wood one. I'm very intimidated at the thought of digging post holes and mixing my own cement. 

I decided that I'm going to do a temporary fix right now to last us until next spring when we can come up with something more permanent (my brother Brian said he'd help). I'm going to take apart the porch we have right now all the way to the posts and joists. Then I'll replace all of the floor boards and the steps. At least it'll be safe enough to last through the winter!

I took measurements and listed the supplies that I would need to buy. I need a LOT of boards and I wasn't sure if I could fit them all in my car. I was measuring my car and doing the math about how well it would fit (it would be very tight!).

Tomorrow, my friend Emily is coming over and she wants to build a Little Free Library.


The photo above is the one we are going to make. Here is a link to the plans.

I thought that would be a super fun project! So, once I listed the supplies for the porch, I figured out the supplies for the library box. I always hate buying plywood because I have to have it cut down in the store in order to fit in my car.

Efficiently mapping out the pieces takes forever, but I found a tool online that allows you to map out your cuts on plywood (there are lots of pieces I need to cut out). I can't believe I never did that before! It takes away a ton of work. From that, I found that I could have Lowe's make two cuts and it would fit in my car. Then I'll do the rest of the cuts at home.

Once I got to Lowe's and found the decking lumber I was looking at online, it was definitely not what I liked. Most people buy 8- 12- or 16-ft boards, and I only needed 6-ft boards. I knew I wouldn't be able to fit the 8-ft boards in my car (I needed 22 of them!) so I just decided to hold off on buying them. Hopefully I can borrow my dad's or my brother's truck to pick them up. 

I was able to get the materials for the library box, however, and I'm excited to work on it!

Well, I am going to get to bed so that I can get up early and clean the house before Emily comes over. I'm excited to see her--I haven't seen her since before COVID!

8 comments:

  1. Ouuu! Do you need a couple of "starter" books for your little free library? I know an author who has a couple of books. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Our neighborhood has a bunch of those little library boxes. I've never swapped books out of one, but I think it would be something that kids would really get a kick out of. Have fun making one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. My wife and I just watched the movie. We both have be on a weight loss journey. I built her a free little library and has been her passion through this COVID-19 thing. She has taken it to a new level with two week themes (books made into movies) ect. Enjoying you blog

    ReplyDelete
  4. My wife and I just watched the movie. We both have be on a weight loss journey. I built her a free little library and has been her passion through this COVID-19 thing. She has taken it to a new level with two week themes (books made into movies) ect. Enjoying you blog

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Katie! Can you share the tool you used for mapping out wood cuts? I shared this with my woodworker husband and he would love to know more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! It saved me the biggest headache and probably hours of time, haha! Here is the website: http://workshop-buddy.com/cut-optimization-calculator.html

      Delete
  6. Just to let you know, no one around here uses sono tubes anymore for deck footings, there is a better and easier to use product. We've used EZ Piers, which are solid precast footings for a while. You do need a small excavator to dig the holes for them. Don't be surprised when you get down to however they attached the steps to the house, that it was improperly flashed and you have plywood rot behind it. Good luck, lumber is very expensive right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure what sono tubes are... but these posts were dug with a post hole digger (42 inches down) and then concrete to set them. We didn't build it, so that's all I know. I'll have to look into the EZ Piers--I've not heard of those, either. I took off the railings today and looked underneath. The steps were attached to a 2x6--not sure if that's correct. I still have to do research before I finally start! My brother came over to check it out and helped me come up with a plan.

      Lumber is SO hard to find right now! Everywhere I've looked it's on backorder. I really hope I can get some before it gets too cold.

      Delete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)