Idaho 4 - The Shed

The idea of building a shed came up a few years ago. I have some things that I've kept aside for when/if we set up residence in the US. I also have several boxes of books, photo albums, some clothes, etc. I also have more recent items like bikes, camping gear, winter gear, etc. For various reasons, my belongings are scattered among several locations. One reason is the lack of capacity to store them in one location. It hasn’t been ideal and I have a tendency to lose track of what is where and even what I own. For example, it’s happened that in preparation for backpacking that we have repurchased things that we already had.

So there has been a need to remove the burden of storage from my family members, organize and consolidate my stuff. Our property in Adams County seemed like the logical place for it. The family has been shifting in that direction for several years and over time, that’s likely where we will be the majority of the time when we’re in Idaho. It will be particularly useful as the house will be rented out for a few years. 

I realize that there are few things more boring to read than someone recounting the building of a shed (sounds boring even to type it), but it was kind of a big deal to me and the project carries some significance beyond the structure itself. 

* * *

Prep Work

The build would be relatively straightforward. There was already a shell of a garage (supposedly built in 2017) and my idea was to create a storage space in the interior. The building is large enough to accommodate a decent-sized storage (24ft. x 10ft.) all the while leaving plenty of room to accommodate a couple of vehicles if need be. It's pretty well built and doesn't appear to have any leaks. The task was to build a 10-foot partition wall with a door and a ceiling above to assist in keeping out animals, bugs and so forth.

First, however, the garage needed a concrete floor. As mentioned before, it’s not easy getting this sort of thing done given the number of construction projects underway in the area. But it was a prerequisite to us being able to build the storage. No floor. No build.

On the first of August, I received word that the floor was done, I was elated. We would have our project and we could do this as a family, all of us learning as we go.

The next step was to order the materials and have them delivered to the garage. In the end, that was relatively easy given that there is a building supply place just up the road.

The last piece, which I discussed with my brother, was to make sure we had all the basic tools we needed. The tools I was able to get a hold of were basic and old. Most had not been used in years. But they were functional and that’s all that mattered. My brother had some newer tools that ended up being crucial to the success of the project. Someday, if/when I do more projects like this, I'll do some upgrading.

* * *

The Build

The morning after returning from our backpack trip, we were at the shed and ready to go. The massive storm that was predicted finally arrived and would pummel the valley off and on for a couple of days. Thankfully, we were sheltered and it would have no bearing on our work. 

The wall.

Coffee break.

To be honest, I thought we could do it in two days. For various reasons this was not to be. It ended up using most of three. Given all the challenges we faced along the way, I’m not complaining. It was a lot of work and all the family contributed. For a bunch of rookies who had never really done something like this, there was some satisfaction that we pulled it off. 

The sheathing and the ceiling.

The electrical work on the property isn't done. There is no power to the garage so we had to run an extension cable about 120 feet for lighting and to power the electrical tools. 

That's my girl.

Sealing the cracks.

It was hard to know how this was going to work with the kids. We wanted them to be involved and learn some things. But we knew they would get bored after a while. In the end it was a bit of a balance between pulling them into things, teaching them how to use tools and understand a something about basic construction, but let them run around and do other things to make sure everyone maintained their sanity.

Lunch at the work site.

Done.

* * *

I suppose one question was whether something like this inspired me to want to do more DIY projects in the future or whether it was one and done. I can easily say it’s the former. Part of it is that I enjoy working with my hands. Part of it is that we did this project without some things that would have made it far easier and far faster (ex. nail guns, electricity in the garage, etc.). We probably should have had some music going as well.

I have all sorts of ideas for future projects. But most of them will likely need to wait until I retire, whenever that is.