Building a Woodshed: A Year in the Making

Another Way for week of November 13, 2020

Building a Woodshed: A Year in the Making

I am so proud of my husband. He/we finished the woodshed that we started over a year ago. I stood by him most of the way through construction and learned a lot. He even complimented me at times for how much better I did knowing which tool was which, which drill/driver he needed (you do know the difference, don’t you?), the difference between various screws and bolts and washers and all that jazz which always left me confused and bamboozled.

So I’m proud of myself too. Two mid-to-late 60-year-olds building a shed which we hope someone else will also eventually enjoy and use. Oh yeah, we paused for many months on this project after Stuart had his knee replacement surgery in early March. We also had lots of sore muscles, lots of arguments, lots of holding the ladders for each other so we wouldn’t fall.

We also had precious helpers: a brother-in-law, a close friend, some neighbors who brought in a tractor with a hole digger when we were putting six posts in the ground.

And I almost forgot the dog. She showed up in her tux (white fur front with black fuzz over the rest of her) and supervised our sessions as diligently as any boss. She watched, waited, got antsy toward suppertime when she thought we should be quitting. And, she managed to avoid having any drill or hammer fall on her head.

I guess the other reason I’m so proud and happy is that my husband managed to use up some lumber, plywood, and scrap pieces he had been saving for over 30 years. Over the years, he had worked in two different plants that produced wood products—and offered plenty of free scraps for the takers. Much to my dismay.

“Where will we put that?” I would holler every time he’d bring home a new batch of castoffs. “When will you use that?” Unknown.

Patiently and not so patiently I put up with stacks of high grade ¾ inch plywood planks (5 ½ inches by 8 feet). We moved all of them from the basement of our former house (13 years ago) to our current home. He is also now trying to get rid of other scraps and I’ve heard him say—and let me document this—“That’s the last building I’m building myself.” Yay! And truth be told, I don’t see a need for ANY more buildings.

The woodshed looks like a small open-sided picnic pavilion, which is the model he used in his head: no blueprints or sketched out designs. It is 14 by 14 feet with a nice brown metal roof that matches the shed where he keeps (ahem) multiple mowers and tractors. He wanted a woodshed that he could drive wagonloads of wood into with our old heavy-duty lawn and garden tractor, to make it easier to feed the wood stove in our basement. We also have a heat pump we use occasionally, and for when we are too decrepit to saw and carry in wood. In our area, there are lots of wooded areas, so we cut up downed trees in our woods or those of other friends and neighbors.

By building the shed ourselves, using largely scrap wood from other projects, we spent about $750. If someone had built it for us, it would probably have cost at least $2500, especially with recent plywood and lumber prices. Plus, what else are you going to do when you’re retired and the old corona virus keeps you home much more than you’d like. I’m especially glad that by this fall, Stuart’s knee had healed enough that climbing carefully up and down ladders and stretching out over the roof to nail down the roof, was doable.

I’m including a slideshow of pictures below for the curious. Indeed, my blog name “Finding Harmony” speaks here: we had to find ways to work together in harmony, and largely succeeded. We are also so grateful to God for safety and for the help of a friends and relatives. 

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I’d love to hear about projects you took on this year–or in recent times.

Are you handy with tools and equipment? What is your forte?

Comment here on send to anotherwaymedia@yahoo.com or Another Way Media, P.O. Box 363, Singers Glen, VA 22834.

Another Way is a column by Melodie Davis, in syndication since 1987. She is the author of nine books. Another Way columns are posted at FindingHarmonyBlog.com a week after newspaper publication.