It has been quite a while since I have called upon my full 'arsenal' of construction tools, knowledge and energy. Perhaps that is one reason we have put off this garden house project for so long. After several years of restoring the main house, my body wanted a rest. In addition, I was not certain we could acomplish this building task without professionals.
AND THEN.....
My husband gifted me his assistance and labor for my recent birthday.
(BTW...best birthday gift ever!) And with promises of letting me design and direct the build, we began putting together a garden house that I have been contemplating for close to 15 years.
As it turns out, we ARE competent!
I save everything I deem worthy of new life.
Salvaged windows and doors together with stock lumber and muscle are the raw materials for the garden house I have been creating in my mind.
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| Graph paper helps lay out possible house designs |
When one of my nephews asked if he could come visit me last month as we were beginning the project, I said "Great! But you have to know your uncle and I are building a garden house and we will put you to work." Somewhat jokingly, I warned him there would be a whole lot of hammering, sawing, and yelling. Good natured as he is, he wanted to come anyway.
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6x6 posts are sunk and leveled
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| My nephew mixes concrete for posts |
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| My nephew cuts floorboards |
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| My nephew and husband nail joists |
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| Miss Magnolia tests out the flooring and supervises |
When restoring our 1907 Hawthorne house, we removed 3rd floor closets that had been added around the 1940's. Don't you know I saved the paneled doors. What a good thing it was because
now those doors have become the "wainscotting" on my garden house.
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| This project is nothing if not level. |
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| Calculating the desired pitch |
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| Gable ends go up |
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| Windows from our 1949 beach house get new life as hinged windows over screen for warm weather air flow |
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| The 16 ft. ridge board allows for a foot overhang at each gable end |
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| The garden house mid build as seen from the side lawn |
Oh what fun it is to get back into the swing of creating and building. I would SOOOOO rather do this than just about anything (especially monotonous housework like toilets or laundry).
Check in again to see the progress on the garden house.
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