How many academics does it take to raise a shed?

I mow my tiny prairie grass lawn three times during the summer, and the other 362 days of the year, that big ol' lawnmower takes up valuable space in my wood shop--as does also the leaf blower, weed whacker, wood chipper, Walu's spare commuter bike, assembly benches, and various other sundries rarely used but needed often enough that we don't want to get rid of them.

I've wanted a tool shed to house all this junk these seldom used items for fifteen years, but I could never make up my mind about what kind to get or where to put it. Should it be a kit, or should I build it from scratch? Should it be wood, or metal? Or given that I already have a backlog of chores to do, maybe I should just pay someone else to build the whole thing. And if someone else builds it, where should it be located? Should it be in the southeast corner of the farm? Behind the wood shop? Which direction should it face?



On and on the argument with myself went, and all the while I kept tripping over Mr. Mower, et al., in the shop. I finally decided to do something about it this year, however, after I got a kerosene heater on the advice of David of Montana Wildlife Gardener, who has an impressive wood shop of his own. David is able to heat his shop quite nicely with a kerosene heater, even in the frigid winters of Missoula. I've been trying to heat mine with an electric radiator, with less than satisfactory results--not the least of which is that I blow a fuse every time I fire up the table saw without first turning off the heater.

The problem, however, is that the kerosene heater has an open flame, and there sits that gasoline-powered lawnmower, with the can of gasoline right beside it, and all the other volatiles on the shelf behind that...

Therefore, in the kind of comedy of events that always seems to play out whenever I need to do one simple, little thing, I had to build an entire tool shed in the backyard before I could heat my wood shop.*

So the weekend before last, I made up my mind to make up my mind, and went down to the hardware store and bought a small shed kit. Here it is on the back of the trailer, on Thursday:

Fortunately, things dried out on Friday, and then on Saturday, on a nearly perfect Lubbock winter day, two neighbors and Walu helped me put it up.

Kurt stopped writing long enough provide youth, skill, and muscle:

Jorge was there, in spite of a nasty cold, to provide muscle and brainpower:

Walu took a break from his books to provide dry wit and muscle:

And I was there to supervise and take pictures (no photo). Oh, and of course, to provide tools. (I did do some "real" work, but the guys did all the heavy lifting.) Here they are putting up the gable:

I spent some time earlier in the day leveling the site, and Kurt and Walu dug up two unnecessary shrubs that were in the way; after that the actual shed-raising went surprisingly quickly. After only three and a half hours of hammering, we had the base, walls, and roof up. Then on Sunday I finished the trim and put roofing felt and metal drip edges on it. That was easy enough to do by myself, though it felt like an entire day of step aerobics, what with all the up and down on the ladder.

Here's a photo of where the shed is in the process now:

All that is left for the outside is the corrugated tin roof and some paint (that's not a finish coat on it in the photo--the kit came factory-primed). The inside will get some shelves and brackets for hanging tools. I also might put in a salvaged window that I've currently got stashed away...and taking up space in the wood shop.

All of this, of course, just goes to prove that despite rumors to the contrary, academics are good for something.

Oh, and one last thing: With this project, the trailer has now paid itself off entirely in delivery fees saved.

*I am faced with a similar quandary inside the house. For 17 years I have lived without a dishwasher. This is because our house was built in 1942, and the size and configuration of the kitchen reflects that--there is no space in which to simply slip one in. So before I get a dishwasher, we'll have to do a complete kitchen remodel. Which we have been putting off for 17 years.