Building a backyard workshop

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Building a backyard workshop

Mr. Mambold: Feb 13, 2011; Aha. Nice post.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Today was slightly less productive than yesterday in terms of amount of material added to the building, but I had to figure out a safe way to maneuver 60-pound plywood sheets onto the roof, so I'm willing to accept some slowness.

First though, I got the walls all up:

Getting the roof started was a multi-step process. First the fascia goes up, which means clamping some "shelves" (bits of scrap) onto the rafters so the fascia is supported while I nail it in. Then I clamped some blocks to the fascia to support the plywood. These blocks had 1/2" notches cut out of them so the plywood overhangs the fascia slightly, which should mean that when it rains, water won't drip down the interior of the fascia and into the soffit. Then the plywood gets lifted into place. The best way I found for doing this was to orient the plywood so the 8'-long section was "vertical", so it could rest against the rafters as I lifted it into place. Then it had to be rotated 90� and maneuvered into position before getting nailed in. Fortunately the roof's pitch (4:1, or 20�) is such that the plywood won't slide down and off the roof of its own accord. I don't really trust it to hold in place especially when there's a breeze, but it's stable at least for short periods, which is all I need to get some nails in.

I've never heard of a 4:1 pitch. You mean 4:12? (I think a 4:12 is 15 degrees, btw)

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

I still have to put up the overhanging rafter here, but that'll wait until all of the plywood (as well as the outrigger 2x4s) along that edge is in, so I can just clamp the rafter to the plywood and nail it in. If I tried to put it in now, it wouldn't have quite as much support and holding it steady while hammering would be a pain and a half.

You can go ahead and cut your rafter tails even, if they're not already (string line is your friend) and extend that fascia piece on out to support the overhang rafter on either end. Or you may already intend to do that.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2015 22:24

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 07:27

Mr. Mambold: Feb 13, 2011; Aha. Nice post.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Dur, yes, thanks -- it's 4.5:12. Fixed in the previous post.

Yep, that all needs doing. I just decided to stop here for the day because I don't want to spend too much time manipulating heavy wood high in the air when I'm tired. Safe and slow is better than fast and an injury.

Well props to you for DiY. Do pace yourself. Mad dogges & Englishmen, etc.

# ¿ Jun 24, 2015 00:36

Mr. Mambold: Feb 13, 2011; Aha. Nice post.

Motronic posted:

Protip: a lot of roofers prefer to wear tennis shoes when they can get away with it because boots suck on a roof.

+1. Plus kneepads when you start shingling.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2015 17:25

Mr. Mambold: Feb 13, 2011; Aha. Nice post.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

It's a bit tricky to get a better viewpoint; the joists are in the way if viewed from below. My guess is that it's a combination of the rafter closest to the gables being slightly out of line and the board itself being a bit warped. It's only maybe an inch off at the tip.

If it's being pushed over by that last rafter, take a sawzall with a metal-cutting blade and chop 1/2" or so at the top, right by the ridgepole.....then nail it back in, obviously.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2015 15:04

Mr. Mambold: Feb 13, 2011; Aha. Nice post.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

I also discovered that Dumbass Past Me had used plain steel nails to secure plywood to the pressure-treated sole plate. Plain steel in pressure-treated wood is a no-no: there's a galvanic effect that causes the steel to rust super fast. So I had to go around the perimeter of the structure, bent over double, and nail in hot-dipped galvanized nails every 6". Now my back is sore.

This inspection, assuming it goes well, will certify the framing and sheathing of the structure, leaving me clear to box in the soffits and eaves and start adding shingles to the roof.

I didn't know that about treated lumber and steel nails, or more likely I'd forgotten, lol.
This should probably go in the crappy construction thread, so apologies in advance.

I've been replacing the rotted out sole plates on my shop and room add-on that the idiot I bought the house from didn't allow for drainage. Plus we had biblical rains and floods this spring, which kicked it all off.

In some cases I've been building it up where the studs were termite eaten or rotted to nothingness (been using a floor jack for support). I've mostly used galvanized screws and nails, but I know in a few places I used steel nails on added bracing.

Picked up a nice new framing nailer yesterday in a CL divorce selloff muy cheapo- felt bad for the guy, but whatever.

# ¿ Jul 28, 2015 18:24

Mr. Mambold: Feb 13, 2011; Aha. Nice post.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Yep, that's some rotten wood all right. Good luck getting the replacements in.

It's all in now, no worries, I'm happy with it. Here's my load-bearing persuader- I don't necessarily recommend this as it is a bit dangerous, but it's what's worked for me in similar remodel and bracing situations for years. Sometimes more than one jack is needed.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Oddly enough, I've found I haven't been using my nailer much at all for framing; it's almost entirely been for nailing plywood in. It's the difference between an 8d nail (for plywood) and a 16d nail (for framing). Those 16ds are 3.5 inches long and 1/8" thick and the nailer can slam them into place in a fraction of a second, which is pretty scary. I'm more comfortable just hammering them into place, or using my palm nailer (sort of a miniature jackhammer) if there isn't enough room to swing a hammer. But yeah, I wouldn't want to hammer in the hundreds of 8d nails I've done in this project by hand. The nailer speeds that up immensely.

Yeah, I picked up an ergonomic dewalt hammer a few years ago after I thought my hammering days were past- and I love it. I've been using it to toenail and to drive old plywood sheathing back in where you need the 17 or 19 or w/e oz. head plus the nail to 'persuade' the material to cooperate. I'll use the nailer on new replacement sheathing.
Then I find out that the 35 year old non-functioning spotnailer I've got is like the AK-47 of nailers and a guy sells an O-ring kit (pretty much full refurb) online for chump change for that model. :rolleyes:

# ¿ Jul 29, 2015 02:37

Mr. Mambold: Feb 13, 2011; Aha. Nice post.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

I'm actually seriously considering this. I don't think I'd need to take out more than an eighth of an inch or so to get it to swing freely. The main trick would be figuring out how to keep the sandpaper from sliding around without permanently adhering it to the floor.

Or you could get a jamb saw and cut the length of the door bottom and install a threshold...

# ¿ Sep 9, 2015 23:01

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 07:27

Mr. Mambold: Feb 13, 2011; Aha. Nice post.

Fun stuff toting 9 squares up a ladder, huh.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2015 20:33

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Building a backyard workshop