[AiNt-RiTe-Acres]

Looks good !

[BiggKidd]

Thanks! Hopefully I’ll get my sawmill built and get three sides closed in one day. The north side will stay open I think.

[Terminator]

It’s nice when you can take and build things from off the land that’s how my husband and I built our barn 15 years ago and it’s still standing. You did an amazing job.

[BiggKidd]

Thank you! I think I may go ahead and add on.

[BiggKidd]

While I was out doing things today I counted up what metal roofing I have left. There’s enough to add about 10 more feet on one 1/2 of the building making that 1/2 roughly 13×24 that could be enclosed with a roof size of about 15×27. That would be about 12×23 open space inside a great size for a single bay workshop. The celling is even high enough to to get the deuce inside. What do you guys think? Oh and it won’t add a cent in cash to the cost, I already have everything to add that much more roof. Enclosing it is another story, I don’t have anything for that yet.

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

That is really looking good! I’m a scrounger/scavenger and always looking for good/usable things people don’t want or need or trash piles when people tear down things. Lucked up one day in a ritzy neighborhood and found a utility trailer full of 2×4’s, 2×8’s & 4×4’s and 10+ pieces of tin (metal roofing). Boards looked almost new & I just had to pull out some nails! I’m not ashamed to use another person’s trash that can be a treasure trove for me! Find out what day TRASH day is in your local town and GO LOOKING sometimes. You never know what you’re gonna find!

[BiggKidd]

I’m in far to rural an area for that. This whole county only has 20 some thousand people and not to many with money.

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

I hear ya on that! I don’t get out & about as much as I used to with gas prices like they are. I’m in a very rural area about 30 min from town so my trips to the BIG CITY (which isn’t really big) are very limited these days. But I’m impressed that you’ve got that big nice shed for nearly nothing compared with today’s prices.

[BiggKidd]

A lot of credit goes to collecting discards and or cheap deals for many years. I bought some of that metal roofing better than 5 years ago and the other bit of it a year or so ago. I repurpose / reuse everything I can figure out a way to.

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

I have a lot of bldg materials I’ve collected thru the years. Always needing lumber or fencing to make repairs on sheds, barns, or animal shelters. I have found a lot of free stuff on FB Marketplace that I just have to go get or take down (like the chain link dog kennels…got 3 of those free last yr just to take them down. Nothing wrong with them, the owner just wanted them gone. They were there when they bought the house and didn’t need them so I gladly loaded up my utility trailer, tools and got them.

I’m also lucky to have a drying shed/barn FULL of rough-cut lumber my late hubby & I cut after Hurricane Ivan & other tropical systems we’ve had come our way. We had a sawmill (stationary) that would cut up to 40 ft long boards. We got extra track when we bought it to be able to saw pole barn timbers. It has sat unused since 2009 when he passed away. It is one of those that has the seat you sit on & ride to cut the lumber. I wished I had paid more attention to how that end of the mill worked so I could run it now (I’m sure it needs a tune-up after sitting for so long). I always turned the logs with the cant hooks or removed the boards & slabs when he would cut so I’m a lost ball in tall weeds in knowing how to use it. I even have a blade sharpener & a setting machine to set the teeth gaps. Maybe I should try to get it up & running and JUMP IN FEET FIRST & LEARN how to use it. I just need to either clone myself or find a few extra hours in my day to GITTER DONE!! LOL!

[BiggKidd]

First sorry for the loss of you husband. Second that sounds like a real nice piece of equipment. Problem is after sitting more than 13 years it’s going to need more than a tune up unless it was put away for long storage beforehand. Best thing you can do for it is get it up and running. I know what you mean about hours in the day. With me these days it’s energy more than hours.

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

I know it will need more than a tune-up but that is a good start. It is never good to leave any kind of equipment with motors sitting like that but I couldn’t run it so what can I say? Thankfully, it is under a HUGE pole barn so there isn’t much cosmetic damage, a little rust but nothing major. I have kept the 50’x50′ woodworking shop going. I love building things so most all the Grizzly equip has been used regularly. We used to build custom furniture and always had work waiting to be built.

We also built my little log cabin in the woods. Here in the backwoods, we just built it as we went. No plans, just build as we go. A unique cabin and none other like it. Kind of deceiving by its outside looks, like a plain old house but open the door, and people’s jaws would drop. Totally log cabin but polished like a picture you would see in Better Homes & Gardens. Proud to call it “HOME” on this 40 acres of woods, IN the woods, surrounded by more woods. Nearest neighbor is over 5 miles away, and I love it…peace & quiet except for the sounds of nature.

[BiggKidd]

You and your late husband sound like my kind of people. I also built everything here without plans just grabbed up materials and did it.

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

We worked so well together. Hardly ever had to speak to each other when working on a building project. I knew exactly what he needed BEFORE he needed it and had it ready to hand to him without him having to ask. When he was working on something that didn’t require my help, I was working on something else for the project to have it ready when it was needed. Our work flowed so smoothly and we got things done much faster by working together to get it done. Then we BOTH could sit back & relax when we called it a day.
We were both early risers. He put on the coffee when he got up and then would go out to the shop or saw some boards while I had my coffee and cooked breakfast. We have an OLD DINNER BELL I would ring when breakfast was done and we would eat and start our day. I usually had something cooking in the crock pot for supper or would open something I had canned to throw a meal together. Always ate good and never stressed about cooking. Just had to think ahead to have meals prepared so I wouldn’t be in the kitchen all evening after a long day’s work. On slack days when he didn’t need my help, I took care of household chores. We worked the garden together, including harvesting and he helped me prepare the produce for processing. I did all of the pressure & water bath canning while he was working on something else. TEAMWORK is what makes a homestead work.

Really miss those good ole days & truly appreciate all that he did, now that it is all on my back. But life goes on and you adapt to your new ways of life.

Sorry for taking up so much of your time with my reminiecing. I will close by saying THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. Did me good to remember the good ole days. Now, back to work. Building a new pump house for my well. Old one had seen it’s better days & we have freezing temps the next few days so have GOT to get this done. Had to come inside to warm up some. Not used to this kind of cold this time of year here!! Be blessed & good luck with your SHED project. Keep us all updated!

[BiggKidd]

Sounds like you enjoyed a great life together. Homesteading alone is more than most mortals can do. I fail more than succeed even after fifteen years doing it.

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

Believe me, I TOTALLY understand what you mean. Sometimes I want to throw my hands up and quit, but I look around at all I’ve accomplished and the overflowing pantry and head on back out to GET BACK TO WORK. It actually keeps me “SANE” in this crazy world we are living in. I can escape all the gloom & doom with the animals & gardening & just being outside. Nature tends to calm me when nothing else can.

[BiggKidd]

Does anyone know if these panels will work with the Tuff Rib metal panels? I’m thinking if I extend the building some more light inside would be real nice. If these will fit with the tuff rib panels I am using a couple of these might be a worthwhile investment.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sunsky-6-ft-Polycarbonate-Roof-Panel-in-Clear-111031/305514952?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

I used those exact panels on my 1st greenhouse back in 2004. They lasted until I tore it down in 2017. By then they had all but disintegrated from the UV rays here in zone 8b-coastal AL. This greenhouse was connected to a shed made of the same type of corrugated metal roofing (we call it tin here in the backwoods of AL-LOL!). And it matched perfectly. That is 13 yrs of use. So I got my money’s worth. I can’t believe how much it has gone up in price since then. I thought I was being robbed by paying $15 a sheet for it back then. (The info at Home Depot shows they have several styles of this polycarbonate roofing from the V-crimp to 2 styles of rounded metal roofing. Make sure you get the right one to match your current roofing. I think from what I could see of your roofing in the pic’s this is the right one. Sorry, I’m used to talking to people that don’t know the differences in metal roofing styles so don’t be offended by me telling you to make sure you get the right style. Just a habit I have around here with all the backwoods rednecks I deal with LOL!

When I built my 2nd greenhouse I used 2 ply Polycarbonate panels that I found at a RESTORE that I paid $20 a sheet. I built it 4 yrs ago and so far it is REALLY holding up well. I am going to be starting my 3rd much larger greenhouse/high tunnel hopefully soon if the shizzy doesn’t hit the fizzy with all that is going on in this country & globally. It will have a greenhouse-style entrance to use for starting seeds & to store supplies. It will have the rest of the 2 ply polycarbonate sheets I have left from the 2nd greenhouse. Then the back will be a high tunnel/quansot hut style covered in plastic & shade cloth.

Not sure where you are located but the UV rays/Radiation these days are SUPER INTENSE now, or at least they are here in my area. That would be something to consider as far as longevity for these single-ply panels. It said they had a 10 yr warranty. I would read the warranty info to see if it is a limited warranty against UV damage in the event something happens to them, you could possibly get them replaced.

Do you have a greenhouse? If not, you could easily add a small area to be able to grow some food while it also provides the extra light you are needing.

Is that a white wood cookstove in the back of the shed where your tractor is parked??? I saw it earlier but forgot to ask you about it! If it is, what a WONDERFUL way to cook if we have a grid down scenario!!!

[BiggKidd]

Sounds like you’ve got it going on down there! The stove is a Victor Junior by Glascock Stove & Manufacturing in NC. I started building a greenhouse a year or so ago and damn near worked myself to death digging it and getting the frame up. That left me down for 8-10 months. I never got back to it after that, I need to and SOON! It is actually sort of a walipini I took last season off from the garden and crops knowing it would probably be the last time I could. But I and the ground needed a break. haha

There are better stove pictures in another thread about the stove.

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

I want to build a Walipini but since I will have to do it all by hand, it will take quite a while to get it built. BUT I may try to figure a way to do it not only for growing food but to house my chickens & rabbits. When the shizzy hits the fizzy I don’t want marauders stealing my livestock OR veggies. Having them all housed underground will keep them in a more controlled environment AND the earth would help to muffle the sounds of my chickens and roo’s! No freezing temps or heat exhaustion with a controlled temp environment.

I have lots of plans but find it getting harder & harder to get ANYTHING finished these days. This whole week I have spent doing almost nothing but some canning & picking out 9 gallons of pecans I picked up last week. Just about BURNED OUT on everything since I’ve been going full steam the last 3 yrs…resting only with cat naps here & there. Been homesteading 20+ yrs, ramped up preps back in 2012, then really got at it in 2016. I’ve learned REAL QUICK…the older I get, the slower I get. Once you hit 60, you start feeling your age but after 65, hang it up. Nah, just kidding as I HAVE to stay busy or go stir crazy!! I love my life and especially being outdoors so I keep at it and glad I have or I wouldn’t be where I am today…Ready for most anything to happen.

Is that the wood-burning stove your wife (or was it you) posted when she 1st got it and questioned whether or not it was a good decision to get it? AND later posted a pic after she cleaned it up & oiled it down???? I made a comment on it. I LOVED IT!!! None to be found down this way. Anything old & had anything cast iron turns into a pile of rust down in our horrible heat/humidity. Most all of the nice ones are up north and that would mean a trip to pick up because shipping would be a heart attack waiting to happen!! 🙃

[BiggKidd]

You have no idea!

BTW I call my homestead A World Away