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Erik
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Joined: 12 Feb 2008
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Location: Big Island of Hawaii On the slope of Mauna Loa 4500 feet mag 7 sky :)
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 Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject: Storage |
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We needed extra storage space, since our cabin is much smaller than the apartment we lived in in California, so I picked up a 6' x 8' shed from Lowe's, and spent most of the weekend putting it together. It was a bit of a hassle putting it together, but it was only $199! Here's the finished shed. We've got so much more space inside now- no more tripping over boxes! 
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-Erik Wilcox
Homebuilt 16" Truss Dob
SV 80mm ED Nighthawk NG on M1 ALT/AZ
Nikon Prostaff 65mm spotter on Trekpod
Konusvue 20x80 binos/Peterson pipemount
Orion 10x50 binos
Homebuilt 80mm f/5 refractor
Mirador 60mm f/12 1960's refractor
Evolution is both fact and theory. Creationism is neither. -Anonymous |
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Square_peg
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Joined: 16 Feb 2008
Posts: 668
Location: Maple Valley, WA
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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6' x 8' for $199 is a pretty good deal. I could use one of those. 
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Tom (Pegster) |
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Erik
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Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 3089
Location: Big Island of Hawaii On the slope of Mauna Loa 4500 feet mag 7 sky :)
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:42 pm Post subject: |
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The quality is actually pretty decent. Most of the holes lined up, and the panels all fit together well. But the instructions were pretty obviously written by someone who didn't speak English as their first language. Often, I just ignored the instructions altogether because they were so poorly written.
I didn't have a very level surface to use as a platform either, hence the pallets as a foundation. But that's the good thing about having an endless supply of lava rocks- they make great levelers. 
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-Erik Wilcox
Homebuilt 16" Truss Dob
SV 80mm ED Nighthawk NG on M1 ALT/AZ
Nikon Prostaff 65mm spotter on Trekpod
Konusvue 20x80 binos/Peterson pipemount
Orion 10x50 binos
Homebuilt 80mm f/5 refractor
Mirador 60mm f/12 1960's refractor
Evolution is both fact and theory. Creationism is neither. -Anonymous |
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snorkler
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Joined: 13 Feb 2008
Posts: 2428
Location: Bay Area, California
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:06 am Post subject: |
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Sheds make great kites. I've seen a dust devil pick one up and carry it over a 6' high chain link fence. You might want to tie yours down to the bigger rocks.
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Ah, but I was so much older then.
I'm younger than that now
Bob Dylan
Mileage above accumulated over 5000 miles!
Best trip 163 miles @ 52.6 mpg = 219% of EPA est. mileage!
Wife's car, driven by me only on long trips |
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Erik
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 3089
Location: Big Island of Hawaii On the slope of Mauna Loa 4500 feet mag 7 sky :)
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:31 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Darrell. I've got it screwed down pretty well, so hopefully it won't go anywhere.
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-Erik Wilcox
Homebuilt 16" Truss Dob
SV 80mm ED Nighthawk NG on M1 ALT/AZ
Nikon Prostaff 65mm spotter on Trekpod
Konusvue 20x80 binos/Peterson pipemount
Orion 10x50 binos
Homebuilt 80mm f/5 refractor
Mirador 60mm f/12 1960's refractor
Evolution is both fact and theory. Creationism is neither. -Anonymous |
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Seantóir
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Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 2076
Location: Area 14, Kildare, Ireland
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:52 am Post subject: |
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Lot's of lava rocks? That gives me an idea you might be able to use.
The Romans used crushed pumice to make concrete - you might be able to use a home made mix to create concrete foundations and even make your own breeze blocks or cast concrete sections by mixing it with other local materials.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumice and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_concrete.
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John
Life is a temporary assignment. |
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Erik
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Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 3089
Location: Big Island of Hawaii On the slope of Mauna Loa 4500 feet mag 7 sky :)
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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Like many of our neighbors, we're building a lava rock fence. No mortar is necessary- the friction and a bit of backstacking keeps it in place. We've got a good amount finished along the 110' border at the front of our property that faces the street. The 400' along each side will be more time consuming due to the actual area as well as the topography, and we're thinking of planting some black Koa trees instead of an actual fence. They grow about 10' per year, so it wouldn't take long. Bamboo is another option, but it can get out of control pretty easily. There's a saying about gardening in Hawaii: "You spend the first year planting and growing things, and the rest of your life pruning, cutting, and hacking everything back." 
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-Erik Wilcox
Homebuilt 16" Truss Dob
SV 80mm ED Nighthawk NG on M1 ALT/AZ
Nikon Prostaff 65mm spotter on Trekpod
Konusvue 20x80 binos/Peterson pipemount
Orion 10x50 binos
Homebuilt 80mm f/5 refractor
Mirador 60mm f/12 1960's refractor
Evolution is both fact and theory. Creationism is neither. -Anonymous |
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Seantóir
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Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 2076
Location: Area 14, Kildare, Ireland
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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Bamboo? That's another 'free' resource
OK, it would certainly take work but I'd be delighted if Ireland was warm enough to grow it in my back garden. It's a carbon neutral, fast growing source of firewood that yields around 7,000 kcal per kilogram and the fallen foliage creates a mulch that improves soil. if I could grow it I'd use it to fire a wood-burning stove to replace my electric cooker and in a solid fuel boiler to heat the house and provide hot water instead of using oil.
And I'd probably take some of the best and use it for other things if I had the time - such as simple garden furniture and the like - if I messed anything up I could still use it as firewood
| William Edgar Geil wrote: | | A man can sit in a bamboo house under a bamboo roof, on a bamboo chair at a bamboo table, with a bamboo hat on his head and bamboo sandals on his feet. He can at the same time hold in one hand a bamboo bowl, in the other hand bamboo chopsticks and eat bamboo sprouts. When through with his meal, which has been cooked over a bamboo fire, the table may be washed with a bamboo cloth, and he can fan himself with a bamboo fan, take a siesta on a bamboo bed, lying on a bamboo mat with his head resting on a bamboo pillow. His child might be lying in a bamboo cradle, playing with a bamboo toy. On rising he would smoke a bamboo pipe and taking a bamboo pen, write on a bamboo paper, or carry his articles in bamboo baskets suspended from a bamboo pole, with a bamboo umbrella over his head. He might then take a walk over a bamboo suspension bridge, drink water from a bamboo ladle, and scrape himself with a bamboo scraper (handkerchief). - A Yankee on the Yangtze |
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John
Life is a temporary assignment. |
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Square_peg
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Joined: 16 Feb 2008
Posts: 668
Location: Maple Valley, WA
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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Those sheds would be fine in Hawaii or even Maple Valley but they're not good where it snows a lot. We put one up for my mother about 15 years ago in Eastern Washington (think Minnesota winters). The roof seemed a little flimsy for the anticipated snow load so we beefed it up with some 2x4's. When a very heavy winter snow came the roof held up fine........but the walls crumpled like foil.
We built her a new shed all made out of wood and it's doing just fine 14 years later. It'll be around for decades. Still, where I live in Maple Valley I couldn't justify the cost of building from wood vs. putting up a metal shed.
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Tom (Pegster) |
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Erik
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Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 3089
Location: Big Island of Hawaii On the slope of Mauna Loa 4500 feet mag 7 sky :)
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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Oh yeah, I agree. The metal sheds don't do well on the east side of Hawaii either, where it rains a lot. They rust almost instantly. Most people use plastic sheds over there, but the sun ends up warping them and turning them brittle over time.
This one came with a free floor brace kit, so it made the whole structure a bit stronger. But the roof is paper thin- I wouldn't put my weight on it, even over a beam.
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-Erik Wilcox
Homebuilt 16" Truss Dob
SV 80mm ED Nighthawk NG on M1 ALT/AZ
Nikon Prostaff 65mm spotter on Trekpod
Konusvue 20x80 binos/Peterson pipemount
Orion 10x50 binos
Homebuilt 80mm f/5 refractor
Mirador 60mm f/12 1960's refractor
Evolution is both fact and theory. Creationism is neither. -Anonymous |
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