Experience has taught me a few things about building I would like to share with you so that you will not fall into the trap I did.
When we moved into our house some years ago, there was one outbuilding already in place. Before long it was full of lawn working supplies.
Since the stuff a family treasures grows, the time came when my wife thought we were ready to add more storage space. I had built some small birdhouses, maybe a washing well or two for the children over the years. I thought my talents were sufficient to put up a simple storage shed.
I rushed out to the do-it-yourself store and purchased a bunch of lumber. It never occurred to me that I needed a set of plans. After all, we are talking about a simple storage shed here.
That was among the silliest things I think I ever did. Truly not a smart move on my part. I learned that trial and error did not a shed build.
Very soon I realized I was in way over my head, with no way to back out gracefully and recoup my loses. I learned that I wasted money and time because I did not approach my project in the right way.
This was not a birdhouse I was building and I was not using Popsicle sticks for wood. Time was gone, money was gone, and I had boards that I did not know what to do with.
Plus, the wife was not happy with me. To say I had created a mess was an understatement.
The wife encouraged me to understand that the need for a shed did not go away. Soon as I had some money saved and a long week end coming up, I decided to go back to my project, but this time, I intended to approach it differently.
Since my failed attempt to build a shed, I had been visited by the representative of the home owners association who told me as clearly as he could that what I had started did not conform to the association guidelines and it would need to be taken down completely , All the way to the ground.
That was not too hard to do, I reasoned, because I really did not get very far into the project before abandoning the plan I did not have.
The friendly representative cave me some tips, like learn what the guidelines are, get a building permit, get a good set of plans. He even cave me the internet address of a place to find plans to suit any project I wanted to take on.
Following the advice I had been given, I checked out the building codes for my part of town, and the home owners association guidelines. Once I thought I had a good handle on those two things, I was ready to go online and search for the right plans.
I found the website I was looking for and was amazed to find thousands and thousands of plans. It did not take me long to find a set of plans for just the right storage shed.
And, like the home owner association representative said, the plans came with a complete list of materials. I could buy everything I needed, and do not have left over wood or hardware.
The plans I chose even had a cut chart showing what size I needed to cut the wood. I was able to cut all the pieces of wood I would use before I started the building. That would prove to be a real time saver.
Since I was putting up another building on our property, you know the wife had to be consulted. And, lucky for me, I did just that. She helped me to understand how this building needed to blend in or match the house and the other shed building that was on the property.
Together we decided where this building would fit fit on our lot, and even the color to paint it when I finished the building.
With my new knowledge of the building codes and an understanding of the plans I purchased, I was able to get my project underway on my three-day week end. My shed building was finished and even painted before I had to go to work on Monday.
The wife and I think our building enhances the curve appealing of our property. Now that it is complete, we can move more of the stuff out of our garage and I will no longer be embarrassed to open my garage door.