Rain Water Harvesting Phase 1…continued (5/16/15)

We headed up to the ranch to proceed with our rainwater lean-to shed build.  After last week, and forgetting the hardware required, we headed up with all the hardware and what we thought would move us along on the build.  Unfortunately, we hit another snag.   The plans I put together called for six posts, one at each corner, and two in the center approximately 10 feet from each outside post.  Well, my anchor holes were off to one side, so what we ended up with is a distance from one post to the center of 10.5 ft and the other side only 9.5 ft.  Hmnmm…so that means 12′ 2×6’s are need to complete the headers and rafter install.  In hindsight though, that turns out to be a great way to have the size breakout, as the one with a little more width will also house the water pump and solar equipment.

Anwyay, on to the build.  I used the forgotten lag screws to secure each post to the concrete post base.

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This worked great, and on we went to the headers and rafters.

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There will be five rafters on each side, and we got one side completely done.  So far, it looks amazing.  Just seeing that structure sprout up is unreal.  The size gives you a sense of where we are heading and we love it!!

Here are some views from a little bit away and from on top of our container.

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Once we realized we couldn’t move forward without the new headers, we started working on our new loo-house structure.  We decided on a 4×8 loo-house (um outhouse kind of thing) that will replace the tent structure we have been using.  Below are the plans we are using.
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We will work on it much more this weekend, at least all of the framing and floor done.  We are not going with the gable roof, but rather a lean-to roof in order to capture rain-water for hand washing.   Yes, another great use of a free resource!

Well, that job got halted as well.  We needed longer wood screws, which we now have.  We put together a new 2×4 bench, which turned out great.  And enjoyed a nice dinner and fire.
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This weekend we are heading up for our first ever ‘week long’ stay.  We are both taking some time off to work on a multitude of projects, but we are both excited of the opportunity and possibilities.  Look for more in a week or so.