Greenroof Bike Shed: Day 6

Day six: Raising the Roof

After taking a day off, it was lovely to spend Father's Day building a roof with my dad. :)

Greenroof Bike Shed: Day 5

Day five: Windows and doors

The final wall went up, and openings for the windows and doors are roughed in.

Then, we headed out to pick up the doors, and purchase the final lumber needed for roofing, which will have a 15 degree slope. We will also be installing a motion detector and outlets in the shed, so we picked up some wiring and switches.

New materials purchased/used: 100 ft 14/2 outdoor copper wiring, drip edges, furring strips, 8 2x4s, lighting and switch casings = $127.22
Labor hours: 3-4.

Greenroof Bike Shed: Day 3

Day three: Framing in a Wall, Buying Materials

We found a wide double-door at the ReStore today, which we will cut in half to make two separate doors.

Next was to start framing in the walls. We started with the back wall, using more of the plywood from freecycle. With the frame nailed together, we primed the exterior wall (using leftover primer from other projects), which we will paint a dark green, brown, or other unobtrusive color, to minimize visibility from the street.

The humidity index was pretty high as I started to prime, and it seemed like it might raining any moment. So, Brennan and my dad made another run to Lowe's to purchase additional siding and lumber. We decided to make a pitched roof in order to make use of more short pieces -- and also to increase the load-bearing capacity.

 As soon as the guys returned with the materials, it started pouring, so we called it a day.

New materials purchased/used: lumber, siding, roofing nails, an roof felt = $473.20
Labor hours: 2-3.

Greenroof Bike Shed: Day 1 + 2

Hilltowne Hollow has undertaken its first major joint project: the construction of a greenroof bike shed. Given that we're located in a flood zone, any effort we can make to reduce runoff from the rain will benefit the property.  In addition to a greenroof, we may eventually install rain barrels too.

Inspired in part by this Raleigh-based greenroof, work on the shed began this week.

Several months ago, we purchased a pile of two-by-fours at the ReStore for $20. Last week, we picked up $200 worth of plywood sheets for free from freecycle.


Day one: Clearing the site.
Ironically, the first step to building our greenroof bike shed is to cut down a tree and clear the brush. We weren't particularly attached to all pine trees growing on our lot, and selected the shed footprint based on minimizing large and hardwood tree removal, as well as maximizing light to the roof and to my living room window. :)

My friend's truck, "Georgia Grace," was on hand to move the brush into our backyard where we will eventually burn and/or chip it for mulch. We stocked up on graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows in case of the former.

Within an hour, the site was clear:

Next, we marked out a 10'x10' area (to support a 12'x12' floor) and placed nine cement blocks, (reclaimed from our crawlspaces) on the ground, making sure they were level:

New materials purchased/used: 0. Labor hours: 3-4. Cost of s'mores ingredients: $10.

Day two: Building the foundation.
Using discount coupons for Lowe's, we purchased lumber to build the foundation. Within 3 hours, the floor was complete. To ensure that the structure wouldn't slide off the blocks, we dug a few holes and "staked" with a couple posts.

Nailguns are the secret weapon. Oh yeah.

New materials purchased/used: 12 2x6s, 3 4x4s = $133.23
Labor hours: 3-4.