On the up

With the slab laid and cured for a couple of weeks, the shed framing arrived on site.  I acid etched the slab with hydrochloric acid in preparation for an epoxy floor coating to eliminate dust when sweeping.  This will make for easier cleaning up after woodworking.  Even a burnished slab will create dust each time you sweep up.  It will also negate the need to put tiles in the shower area.

Portals were bolted together, and with the assistance of a couple of mates, four of the five frames were stood up.  With conduits and drainage penetrations, it was not possible to square the frames up on the slab, so once up and braced, we racked the frames straight using ratchet straps.

When choosing the shed supplier, quality and ease of construction were the primary considerations.  The shed kits (there are two as the engineering software doesn't cater for anything but rectangles) were sourced from Mordek in Moruya, with the design using Z purlins that are bolted to the frames.  Working solo, this offers the advantage that purlins and girts can be bolted on finger tight on one end, pivoted into place and then bolted, with final adjustments being made to ensure the correct overhang.

As with anything, there have been a few little "gotcha's".  With both kits being manufactured, they turned up with identical labels on members and girts/purlins, and some bits mixed between the kits, and several of the brackets and accessories were also mixed between the kits.  Judicious use of the measuring tape and a small amount of re-work has dealt with this.

With eave heights of 3.2m and the highest point of the skillion at 4.8m, I purchased two 4m rolling scaffolds, these have been worth their weight in gold.  I am certainly getting fitter each day of this project.

While this has been going on, trenches for drainage, electricity, phone and water have been excavated, and the pressure sewer has been installed, and Telstra have finally moved the neighbours phone line.

At this stage I estimate that I will need another week to finish the frame for the 8mx8m frame and install the vermin proofing/toeboards ready to start sheeting.  The skillion section will require another four days, and I will have to seek assistance to lift the 9m C-Section onto the frames, as it could not be built on ground and tilted up as it is higher than it is wide.

My fear of heights is abating slowly, so by the time I am ready to fix the roof sheets I should be able to walk around without my knees knocking.

Engineering constraints resulted in a roof pitch of 10 degrees, which brought the peak of the skillion to 4.8m so the structure is a little more imposing than the elevations suggested.

The biggest challenge with this part of the build will be getting 9m lengths of colorbond up onto the skillion.