NDR ~ Shop Maintenance

Steve Sanford

Well-known member
All~

Just a little bit of decoy and duckboat progress of late. Most of my efforts have been the time out (so-called !) needed to keep the infrastructure going. Several things are happening at once. We are preparing to have a solar array (24 panels, 9.2 kW) installed on the south roof of the shop about one month from now. That has required some cleanup of spaces for the installers to work. So - although not strictly necessary - I have done a thorough cleaning of my basement (including re-plumbing my intake line, getting the water softener back on track, and replacing the guts of the UV system controls), the shed on the north side of my shop, the Granary (small barn where our service entrance is located) and the loft over my shop (in process....).

I've been meaning to re-paint my shop for the past 2 years. The south side got my first attention, then the west.


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The sashes show how bleached out the Cabot Barn Red solid oil stain had become since 2009. They will be re-caulked and re-painted on the bench. The "hoods" over the south windows are a passive solar feature. They keep out the hot summer rays but let in the warming winter sun.


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I almost hated to paint over the well-worn patina on my door handle - but a new process has already begun.


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I celebrated Fathers Day with a gift to myself - and about 4 days' hard labor. Instead of a lumpy dirt floor, I now have a level floor (treated 2 x 12s on 2 x 4 sleepers). The excavation and grading - mostly by hand - was the bull work.


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This wall area is where the inverter will be installed. The contractors did not want it in the loft as I had planned - because of over-heating concerns. The conduit on the right leads underground to the service in the Granary - so no excavation will be needed. When I installed in many years ago, I ran a length of decoy line through it to serve as a "fish tape" when they run their cable.


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I am now arranging storage for only those things that need to be in here. The new floor is now mostly covered with boxes and bags of decoys that need my attention.


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I got all of the hardware the way I wanted it - then gave the west side of the shed fresh paint. I also regraded and re-seeded the approach to the shed. The north and south sides will get paint before the gunning seasons arrive.


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Both the loft and my shop are a shambles right now. Both are currently in the "it gets worse before it gets better" phase.....

All the best,

SJS


 
Looking great Steve! Lots of hard work now but the reward is when you're done, with a freshly painted and cleaned shop.
 
Steve - You stated " Both are currently in the "it gets worse before it gets better" phase..... "

Knowing you it should be .... it gets worse before it gets awesome.

I just may have to stop by this summer to get a first hand look.
 
I doubt I'll ever tire of seeing pictures of your shop. It's just so tastefully done.

By my rough calculations your solar array will get you about 40 amps of 220 and twice that at 110. Are you taking your shop off the grid?
 
Good morning, Eric~

I plan to stay on the grid - but to minimize our use. This array should cover about 80 percent of our needs.

Long-term, I hope to heat our house with geothermal. (Defiant stove in shop is more than adequate.) I am slowly upgrading the circa 1825 house with foamed-in insulation and new windows/doors. South wall gets my attention starting later this year.

All the best,

SJS

 
Rob~

No more shops for me! Before I built this one, I had "shops" in 3 locations here - a great way to lose track of tools and supplies.....

I am busy "reclaiming" the ample storage space I have. I am amazed that I can recall each of the several spaces (house basement, car barn, Granary, new shop - with its shed and loft) being completely empty and clean. How quickly I have filled them to overflowing. So, I am now in a "ruthless" mode, filling my 10-foot utility trailer on its way to the transfer station.

All the best,

SJS

 
Kurt Vonnegut authored a novella under the pseudonym of Kilgore Trout. The protagonist spent his life attempting to answer the question: "Why are we born to suffer and dies?!"
"Why not?", was the answer offered as the determinant in the denoument. I suspect To Appose Entropy would be an equivalent response;Man's enemy, and the Universe's friend... for now!
I would have left the door pull alone as a testament time...well, after I put a couple layers of tung oil on it!
 
Eric, I too will never tire of seeing pictures of pencil brook farm. I hope to make another trip in the future if Steve will have me again.

Steve, I too am in that phase. My wife and I recently moved and it has been one of the most hectic, stressful times of our lives. I currently can't walk in my garage and my basement is a maze of boxes and junk. I look forward to day I can see my garvey that is buried in the garage again. And I'm pretty sure I forgot how to paint a decoy!
 
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