Land To House

The Hydraulic Ram Pump has been dormant all winter long and its time to start it up for the 2021 season of ram pump testing. I walk through the screen intake and dig that out from all the silt. Next I purge the air out of the supply line by picking it up and setting it down quickly. I drain the silt out of the filter bucket and get clean water filling that back up. I get the drive pipe full of water and start the ram pump cycling. Lastly I walk the delivery pipe to make sure that the water is getting to the top of the hill.

After a rather mild winter its time to get the ram pump back up and running. Looks like we will be digging out some silt and finding the screen intake. In my Hydraulic Ram Pump setup I have a screen intake that pulls water in to feed the system. This is made from 3" pvc pipe with holes drilled into it. I then take window screen and wrap it around the pipe. The water that comes into this pipe travels down a supply line to the next stage of the system. The Bucket intake is a very important part of the ram pump build. This allows for an air free water source and keep a lot of silt out of the pump. To make this bucket I simply let water from the supply line dump into the top of the bucket. The I use a product called Uniseal to install the drive pipe midway up the bucket. One the bottom I have a drain plug that lets me drain the silt. The extra water empties the bucket and goes back to the creek.

Its time to get my personal 1" ram pump ready for the new year. In this video I walk though each stage of the ram pump to get it working after sitting dormant through the winter. First I clean the intake screen from debris. Next I drain the bucket and get the supply going strong. Then I clean up the ram pump and make sure it is running at full speed. Lastly I go up the hill and make sure that the water is filling the storage tanks.

Full Ram Pump Install for a 1-1/4" system. In this video my friend David and I install a large ram pump in his creek to bring water to his cold dip tub. The supply line is 1-1/4" pvc bringing water down 3 feet of head to a filter bucket. This bucket allows silt and debris to settle down on the bottom and not enter into the pump. The drive pipe is approximately 30 feet long. The pump is working on 3 feet of head pressure and is lifting water to 15 to 20 feet.

The shed is done. I want to take a step back to show the project as a whole and go over a few things that I would have changed. I also want to talk a little about the cost of the building. Be sure to stay to the end to see how close this build got to winter weather.

Its time to get the Trim, Soffit, and Fascia installed on the shed. I am using miratec for the trim around the doors and the window. This material is rot resistant and easy to work with. I will be painting it once the weather is right. I also use miratec for the eves to close a gap in the soffit. For the soffit and fascia I am using Hardie board siding. This is the same concrete board that goes on the side of the building but it comes in smaller and longer sheets. I like to work with the material because it is rated to last a very long time. Lastly I use small strips of the Hardie board on the corners to hide the house wrap and make the building look complete.

To get the lawnmower and four wheeler into the shed I need a ramp with landing. In this video I make the ramp out of pressure treated 2x8s. This ramp allows the lawnmower and the atv to drive right up into the shed. To get started I install a ledger board to the side of the shed. From here I use joist hangers to hold up 2x8 lumber. I make a frame that is 4 foot out from the building. This allows me to use a full sheet of plywood. The end of the landing away from the shed is supported with 4x4's sunk into the ground below the frost line. Next I install more joist hangers so the ramp boards can rest against the landing. I rip down 2x8's so they taper to a point. These are installed on top of paver stones so the lumber is not touching the ground. Lastly I install sheets of plywood on the frame and screw it down.

To Build Custom Shed Doors I first take the measurements of the rough opening. I Then cut 2x4's and a 2x6 for the inner frame. The 2x6 is for the knob and strike plate and the 2x4's are for the hinge side and the top and bottom of the door. I like to use pocket hole screws to hold the frame together. Once the frame is built I use either a chisel or router to get the hinges in place. Once the door is hung on the frame of the building I use OSB on the inner side of the door. The screws in the OSB is what holds the frame together. One the outside of this door I use Hardie Board siding. The next thing that I do is install a strike plate with knob so the doors can be locked. Lastly I install latches on the top and bottom of the door without the knob so that the door is locked tight.

The siding that I am installing on the shed is called Hardie Plank or Hardie Board. Its a concrete based exterior sheeting designed to be waterproof and very durable (once its on the wall) Do keep in mind this style sheathing is very heavy and can break if not supported well in transit. To get this installed I use some screws along the base of the building as resting points for the heavy material. I lift the siding into place and use some Torx screws to attach at each corner and down the sides. The section with a window needs a cutout of this siding. To do this I use an angle grinder to score the hardie board as needed. Then I place the material on a hard surface for support. A 2x4 is used on the top to keep it from breaking. I rock the cutout until it breaks lose from the main portion of the 4x8 panel. Later I will paint this siding so it will have a very long lifespan.

Installing a window in the shed helps to give extra light and can improve the air flow. It could also be used as an emergency exit. To install I cut the tyvek in a way that the top fold goes up and out of the way. The sides fold over the studs and get tyvek tape from the top of the window all the way to the sill. The bottom of the tyvek is folded onto the sill and taped in place. Then I use a stretchy membrane to cover the sill and corners so that no water can get to the wood below. When installing the actual window I use caulking all around the two sides and top of the nail plate. Be sure to leave the bottom without caulking so water can drain away from the building. I use screws to hold the widow in place. After the window has been set in the frame I use more of the stretchy membrane to cover the nail plate and on the top and sides.

Time to install the metal roof on the shed. This installation is a quick and simple install adequate for a tool shed. The metal roofing that I am installing was gifted to me years ago but still works well. I did buy the ridge cap and the rake trim. To install I start with hauling sections of metal up the ladder to the roof. I line up the first edge with the side of the awning. The top of the metal is down from the top around 3". This allows for an overhang on the lower side. When placing the first sheet of metal roofing it is most important to make sure it is straight. If the first section is off so will all the others. There is a great debate on screw placement. Some say that screws should go on the large ridge of the metal while others say that the screws need to be in the valley to make a better connection. I like to place them on top of the little ridge. Seems to work just fine. Lastly I install the ridge cap and the rake trim.

Building a Shed Porch Cover to keep the rain and snow away from the front door of the shop. I find that a cover over the entryway is very important for a tool shed because it gives you a dry place to work. I like to cut lumber outside of the shed and its nice to have a parch roof. To start this build I install a facia header along both sides of the building. Then I install a ledger board on the top of the shed. This follows the same angles of the roof line. Next I use strong tie metal joist hangers to install 2x4's that extend over the front landing. Then I use a treated 2x4 board on the front of the new porch cover to bring it all together. Because this new awning is connected to the building without support I install 4x4's on the edges to give this plenty of strength.

The roof of the shed is very important. In this video I am going to install the OSB sheathing and then the Underlayment on top of that. The OSB that I am using is 7/16" (otherwise known as 1/2". This is plenty strong enough for this shed. Our area does not get much snow and the weight is not going to be an issue. To install the sheathing I place some stop blocks at the end of the trusses to keep the OSB from sliding off. Then I use 2-1/2" exterior deck screws to lock the first row down to the trusses. The next row I stagger 8 foot sections and a 4 foot section to add strength. Between the two rows I have installed an H clip to provide the correct spacing. The underlayment is a plastic waterproof membrane designed to prevent water from getting to the OSB if a screw were to leak on the metal roof.

Its time to get the OSB siding installed on the side of the shed walls. This step is important for a couple of reasons. The sheathing gives the shed strength. And also provides a surface to attach the water proof exterior siding to. To install the siding or sheathing I start by placing a couple screws at the bottom of the building where I want the osb to rest. In my case I want the osb to cover the bottom of the 3/4" treated plywood base. I move a sheet of siding into place and use 2-1/2" screws to fasten the sheeting to the wall. After the siding has been installed I install home wrap for weather protection. This membrane keeps moisture away from the siding.

Now that the four walls are installed its time to install the top plate and the trusses on this small tool shed build. The top plate is installed on top of the walls making sure so overlap the junction of each wall for strength and stability. The roof trusses were built on the platform before the walls went in. To get these installed I am using a strong tie product called H1. This metal bracket is installed on the outside of the top plate every 24" on center. The trusses fit into the H1 clip. I also have a ridge board installed on each truss to keep the correct spacing between each truss.

In this video I am Framing the Shed Door opening. I start off with 2x4 king studs on the sides of the opening. Next I use trimmer boards inside those king studs. On top of the Trimmers I install a header. I use two 2x6's sandwiched together to make this header. On top of the header are cripple studs. These are little blocks that connect the space above the header to the top plate.

This shed has a single window on one side. In the video I build the wall with window by framing the rough opening into the wall and then setting it upright. To start I measure the window that I am putting in the wall. Once I have those measurements I am able to start framing the window. Two full length studs go on the outside of the window. These are known as king studs. Inside of those I install trimmers. These boards extend from the bottom plate up to the top of the window. On these trimmers a header is installed. The header is simply two 2x4's sandwiched together. Once these are in please its time to install The cripple studs and the window sill. The cripple studs are the short boards that go above and below the opening of the window. The sill is the board that makes up the bottom of the opening.

Time to frame a basic shed wall. One side of the shed is a basic wall with no windows or doors. This is the easiest type wall to build. I am using a treated 2x4 for the bottom and untreated lumber for the studs and top. First a but the bottom and top to equal lengths. Then I set them side by side so they are together. Using a speed square and tape measure I mark every 16" on center across the two boards. I then cut down the studs to the length that I need. In my case I wanted the walls to be 8 foot tall. So my studs needed to be cut down to accommodate the bottom and top boards plus a top plate. Lastly once the wall has been assembled I use liquid nails and a combination of screws and nails to hold the wall in place.

The trusses are build right after the platform is complete. There are a couple reasons for this. The platform can be used as a flat level surface to work on. This will keep consistency in the trusses. The next reason for building at this stage is to use the edges of the platform so each truss overhangs the building equally. When I build trusses I start off by marking the center line on the shed floor. Then I place the 2x6 down so that the lower edge touches the corner of the shed. I then move the center end up until I have the pitch that I need. To keep each truss consistent I like to screw down some 2x4's to make a template. Once I have the lumber where I want it I then cut the angle on each side and match up the boards to a point. These two are held together with plywood gussets and liquid nails adhesive. Screws go in to hold the gussets together while the adhesive set.

The shed is being built on a platform with 2x8 treated boards as the frame and 3/4" treated plywood on top of that. This will make a very strong shed base. I make sure to have plenty of support in this platform so it can hold up an ATV and lawnmower. The shed Deck is treated plywood so it can withstand the water that will come in on tires.