So, yeah, the garage was a total mess. Tools everywhere, junk piled up. Couldn’t even park the car properly. I kept saying I needed a shed, some place to just dump all that stuff, maybe tinker a bit without tripping over boxes.
Getting Started
Finally decided to just do it. Called it ‘Watson’s Cabin’ in my head, no idea why, just sounded right. Didn’t get fancy plans online or anything. Just sketched something basic on a piece of scrap paper. A simple box, really. Big enough for the lawnmower and my workbench.
Went down to the lumber yard. Grabbed a load of 2x4s, some plywood sheets, you know, the usual stuff. Didn’t really calculate perfectly, figured I’d just get more if I ran short. Loaded it all onto the truck myself. That was a workout already.
The Actual Build
First thing was the base. Didn’t pour concrete, too much hassle. Just used those concrete deck blocks. Leveled the ground best I could, plopped them down. Good enough for a shed, right?
Then came the framing. Man, cutting all those studs took forever with my old saw. Measure, cut, measure, cut. Got the floor frame done first, laid down the plywood. Felt solid enough. Walls were next. Built them flat on the floor frame, then came the fun part – lifting them up. Got my neighbor, Dave, to give me a hand with that. Heavy work. We got them up, braced them real good.
Putting up the siding wasn’t too bad. Just basic T1-11 sheets. Nail gun made quick work of that. Then the roof rafters. Getting the angles right was a bit tricky, lots of trial and error there. Felt like I wasted a couple of boards figuring that out. Roof sheeting went on top, then just rolled out some tar paper.
- Measured and cut studs
- Assembled wall frames on the ground
- Lifted walls with help
- Nailed siding panels
- Figured out roof rafters (took a while!)
- Added roof sheathing and tar paper
For the roof covering, I just used cheap asphalt shingles. Found some leftover packs from when I did the house roof years ago. Slapped those on. Not the prettiest job, but it should keep the rain out.
Finishing Touches (Sort Of)
Door was salvaged from somewhere, forget where. Had to trim it down a bit to fit the rough opening I made. Hinges were rusty but worked after some oil. Found an old window cheap at a yard sale, popped that in one wall. Lets a bit of light in.
Didn’t bother with fancy paint. Had some leftover exterior paint, kind of a dull grey. Just rolled it on quick. Looks okay from a distance. Good enough.
So now it’s done. The ‘Watson’s Cabin’. It’s standing, it holds my tools, the garage is cleaner. Took me like three weekends, mostly sweating and swearing. But hey, I built it. It’s my little space now. Solid feeling, you know? Doing something with your hands. Way better than just buying one of those plastic sheds.
