Friday, November 1, 2013

if one is good

will two be better?

Sambucus certainly thinks so.

Yo! We gonna do this thing, or what?

Yes, Bui. We are going to add a second section to the new shelter, before the paint is even dry on the original. So to speak. If there was any paint involved. Which there is not. Anyway.

It would have been easier to build a double-panel shelter in the first place, with a continuous floor. But I didn't want to risk wasting money and materials on an experimental design. If the single-panel worked well, perhaps in the Spring a larger floored shelter would be built.

I didn't expect to feel so confident about its usefulness right away. But I did. I do. Already.

So yesterday afternoon I made another set of joists and connected another arched stockpanel to the first. The only real decision was whether to tear out the first floor and replace it with 9-foot planks that would run the entire depth, or to make a second floor section that would butt against the first but not be connected to it.

This feels weird. I like the first floor better!

Seriously!  Worst.Cavalletti.Ever!!  

Can you guess which I did? Here's a hint: I hate to waste lumber and I hate to waste time pulling nails out of lumber so it can be saved for another project. Especially nails that were driven less than one week ago.

Right! Separate floor, coming up.

The only "plus" to having the two separate floors (by the way, if I have one talent it is finding the "plus") is that there are now two bungalow "modules" that can be quickly disconnected to make two single-panel shelters if needed.

It began to rain during the above pictures, so the tarp went up and the floor went down quickly. Betula helped, remaining at my elbow even as I was driving nails into the very boards beneath his feet and my knees. This was quite surprising, as goats do not enjoy loud or percussive noises. I was touched by the voluntary participation. Way to teamwork, Bet!

No picture of the end result, because by the time I had picked up tools, it was nearly dark. But when I got to the house and looked out the window, both young mamas and their girls were already settled right down in their improved shelter. Success!

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Pssst!
Tired of goat bungalows and falling foliage, dear readers?
Take heart: there will be a little giveaway coming up very soon!
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