I almost missed it! It had fallen into the “living fence” my mother had planted, which was holding it up.
Getting it down was a bit risky, though. I had to get right under a hawthorn to be able to pull it out. After I managed to get it far enough I could move further away, I took a look and realized just how close I came to getting my back impaled by many very sharp thorns! Those things are deadly!
You can see more clearly, in the second photo of the slideshow above, just how large the branch turned out to be. I dragged it out closer to the fire pit, where there’s more room to break it down, but left it for now. I don’t know what the humidex put us at, but we were at 30C/86F at the time. As I write this, we’ve cooled down to 28C/82F, and with the humidex putting us at 32C/90F. That little bit of exertion was enough to leave me almost as soaked with sweat as I was when I got caught in the storm!
Before I checked the yard, though, I went to check on the septic expeller. Normally, I’d go through the barn to do this, but my brother’s tractor is in the way! I tried to go around, but there’s just too much junk in the old cow stalls on either side. So I had to make my way through the tall grass – I swear, some of it is as tall as I am! – to the vehicle gate. It has both a chain across it, and the renter’s electric fence wire, to keep the cows out. The cows have been rotated out, though, so the electric fence is off right now.
In the first two photos, you can see black part way up the pipe, where it then ends abruptly. Which means that the greywater has been going up into the outer pipe, but only so far. It’s not overflowing.
I brought the pipe to the yard and hosed it off, then ran water through both ends of the pipe.
There is no clog in the pipe at all.
So… what does this tell me?
It could be that the venturi was simply not seated properly at the bottom of the pipe. Rather than going through the venturi and being expelled out the top, the greywater was going into the outer pipe, but then draining into the soil around it fast enough that it never overflowed at the top.
Or there is something wrong at the bottom of the pipe that prevents a proper seal once the venture is set in the bottom.
I’ve sent the images to my brother, in hopes he has a better idea. He would remember the actual installation of all this, and probably helped do it. I was just too young. All I remember is the trench dug from the well towards the barn. I don’t even remember the pipes being laid down in the trench.
My hope is that it’s just the pipe wasn’t seated properly when I cleaned up around there, back in early July. I’d taken the pipe out to check it, but I was sure I’d set it back in properly. You can actually feel when it pushes into place.
I’m leaving it out for now and will take it back tomorrow, and see what I can see inside the outer pipe. With the inner pipe removed, the outer pipe should fill up faster when the pump runs, and actually overflow. If it does, I should see signs of that.
It would be really awesome if all it is, is the pipe not set properly! If that’s at, and water is flowing through the expeller properly again, that means we don’t need to call anyone and possibly need to get it excavated!
I’m just glad we are finding this problem now, and not in the winter!
Since I got caught in the rain while topping up the cat kibble outside, I was soon back in the old kitchen, replacing the container onto the kibble bin.
Which is when I started hearing something I should NOT have been hearing!
There was water leaking from the wood stove chimney!
This had happened before, earlier this year, but that was just a drip. Nothing like what’s in the video!
Last time, I let my brother know and someone from the roofing company came out to check it out. He found the roofers hadn’t sealed around the chimney very well, so he applied tar, not just where he found a leak could be getting in, but all around the base of the chimney, at the shingles, and even up the sides, along the seams of the chimney pipe. He even check the chimney cap, to make sure no more leaking.
Yet, here we are!
If you have the sound on, on the video, you can hear the drumming sound from the drips hitting the spare litter pan I set to catch the drips.
When I head outside next, I’ll take a look at the chimney (safely from the ground!) and see if there is any obvious damage. With the sudden and severe winds we got, that wouldn’t surprise me. If there isn’t any obvious damage, someone’s going to have to climb back up there with tar and try and find where the leak got in.
I’m not sure the roofer’s warranty would cover that again!
My brother and his wife have come and gone. It took them more than 7 1/2 hours to make what is normally a 1 1/2 drive! I didn’t realize it, but the tractor my brother was driving had no cab, so he was driving in full sun and 30C/86F temperatures, the whole way! They did make at one stop along the way, at a gas station for a break – and to use the facilities!
When they got here, it was past 8, and the light was starting to fade. My brother immediately started using the rotary mower in front of the barn, then went around to another area where they will be storing large equipment. Then they could back the trailer up to the barn for unloading.
Before that, though, my brother and I went over to where the septic expeller is. One quick look and his response was, call so-and-so and get it excavated.
I don’t think this person even does plumbing related stuff anymore, and the only excavating he does that I know of is in cemeteries!
Plus, we have no way to pay for anything like this.
We had to work quickly to unload the trailer as we were losing light. Then the trailer was moved out while my brother stayed in the barn to move things and make room to back in the tractor and rotary mower.
By the time that was done, it was fully dark. They packed up the truck to get ready to go, then my brother and I went into the basement to see what was going on with the pump. I turned the power back on and the pump started running, but nothing was happening (thank God we have the filter and can actually see this!). The filter reservoir had partially drained, though, so I popped it open and primed it again. We turned the pump back on again, and we could see some gurgles, but then those stopped, and nothing flowed.
We kept watching as we talked, when suddenly we could see more gurgles. Then the filter drained. At first, it ran dry, but we kept watching, because there was just a dribble of water coming through the intake, near the top of the filter.
You couldn’t believe how exciting it was to see greywater from our septic tank suddenly start flowing through that filter.
It was working again!
For now.
The main problem remains, at the expeller out by the barn. I’ll go check in the morning, but as long as the grey water isn’t flowing out the expelled, but instead seeping into the ground, we’ve got a major problem on our hands.
While it was running, my brother showed me the emergency back up.
They’ve had to use it before.
Tucked into the rafters was some pipe, with a right angle at one end, and another short length of pipe.
The long end gets attached to the septic pump, in place of the outflow pipe that runs out the basement and to the expeller. He then showed me, hidden between floor joists for my bedroom above, a hole in the wall that’s filled with spray foam insulation. The short section of pipe goes through that hole, to the outside. Once outside, an extension can be added, and the greywater can be sent off somewhere towards the maple grove or the old garden area, depending on how long of an extension we can find.
This would at least give us something we can use if it stops working again, or while the expeller is being serviced. Especially if we can’t get it done right away. They don’t have the funds for this, either.
So, I have some phone calls to make on Monday.
The first will be to find a company that specializes in septic systems – including old ones like ours – to come out and take a look. There is still the possibility that there’s just a block at the bottom of the expeller pipe, and no excavating is needed. I have no idea, but we can get a confirmation and an estimate for the work needed.
Then I think we’ll be calling the scrap company again and see about getting rid of some of those old vehicles appliances, along with the aluminum and batteries we’re already expecting them to pick up. Hopefully, we’ll get enough to pay for the work.
*sigh*
We have had so many things break down or need to be replaced in the past year, but this? This is one of our worst nightmares when it comes to living here. The other is losing our water.
On top of that, this is something we would have to get fixed before winter, because once the deep freeze hits, we’d really be in trouble!
I laid down a piece of scrap metal roofing to divert the outflow away from the pipe, replacing the badly rusted out one that was there before. All I did after the photo was taken was add some dead branches I found to weigh it down, so the wind wouldn’t blow it away.
It looks almost exactly the same, now.
There is no sign that any septic outflow has ever run down it.
There is, however, a saturated area of ground beside it, where those bullrushes are in the photo.
Which might mean that, for the past 6 weeks, our septic has been draining into the ground, not out the pipe.
If that is true, that means the underground pipe will have to be excavated for repair/replacement.
At this point, it’s all on my brother, because this is way beyond any for of work we can pay to have done.
Which means we can’t use our water. At least not allow water to drain. I guess we can set the honey pot up again, but we’ll probably have to start doing things like sponge bath in the tub, using a bucket or bin, so we can toss the used water outside. We’ll have to start doing dishes in a bin, too.
I was not expecting to be able to work on the cat isolation shelter at all today, but with my afternoon appointment cancelled, I was able to get a bit done.
There really isn’t a lot left that I can do right now. I installed the larger shelf across the back of the shelter, then the small one in the front that is meant to act as something a cat can use to climb up to the second level.
Then I dragged the whole thing outside for pictures in better light.
I’m hoping that shelf across the back will hold up without a support in the middle. It seems sturdy, but this is salvaged wood, and there is some damage on the underside.
In the front view, you can see the little shelf on the bottom right – and the areas on the second level floor boards that will need paint, since that all got changed quite a bit!
The cats have definitely been checking it out when I’m not around.
Syndol likes to hang out with me while I’m working. He kept very politely asking for attention! I’d be working on something and feel a paw gently grab and pull on my arm.
I pet him, of course.
With the shelves in place, I took the time to take the bits of wood and nails off the 2x4s left from the pallet I’d cut apart to use for “nesting” boxes. The wood is pretty damaged, but I might be able to salvage it for something.
Right now, I’m trying to figure out what to use to support the roof. I want just enough of a slope for rain to drain off. I might have come up with a solution, but I’m not sure, yet. I’ll have to grab out the sheet of metal roof I’m hoping to use and take some measurements, too. I might need to find a second matching sheet in the barn.
Until I figure out and acquire what is needed to make the main door/ramp and the access panels on the second level, I’m not going to put a roof on, though putting the supports in place first might be useful.
At this point, it looks like I’m going to have to start buying material, and that will have to wait until pay comes in.
I am quite happy with how well the whole thing moves around. It is better on the grass than the dirt floor of the garage. I can foresee a time when the wheels would need to be replaced, but it would take a while before that becomes necessary.
It’s not a lot of progress, but I’m happy with it.
Today, I was scheduled to meet with the Cat Lady in the early afternoon. Since this meant a trip to the nearer city, I was going to take advantage of it to pick up some more kibble, a few little groceries to last us until CPP Disability comes in next week, but mostly to look at different stores to see if I could find inspiration for the cat isolation shelter door and access panels, among other things.
With the delay due to road construction on the way out, I didn’t quite have time to do what I intended, but that wasn’t the only delay.
As I was driving in the truck, I found myself smelling something unfortunate. In fact, it smelled a lot like cat pee.
No cats get into the truck, though.
Was it from my t-shirt? That was fresh from the laundry.
My pants? Well, I couldn’t sniff my own pants, but I didn’t think so.
I did return the bag of grocery bags from the house to the truck, which get stored behind the driver’s seat. Could a cat have peed on the grocery bags? I couldn’t see how. We keep those out of cat reach, on top of a bin on top of a counter.
When I got out of the truck to get gas, then again at the feed store, I didn’t notice the smell, but it was back once in the cab.
It took a while, but I suddenly remembered one thing it could possibly be coming from.
Yes, my sequin covered, bling hat that my daughter got me, got pee smell on it. There was no evidence that it was peed on directly, thank God, but the smell was definitely there – and getting stronger the more I was sweating in the heat.
So my first stop was at a Dollarama. The last time I was there, they still had this hat. Sadly, they were out of stock.
Instead, I got the blingiest hat I could find. Not as dramatic as the other one, but it’s got enough sequins to send sparkles of reflected light around when I move my head. 😄😄
This was one of the places I had planned to go to, though not first thing, so I spent time time there before heading to the Walmart it shared a parking lot with. Between this and the road construction delay, I had just enough time to do the shopping I needed at Walmart, and a bit of looking through the hardware section, before I had to meet the Cat Lady.
I didn’t get a chance to go to the Canadian Tire, though. Once I had the medication, I didn’t want to delay going home, even with an ice pack. I think I might have better luck at one of the local hardware stores, anyhow.
As for my super sparkly bling hat, I’m hoping I can put it through the wash, while in a lingerie bag. It’s not supposed to be machine washable, but I really like that hat!
I’m glad I set up shop in the shade of the garage to work on this, because even in there, it got so very hot!
I got progress done on the isolation shelter, but also discovered some things I neglected to take into account. I am definitely getting tires, though, as I made some pretty silly goofs today, too. Nothing that couldn’t be worked around, but still… Yikes!
I won’t be able to do much on it over the next few days, though. I will be heading out over the next three days, and while I might have time to do something before I have to leave, I don’t want to be getting covered in paint or sawdust or getting all sweaty before I need to go out in public!
Anyhow.
The first thing I needed to work on today was adding the verticals. They are not needed, structurally, but they will be needed to attach things to, whether it’s a door or access panel, or to support the welded wire, etc.
I’m not going to go into too much detail right now, but gosh, some of them were a pain to put in! I had painted the cut ends, and on a couple of them, I had to sand the paint off to get them to fit. In others. I actually had to use the miter saw to shave off some of the wood.
I did want them to be very snug, and most of them were. I used a piece of scrap wood and a hammer on some of them, to tap them into place without damaging them.
Then I had to cut out a chunk from the floor board that was to go against the back wall.
I don’t really have the tools to do that properly, but I managed.
That was my first goof.
I measured out the hole to fit around the vertical, forgetting that the board was not intended to fit flush with the back, but flush against the next board. So I ended up cutting a deeper opening than needed.
Ah, well. It’ll still work.
After setting the long floor boards across the back half of the shelter, I realized something else I didn’t take into account. I’d added an extra, narrower, board that straddled the center line, with the vertical 2×4 placed in the middle, the 1×4 boards fit exactly in between the new vertical and the outside frame.
The long, narrow board could no longer fit.
A 1×4 could fit, but there was nothing to support it at the vertical.
After debating it for a while, I ended up attaching one of the triangle blocks I’d made out of regular 2x4s (not the true to size 2x4s) and attached it to the horizontal bar, to support a floor board, and I just had to cut one of the pre-painted boards a bit shorter. That worked out fine.
But I was then left with a gap.
If I cut a new floor board to fit the space between the two “floor joists”, I’d have to just barely trim off a bit at one end, to fit around the corner post. That would leave a gap between the frame and the front horizontal piece. Or the wide board was cut to fit between the frame could still be added, with a corner cut out to fit around the front vertical piece, but that would leave a gap between it and the next floor board.
At that point, I decided to leave it and work on other things while I decided what to do next.
Which was to make a shelf.
I had a short length of true-to-size 2×4 that I could cut in half with opposing 45° angles to make shelf brackets.
I had piece of 1×8 board that I’d brought from the barn some time ago, with plans to make a shelf against the garage wall. It was pretty damaged and needed to be scrubbed down with water. I was able to cut a 4′ length, and the most damaged part will be the underside.
At that point, I decided to leave a large gap in the floor at the front, but to add a small shelf under it that a cat could use to access the second level like a step. So I cut a piece to fit, and will use a couple of 2×4 triangle blocks to support it.
Then, since I had to wait for the board I scrubbed to dry in the sun, I started working on the “nesting box”.
I measured the space under the shelf that will go across the back, as I wanted to make the box to fit under the shelf. It was 11 inches, so I decided to make the box 10.5 inches tall.
I took some of the 12.5″ long pallet wood pieces I cut yesterday, picking out the least damaged ones, and cut them to 10.5 inches. The longer pallet wood pieces are 13.5 inches, so that would be the length of the board.
After some consideration, I decided to make the box 3 of these boards deep. I had some scrap 1x2s and I cut a bunch to match the width of 3 boards to be used as cross pieces. I was going to make 3 short sides and two long top and bottoms, so I cut 8 cross pieces. The idea is that the cross pieces would be on the outside, and rigid insulation would be cut to fit in between them.
I started by using cross pieces to join the shorter boards using glue and nails. All those finishing nails I’d sorted out of the pile the cats spilled on the garage floor came in handy, but I had to watch not to grab any that were too long – after accidentally nailing it to the table with my very first nail!
After the two side pieces were done, I was going to do the same thing with the 13.5″ pieces, but realized I could just attach them across the top and bottom of the short pieces, using the same cross pieces.
Which worked perfectly fine…
Except…
Yeah, I goofed.
With the longer pieces attached this way, the whole thing is now higher than will fit under the shelf.
No matter. It can still be used. It just won’t fit under the shelf across the back.
I also decided it will be a “summer” nesting box, and not have insulation added. I’ll make another one – this time, one that will actually fit under the shelf – another day.
By then, the shelf board was dry, so I painted the new pieces, as well as the shelf supports that were already attached, then went around finding spots to touch up. After the painting was done and put away, I added a back to the “nesting” box.
I still wasn’t sure how to do the front. This is supposed to be a closed up, cozy space for a nervous cat do feel secure in – but also fully accessible. After showing the photos to my husband, he suggested leather. He has some really thick leather that he isn’t able to use for the projects he had in mind that I can use. A piece cut large enough to cover the front, then cut into strips or flaps that a cat can easily push through, would work just fine!
The inside of the boxes will also get something soft put inside. We’ll just have to make sure whatever we put into the insulated box is breathable, since the insulation will hold in moisture as well as warmth.
Once the shelves and boxes are built, I need to work on the door and access panels. I took measurements of what will be the main door/ramp in the front, but I have absolutely nothing suitable to make it with. There was one thing I thought I could salvage, but it’s full of nails that won’t come out, and it’s not worth it to cut them, either. Of all the things I have that are large enough, they are too thick and heavy. I might have to get creative with the lath that I picked up, but that is really thin. For a door that will double as a ramp, it would break too easily, I think.
I’ll figure something out. I’ll have a few days to think about it. Since I’m going to meet with the Cat Lady in the nearer city tomorrow, I might do some window shopping and look for inspiration.
So that is my progress on the isolation shelter for today. I still have to track down some half inch welded wire for the open sides, and figure out what to use for access panels on the second level. What I’d really like to do for the upper level is enclose it more. The question is, how to do that, and still be able to see inside. None of the salvaged windows I’ve looked at will work. Ideally, I’d just use some Lexan or Optix (both handle UV light better than Plexiglass), but even Optix is pricey.
Ah, well. We’ll figure something out.
As long as it gets done before we start trapping cats for spays and neuters!
I started out with more of the 1×4 boards, but found a bit of a problem at the edge. The remaining space was too wide to use another of these boards by around an inch.
I did have a single 1×6 board, left over from when I guilt the low raised beds in the east yard. This one was never used because it has some damage and is rather warped, but I only needed 23 inches.
The board was too wide, though. I marked the overhang from below, but was stuck with how to cut the excess off. I wasn’t about to drag the table saw out of the sun room for just one cut, and the piece was too small to use the circular saw. I ended up getting my jigsaw and using that. The cut was a bit wonky, but it’ll do!
The next step was to paint the floor boards and half the verticals. I didn’t have a lot of room on the saw horses, so I painted the verticals on their edges, as well as their ends. I supposed the cut ends didn’t need to be painted, since they’ll be hidden once they are screwed into place, but I did them anyway.
While those were drying, I needed to figure out what to use to build the removeable insulated shelter box. Inspired by a comment, I decided to see what I could salvage from the remaining pallet.
This pallet has some charring on it, and quite a bit of damage. I used the circular saw to cut along both sides of the 2×4 supports (I can’t remember what these are actually called), doing one side, then flipping the pallet to do the other side. Some of the pieces were already split, or split while being cut, but most of them stayed intact.
That worked well until the very last section. The remains of the pallet kept wanting to move and jump about, and using the circular saw was just too dangerous. I ended up using the jig saw for the last pieces.
That left me with a completely uneven stack of short boards. I wanted them to be even and equal in size, so I made use of the screw clamp on the miter saw to cut stacks of them. I could fit 7 of these pieces at the same time. The screw clamp could hold a higher stack, but any higher and the top pieces would be above the guide that the stack is pushed up against, to ensure cuts are straight.
With the first stack, after shaving off one end to make them all even, I measured what was left and decided to cut the stack to 13.5 inches. This was a length that all the pieces were long enough for.
When I started the next group, though, I found some were shorter than 13 inches!
I continued to cut stacks of 7 to 13.5 inches with the longest pieces, then did then did the last short ones at 12.5 inches. In the Instagram photo, the two stacks in the foreground are 13.5 inches, and the one stack at the far end are the 12.5 inch pieces.
Some of these will not be useable, but that can be sorted out later. At this point, my thought is to make the box, then add insulation around the outside. That can be tacked into place with just enough pieces of lath to make sure the insulation doesn’t get scratched at. The cats like using the rigid insulation for scratching! The main thing will be to keep the box light and easy to move, while still being large enough for a cat to enjoy hiding out in it.
I haven’t quite decided how to do the entry. I could just leave one side open, but that won’t give a convalescing cat that cave-like feeling of security. So it will need to be at least be partially covered, but not so much that we see or can’t reach inside for cleaning.
I’ll work that out, later.
For now, though, I at least have the materials to get started.
It is now time to head out to do my evening rounds. The paint on the uprights should be dry enough to flip them to paint the other half. By morning, they will be dry and the uprights can be set in place, then the floor boards on the ends can be cut to fit around the verticals.
I think, before the floor boards are added permanently, I’ll see if I can added a lounging shelf or two, about half way up one or both levels. Just a little something extra. We shall see.
For now, though, it’s time to get back outside and get the other half of those verticals painted.
I’m starting to get quite low on paint, though I’m honestly surprised I still have any at all at this point!
The whole thing is coming along quite nicely, though. I’m no carpenter, but I’m happy with how things are working out.
As soon as I was done tending to sick kitties, doing my morning rounds and grabbing a quick breakfast (a piece of pie my daughter made using that winter squash we had to harvest early – breakfast of champions!), it was back to work on the isolation shelter.
The horizontal piece that will be supporting the second level floor needed to have its other side painted, plus I needed to cut the horizontal pieces and paint them, too.
Well, I didn’t quite get to start on that right away. I had to clean up a cat mess, first!
Among the things I brought to the garage, just in case I might need them, was a container full of odds and ends that the cats had knocked onto the floor over the winter. When the girls tried to clean it up in the spring, they didn’t have the chance to try and sort through everything. When I brought it to the garage, I dug out the cardboard base that had been under the wood chipper when we unboxed it – a large, flat surface with sides on it that I could use as a tray. I dumped it all into there and took a look, then set the whole thing on top of the stack of scavenged lumber I’d brought over.
Of course, I had to move it while digging for pieces I could use, and set it on top of the lath bundles above.
Then forgot it there.
Some time during the night, some critter – likely a cat – knocked it upside down.
Since I was picking them up anyhow, I brought over a bunch of repurposed sour candy containers (my husband had bought a case of them) I had intended to use for seed and sorted them as best I could. Some odd things ended up back in the cardboard “tray”, some of the screws were the same as what I was using on the isolation shelter build but, mostly, it was finishing nails of various sizes – some ridiculously tiny. I ended up filling three containers of those!
Getting them out of the dirt floor was the worst. Eventually, though, I was able to grab handfuls and just lay them on my work table. Once everything was clear of the lumber, it was much easier on the back to go through the last of them on the table!
I think it took me at least an hour, just to clean up all those nails. When I’m done building the shelter and cleaning up so we can park the truck in the garage again, I’m going to have to make sure to rake the dirt floor towards the walls, and triple check to make sure nothing got missed. The last thing we need is for a nail or screw in one of our tires!
That done, I could finally access the lumber I needed! Specifically, the two pieces of standard size 2x4s.
Unfortunately, both pieces were so dirty, I had to bring the hose over and actually scrub them clean. One of them looked like it was covered with ashes.
I first measured around the bottom half of the shelter, where the verticals will go. Those were all about 18″. I say “about”, because one side is, for some reason, slightly different, and I had to cut one piece about an eighth of an inch longer. Then the top half got measured. It was the same thing; I needed 22″ pieces, except for one, that needed to be just a tiny bit longer.
I was able to cut all the 18″ lengths, but after cutting three 22″ length, I ran out of 2×4 The remaining piece left over was way too short. I did have one piece of true-to-size 2×4 left that I could have cut a 22″ piece out of, but I didn’t want there to be a single piece with different dimensions.
So I went hunting in the barn.
I didn’t find any scrap 2×4’s, but I did find a pair of large baking trays, like the one we found in the basement and are now using under the water bowl shelter for kibble. I figured we might find a use for them, so I brought them out. Then I checked the shed near the barn. Happily, I found a single piece of 2×4 long enough that I could cut a final 22″ length. It needed to be scrubbed clean, too.
Once all the pieces were cut, I set them outside to dry in the sun.
Since painting them was out of the question until they were fully dry, I decided to drag out the leftover boards from when we build the raised bed frame covers, and start cutting floor pieces. For some reason, I had it in my mind that they were 1×6’s, but they were 1×4’s. They’ve been stored against a wall in the side of the garage my mother’s car is parked in. Normally, that would have been fine, but we’ve had such wet weather, the dirt floor got damp, even that far into the garage, so they needed to be brushed clean, too.
At least they weren’t as bad as the 2x4s I had to scrub with water!
I thought I would have to rotate my work table to fit the 12′ lengths, but it turned out I didn’t have to. I was able to move the miter saw to the far end of the table, which gave me just enough space to fit a board. Most of the floor pieces for the back of the shelter needed to be 4′ long. Once the first cut was made, space was no longer an issue.
With the first board I used, though, there was too much damage in one area, so one of the 4′ lengths couldn’t be used. I might still be able to use part of it, though, for something else.
One board needed to be cut shorter, as it will go between the frame pieces. With these being standard 1x4s, while the frame is true-to-size 2x4s, that one board has a bit of wiggle room. I set the others where they will go in the shelter, and found they were about 2″ short of the centre line.
I then had a decision to make. I could leave it as is, and have a slightly larger opening for a cat to access the second level, or I could cut another piece and have a smaller opening.
Then I remembered, I has some old 1×3 boards we found in a shed some years ago. Was one of those long enough to cut 4′ off of it?
Why yes. Yes it was!
So now the floor will extend just an inch past the centre mark.
Once those were all cut, I painted them, along with the second half of the 2×4 that will run across the centre, to support the floor boards. The floor boards only need to have their tops and ends painted, except for the two boards that will be at the ends, which needed to have one of their edges painted, too.
At that point, since the verticals were still drying, I was pretty much done for the day – but I was then left with a conundrum.
I was expecting to use triangle blocks to attach the vertical pieces, but I would need 32 of those. I had a few from earlier cuts I’d set aside, and cut as many as I could out of some of the other scrap ends I had left. I ended up with 16 triangle blocks in the true-to-size 2×4 scraps, and only 4 in the regular 2×4 scraps. The vertical pieces are all regular 2×4, so if I used those 16 pieces, they’d all be wider than the pieces I was using them to join.
Plus, I’d have to cut gaps in floor board pieces to fit around the verticals. If I were to use the triangle blocks, I’d have to cut much larger gaps, and I am not about to try and go all journeyman on things, to cut them to fit over the angles on the blocks.
There was an alternative, though.
Inside I went, did some searching, then made a call to the local hardware store, for a pocket hole jig.
Then had one small kit in stock! Plus, it was only about $20, so quite affordable.
I asked them to set it aside for me, then headed into town.
Once I had the kit, I just had to use it right away!
I did a few test drills on some scrap wood, then drilled pocket holes on all the vertical pieces. They’ll be joined from the narrow sides.
Tomorrow, they’ll be painted, including inside the pocket holes.
That done, I checked on the boards painted earlier. They were pretty much dry!
So I set the horizontal piece that will support the floor in place at the centre marks. Unfortunately, it turned out to have just the slightest twist to the board, but not enough for it to be a problem. It’s still a nice, tight fit, so I didn’t need to add wood glue, or even anything to hold it until I could screw it in place.
I then laid the floor boards on top. They won’t be permanently attached for a while yet, but I’ll be able to measure things and see how many boards will be needed to cover one side of the remaining space.
While working on all this, I decided to make some major changes to the inside of the shelter.
My original plan was to have an insulated shelter box, with an access door, on one side of the back half, while the other side, with an access door, would have a litter box. The front would be open screen, except for the front door, which would swing down to form a ramp when open.
Then I decided to make a separate insulated box that can be taken in and out of the shelter for cleaning. That way, it could be smaller and more cozy.
The top half was going to be open, with spaces for cat beds, food and water bowls and whatever. It would also have an access door to reach the food and water bowls.
Altogether, that would have made for three access doors on the bottom level, and one for the top level.
As I was setting the floor boards and seeing how things fit, it occurred to me.
There’s really no specific reason to have the shelter box on the bottom, other than I happened to draw it that way.
Building all this on the bottom level would be rather more difficult than on the top level.
Instead, the bottom level can be screened in on all sides, except for the door/ramp. The litter box can still be kept in the bottom level. Any spilled litter can just be swept through the gaps in the pallet base. If I want, I can still add a shelf or two between some of the vertical supports for a cat to lie on, but nothing that would need more than reaching with a brush to sweep off through the doorway.
The top level can have the solid back wall, plus an access panels on each side. One to take the shelter box in and out. We can even make two of them. One, an insulated winter one, and the other a more airy summer one. A second access panel would be to reach the food and water bowls. I’m still trying to work out how to make these as sliding doors, rather than swinging doors. I still don’t know what I have available to make the doors out of.
I wonder if we have some small pieces of half inch plywood hiding in one of the sheds somewhere? I’ve gone through them so often, looking for specific things, I would not necessarily have noticed other things.
All that, and I’m still not 100% decided on how to do the roof of this. Ideally, it would be hinged for access, too.
That can wait, though. Gotta do the interior stuff, first!
In the end, I had to force myself to stop and leave painting the verticals for tomorrow. I’d been out there for most of the day and was getting really tired and hungry, but I wanted to keep on going! I want to get this thing ready as quickly as possible.
Oh, that reminds me. While at the hardware store, I looked at their supply of hardware cloth (welded wire mesh). They only had quarter inch size. I am looking for half inch. That will be the one thing we have no choice but to buy, as there is nothing suitable that we can scavenge here. I think I do have a small amount left in the sun room, but not enough for the entire shelter, that’s for sure. We probably won’t have a budget for until the end of the month. Still, that’s one of the last things that will need to be done, so that’s okay.
I’m rather pleased with today’s progress – and with my new “toy”!
I’m not going to go into too much about the assembly now; I’ve decided I’ll be making a voice-over video of the process when it’s done, so I can go into more detail. For now, here’s the short form.
The first thing I did was mark the centers of all the cut lengths on all sides. I even remembered to bring my carpenter’s triangle this time – and I got a lot of use out of it, today!
The front and back panels, which will be 4′ square, got assembled first. These used the true-to-size 2x4s for the outside, with a single regular 2×4 across the middle.
Of course, that didn’t turn out as easy as expected.
The regular size 2x4s turned out to be a fraction of an inch too long. With the first frame, I ended up recutting it too short, but was able to use the piece I’d cut off, sanded down until it fit, to fill the gap. With the second piece, I used the miter saw’s blade to basically shave off a bit at a time until it fit, so I didn’t have to fill a gap again!
Once the front and back panels were done, I used the side pieces and the centre marks to work out where to attach the triangle blocks. Once those were attached to the front and back panels, the panels were attached to the pallet, with the cross pieces to make sure they were spaced properly.
Once the first panel was attached flush with one edge of the pallet, that officially became the front of the shelter. The bottom cross pieces were set in place along the short sides of the pallet – making sure all the corners were at 90° – before the back piece could be attached, then the side pieces were attached to the pallet as well.
The top cross pieces were then added, which also set the front and back panels correctly, and finally the middle cross pieces were added.
Once it was all together, I rolled the whole thing out of the garage and through the grass. The wheels handled the grass just fine, and it was quite easy to move around! One of the last things I’ll do is add some handles to use to move it around but, for now, I can just grab the frame.
None of the joins are prefect, of course. In fact, some of them are downright messy. But, the corners are square and the whole thing is extremely solid and stable, and that’s what’s important!
Once that was done, I was able to use the funky calipers my daughters got me for Christmas a few years ago to measure the distance inside the frame, at the centre mark. A 2×4 was cut, checked and double checked for it, then got half painted. Since I had the paint out anyhow, I covered a few spots on the frame that needed touching up.
This cross piece will support the floor. The floor in the back half will be from one side to the other, while the front half will be from one side to the middle, leaving an open space for any isolated cat to access the upper level.
That was as much as I could get done today. Tomorrow, the other half of the cross piece will be painted. Until that’s dry, I won’t be able to measure and cut pieces for the floor, but the bottom half of the back panel will be walled in, so I should be able to start measuring, cutting and painting boards for that, as well.
The boards I have that are left over from another project are 12′ long, though. I’m going to have to rotate the table I have the miter saw on, to have the space to work with them!
As I’m doing all this, I’m always turning things around in my mind about what should be, or can be, done on the inside before the whole thing gets the welded wire mesh added, since none of it can be done once the mesh is in place. I find myself thinking of adding something across the front or side to hold food and water bowls, slightly elevated and secured somehow, so they don’t end up knocked about. If I do that, I might change things up so that the front door, which will be made to swing down and become a ramp when left open, is in front of where the litter box will be, instead of in front of where the sleep cubby will be.
I’ll think more on that, as the floor boards are added, as well as the vertical pieces that will need to be added to support the access doors and panels. I also want to include things like a scratching post and other spaces for cats to lie on.
I wonder if we have any scrap carpet somewhere that can be used for this? I know we have a roll of carpet in the barn, but it’s been sitting there for probably at least 10 years, of not longer, and I doubt it would be useable. There might be something in the storage shack, but it would be hard to find anything under all of my parents’ belongings.
Still, it might be worth a look!
If we have cats that have to be in this thing for possibly weeks at a time, I want it to at least be fun and interesting for them!
The Re-Farmer 