Creating my "Over the Top" Deer Blind
- Thread starter EddieWalker
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EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I'm putting James Hardi siding on. The bottom half will be 4x8 sheets of the Cedar Soffit. Then I am putting 1x4 James Hardi trim every 12 inches to create a Board and Batton finish that I will stain and seal to look like wood.
The top half will also be James Hardi, but the lap siding that will also get the same stain and seal finish. From a distance and even up close, it should look like an old wood tower that you might come across on the Frontier. That's my goal.
Eddie
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I think the Hardi board is a great idea.
You can paint it or whatever and upkeep is very little. Plus it's fire safe.
Are you going to put in a small wood stove and chimney? If you got a couple solar panels you could have coffee brewing and a microwave in there. Even a small air conditioning unit and fridge. It might be worth it if you and the kids are going to spend a lot of time in there? With the kids, it's hard to keep them occupied for a long time before they need to out and stretch their legs. That might scare away unseen but approaching deer or boar. If they had an electronic game, tv or video in there with ear phones, they would be good to go for all day long. Of course they would only be in there for after they stopped hunting.
What about a porta potty? One dividing wall or circular curtain would do it.
I think your generator has a fuel delivery problem.
If it runs and dies, that's usually means fuel isn't getting to it in sufficient quantity... it's starving. Check out the strainer or filter inside the gas tank. Then blow out the gas line to carburetor. It might even be a faulty petcock?
Rob-
You can paint it or whatever and upkeep is very little. Plus it's fire safe.
Are you going to put in a small wood stove and chimney? If you got a couple solar panels you could have coffee brewing and a microwave in there. Even a small air conditioning unit and fridge. It might be worth it if you and the kids are going to spend a lot of time in there? With the kids, it's hard to keep them occupied for a long time before they need to out and stretch their legs. That might scare away unseen but approaching deer or boar. If they had an electronic game, tv or video in there with ear phones, they would be good to go for all day long. Of course they would only be in there for after they stopped hunting.
What about a porta potty? One dividing wall or circular curtain would do it.
I think your generator has a fuel delivery problem.
If it runs and dies, that's usually means fuel isn't getting to it in sufficient quantity... it's starving. Check out the strainer or filter inside the gas tank. Then blow out the gas line to carburetor. It might even be a faulty petcock?
Rob-
OP
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Rob,
I was thinking about the fuel being the problem, but never followed through on it. I never thought about blowing out the line, but that's just what I'm going to do. I can't get the petcock to do anything. It's a twisty thing that you turn in to close and unscrew to open. It doesn't move. I might look into bypassing it or putting in something a little more reliable.
Power would sure be nice for installing the Hardi. I'm using a cordless saw with a diamond blade to cut it, which works, but it's not in the same league as my 14 inch Milwaukee metal chop saw with it's massive diamond blade!!!
I know your joking about the stove and bathroom, but we do have a portable DVD player and Steph's laptop. I'm not sure how long they will last on battery power, but it's a given that when we do spend the day out there, we'll bring everything we got to make it as much fun as possible.
Home Depot only had five windows. I need six. I put the five in and finished attaching soffits yesterday. I also installed some of the Hardi, but didn't take any pics and then it started getting dark on me. I really need to find a way to keep the sun in the sky a for a few more hours each day.
In the first picture, you can see the temporary door that I put in. Eventually this will become part of a kids fort, and playground. There will be a set of stairs to it from both sides. For now, I want it closed off and sealed. I'm not going to put allot of money into this temporary door, so it's just studs and OSB on both sides. I'm going to prime and paint the outside to blend in a little, but that's all it's getting. Just painted OSB.
I set the platform at a good height were I could easily install the windows. I have three sides done. I'll pick up another window from a different store. These windows are 2030 single pane aluminum units. No insulation or energy efficiency to them, but they are bug and water proof, so that's all I wanted. They cost $32 each.
I spent allot of time looking online and drawing on graph paper a design for the windows. I wanted something that I could open and close without any sound, that would keep the bugs and weather out when closed and not cost a fortune. Every design that I saw and came up with had flaws. Mostly making them weather tite for a reasonable amount of money. In the end, $32 was very cheap.
Eddie
I was thinking about the fuel being the problem, but never followed through on it. I never thought about blowing out the line, but that's just what I'm going to do. I can't get the petcock to do anything. It's a twisty thing that you turn in to close and unscrew to open. It doesn't move. I might look into bypassing it or putting in something a little more reliable.
Power would sure be nice for installing the Hardi. I'm using a cordless saw with a diamond blade to cut it, which works, but it's not in the same league as my 14 inch Milwaukee metal chop saw with it's massive diamond blade!!!
I know your joking about the stove and bathroom, but we do have a portable DVD player and Steph's laptop. I'm not sure how long they will last on battery power, but it's a given that when we do spend the day out there, we'll bring everything we got to make it as much fun as possible.
Home Depot only had five windows. I need six. I put the five in and finished attaching soffits yesterday. I also installed some of the Hardi, but didn't take any pics and then it started getting dark on me. I really need to find a way to keep the sun in the sky a for a few more hours each day.
In the first picture, you can see the temporary door that I put in. Eventually this will become part of a kids fort, and playground. There will be a set of stairs to it from both sides. For now, I want it closed off and sealed. I'm not going to put allot of money into this temporary door, so it's just studs and OSB on both sides. I'm going to prime and paint the outside to blend in a little, but that's all it's getting. Just painted OSB.
I set the platform at a good height were I could easily install the windows. I have three sides done. I'll pick up another window from a different store. These windows are 2030 single pane aluminum units. No insulation or energy efficiency to them, but they are bug and water proof, so that's all I wanted. They cost $32 each.
I spent allot of time looking online and drawing on graph paper a design for the windows. I wanted something that I could open and close without any sound, that would keep the bugs and weather out when closed and not cost a fortune. Every design that I saw and came up with had flaws. Mostly making them weather tite for a reasonable amount of money. In the end, $32 was very cheap.
Eddie
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Tororider
Veteran Member
Eddie,
Nice choice on the Hardi, too rich for my blood, but if I could afford it I would. But you also have a second future use for yours so I can understand the investment up front as it really isn't just a hunting blind.
If you wanted a toilet you could just get a camp toilet. That is what we have at our pole barn since we don't have a septic. A little temporary curtain would do nicely, and they close up tight so that they don't smell.
Can't wait to see the whole thing done.
Nice choice on the Hardi, too rich for my blood, but if I could afford it I would. But you also have a second future use for yours so I can understand the investment up front as it really isn't just a hunting blind.
If you wanted a toilet you could just get a camp toilet. That is what we have at our pole barn since we don't have a septic. A little temporary curtain would do nicely, and they close up tight so that they don't smell.
Can't wait to see the whole thing done.
Ridgewalker
Platinum Member
OSB w Mossy Oak!!! Gotta get me some of that for my blind! How pricey is it?
TBDonnelly
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Hmmmmmm.....
Eddie, were you unrolling left to right-or-right to left? Though, it is just right for aerial recognition.
BTW, the blind is looking great!!!!
Don
Tororider
Veteran Member
I want to say it was $12 a sheet and I think it was 3/4" thickness. The laminate was put on nicely as far as I could tell, looked to seal it and make it waterproof.
weldingisfun
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Got ya' covered, Eddie. It may take a few months for me to get it done, but I'll git' er' done.
Hey, I can use the same thing.
AlanB
Elite Member
Love the Blind Eddie, I don't think anything of mine will be that nice.
On the generator, one thing we have done too a couple is to get rid of the fuel line and tank etc. and used a plastic boat tank and boat line fittings. The plastic 6 gallon or so kind you can buy at Wal-mart.
You have to set the tank higher then the generator but that is usually not that big of a deal.
It makes fill ups and change out's of tanks easier and is much easier to get clean when you get a bad load of fuel.
Fairly cheap to try (especially if you already have an outboard) and does make refueling more convienient in my mind at least.
Only bad thing about seeing your projects posted is how pathetic it makes mine
On the generator, one thing we have done too a couple is to get rid of the fuel line and tank etc. and used a plastic boat tank and boat line fittings. The plastic 6 gallon or so kind you can buy at Wal-mart.
You have to set the tank higher then the generator but that is usually not that big of a deal.
It makes fill ups and change out's of tanks easier and is much easier to get clean when you get a bad load of fuel.
Fairly cheap to try (especially if you already have an outboard) and does make refueling more convienient in my mind at least.
Only bad thing about seeing your projects posted is how pathetic it makes mine
