Roof Pitch; 4/12 or 3/12?

[EddieWalker]

Why can't I find a 6' wide roll up door? I know they make them since I see them on portable buildings/sheds and storage buildings.

https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Self-St...t+Garage+Door&qid=1564147692&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Amazon has them, but they are expensive. Years ago I was looking into storage buildings and priced different sized doors. They doors for storage units where quite a bit cheaper then what I found for garages and shops, but they where also built from lighter material. I've also found that Home Depot and Lowes are worth the time to talk to the sales people inside the store. You might not find a better price, but sometimes they surprise you.

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Me don't do AMZ!

Found a shed door company on CL. Got a quote for a 6'w x 8'h, delivered for $500 which ain't gonna happen. May go to a sliding track version, but the prices at TS for just the track, mounting hardware and rollers could be close to $200 which I'm not fond of either.

Worked this out for roof access. Between ladder and flat surface isn't a problem for me like ladder to slanted surface is. I can get on the platform easily, then just walk up on the roof. And yes, the roof and trusses DO hold me!! I wasn't sure of my work, so I was a bit leery.

Shed is partially dug into the ground at this corner which is why the ground slopes away. Platform is at the highest ground point and will be removed when roof is done, so didn't need to be super sturdy.

 

[EddieWalker]

You can always buy some big gate hinges and make a swinging door, or do double doors.

 

[Diggin It]

That's what I have on the existing doors. I'm thinking of using the sliding track on one of the new doors I want to make wider, closer to 8' if possible. I can move the hinge/gate hardware from that one to this door if necessary. I don't have a lot of room here for a swinging door though which is why I was hoping to be able to do a roll up. Then again, I'm not sure I can self install a standard roll up. The one I mentioned above is mostly self contained without the usual springs.

 

[Diggin It]

Still puttering around with this. Taking forever between weather, available funds and my messed up hand that is just now becoming usable again. Picked up the scaffolding mentioned on another thread and getting some adjustable feet for it.

Got to a point of tearing out some of the old shed roof/rafters. I was hoping to be able to use some that wood for other projects but that is looking less likely. I knew the bees had been in it, but it's hard to tell to what extent until you cut the board. Found one that was at least a foot long in a 2x6 by 12. That's gotta affect structural integrity. I may be be able to use some of it for shelf systems but not much else.

 

[Diggin It]

This is how screwed up this property is. The 2 4x4s are both 16' and set 2' in the ground. The difference shown between the tops is the ground slope. Once I get the roof line set with the 2x8s, I'll cut the posts where I need them. I'll set a couple of 2x8s at the bottom and backfill to level the dirt floor. I wanted one 2x4x14, but Lowes doesn't carry them in my closest store.

 

[Diggin It]

It's been really, really slow going recently. Ground has been far too soft to set a ladder without a lot of extra care. Scaffold has helped immensely.

Finally made a little more progress today. Last few days have been cold enough to freeze the muck, so I could get an early start knowing the Sun would be out and temps would warm through the 40s. Muck didn't start softening up until the last hour or two.

Got a few more boards hung trying to work out the next section of roof. Found a few others had sagged and needed to be propped up until I get more done to stiffen everything.

As noted in the post above, this whole area is sloped and will need to be backfilled once I get it enclosed. I know that bass ackwards, but it's the way it has to be. Dug out the laser level today and set a reference line all the way around, marking each post. From there, I can measure up or down as needed instead of trying to guess from the uneven ground.

Once I got that mark made, I went back and double checked a few things I had done to a 4' bubble level. Figured out that all of that was within about a half an inch against the laser line. If you knew how screwed up I do things, you'd realize that half inch is quite remarkable.

'Nother nice day on tap for tomorrow after the ground freezes again tonight, so maybe even more will get done.

 

[Diggin It]

So, I did something today that is what most people do as the very first thing. But as I said above, I do things a bit different. I decided to check for square. Took the two corner to corner diagonal measurements and it's out by 5 inches. One diagonal is 5 inches longer than the other. Now that may sound like a lot, but when you consider how the thing was built, section by section, new around old, cutting into a small hillside, dealing with heavy rains, etc., etc.,etc. All in all, I think the fact that it's ONLY out 5 inches is kind of amazing. I figure that means the two distant corner posts are only 3-4 inches off, about a post width. All of the side to side measurements over the near 30 foot length are within a half inch and the center line is true.

Still plugging away. Got 4 more rafters set, plus a lot of little stuff. If the weather holds tomorrow, I'll be setting a few more of the truss diagonals, purlins and other things to prep for a new section of metal roof.

 

[sodamo]

Sounds like progress. Any new pics?

 

[sodamo]

Your square comments make me smile. When we built the cottage shown in my carport thread, the wood was so wet, getting anything plumb, level, and square was something of a joke. Settling for 1 was a triumph, getting two a cause for celebration. Frustrating and we did the best we could. When things finally dried out there wasn’t lots of improvement. Now a days, 15 years later, if a bubble in anywhere in between the lines I just chuckle.