More Gates

Ok, it may appear to the casual observer, if there are any, that I am obsessed with gates. That may be true, probably is true. Ever since we purchased this house I have had a vision of back yard access that would allow anything from a pick-up truck to a mobile home to be pulled into the back yard. My dream was to build a shop back there, but I doubt that will ever happen. But if it does I have created a way to drive back there with a semi load of building materials. I can't say this will be the last post on gates because I am not finished yet. I worked on these two Friday evening and all day Saturday. I am learning as I go. After I finished the first gate I tried to correct some of the problems and the second one went much faster and with better precision. Also better welds. Still after it was up I thought of things I could do that would make it better, which I incorporated into the design f the third and last gate. These two gates together span over 20ft. the center post is removable to create one huge opening to accommodate anything you could ever want to put into a back yard.

Finished Gate

I finished the first gate yesterday, and I am really happy with the results. It is very rigid and holds the weight well. This total span is 12 ft. It is 9.5 ft between the posts. I added a hinged end so that it will fold back and clear the higher part of the rise to the driveway as the gate is swung open. It will also serve as a small pass through. The added weight of the end caused a tiny bit more sag after I had set the latch.
Just don't look too closely at the quality of the welds. They don't look very pretty but they are strong enough.

Swinging Gates

I am in the process of building the gates for the side yard. When the fence blew down in Hurricane Ike the side gate went with it. I decided to add gates to the other side as well which would give access to the back yard for parking a trailer or what ever. One of the maintenance guys at the Salem RO taught me how to make this gate years ago. I used the design on the side yard in Olypia so I could keep the trailer hidden behind it thus keeping the neighborhood gestapo appeased. The side yard next to the garage has been my utility trailer parking spot and it will be again once the gate is completed. I need to weld on the metal pieces to attach the 2x4 to that I will nail the fence boards on. This gate will be much more rigid than the one I built in Olympia. Here are the results so far.

The gate(s) on the other side of the house, actually two of them will open the entire side yard with a nifty removable middle post that will allow any size vehicle to drive into the back yard. There will be a small gate that is big enough to drive the lawn tractor through. I have the posts in but have not built the gate yet. I will post pictures later.

Outhouse

I have been interested in old outhouses for several years. Actually, I am not the only one as it turns out if you google outhouse you can view quite a bit of information and photographs of old outhouses, including an explanation of the moon cut out you typically see on the door. You'll have to look it up if you want to know.

 On a recent trip to Denver I went out to inspect a claim and the homeowner had an outhouse made from old weathered wood siding and rusted metal roof. It looked so cool I  knew I had to build one. I didn't have access to any old barn wood or rusted metal for the roof so I had to settle for materials I had available.  I used some lumber I had accumulated to frame the floor and walls. I would like to have purchased rough cut lumber or cedar 1x boards for the siding, but I wanted to use something a little more budget friendly. I settled on pressure treated pine fencing. It has taken a while but today I finally built and installed the door. It is a little bigger than most outhouses, but it also serves as a storage shed for gasoline and garden tools.

In about 20 years it will have the aged look and character of this outhouse which was the "inspiration" for my outhouse.