We finally started work on the new shop and I couldn’t be more excited. The previous shop, a run down garage on the west side of Buffalo had its limitations-the roof and foundation wall leaked every time it rained, it wasn’t well insulated and miserably cold in the winter, I had to roll machines in and out of corners for use, wood was stored in every desperate corner, and when I had a big job on the workbench, well it became chaotic. I did the best I could with the space I had, I had no choice. When you want to accomplish big things and all you have is lemons, well you learn to make fruit punch. Yes, fruit punch.
This new shop is my dream shop, surrounded by acres of trees and nature. It’s a solid structure, but it needs a bit of work to be ideal. First task: install windows and insulate the walls. I’ve learned that natural light and heat will keep me motivated and working in the cold winter months. The walls of the new space are built with studs and t1-11 siding. The previous owners covered the back wall with pallets for reasons unknown to me, maybe to reinforce the strength of the wall for storage items, they had a TON of pallets. Unbeknownst to them, they created great nesting cavities for mice and chipmunks. To install the new windows and secure the back wall, all of this had to come down.
My apprentice Maura came down to help for the day; demo work is always therapeutic and fun, but it’s way more fun with help. Check out our instagram for a funny time lapse video of us demoing. In just a few hours, we managed to open up the whole back wall, exposing some seriously foul smelling mouse nests and water damage to the siding. This will need to be addressed before insulating the walls.
As a bonus, we discovered that ALL the wood nailed to the back wall was OAK!! We neatly stacked up all the boards on a heavy duty plastic shelf the previous owners left behind, will be great for future use. My husband kindly commented that the shelf might be over capacity, but I think the shelf is just smiling about the free load it scored. Till next time.
-Viktoria
