Building the Chicken Palace, part 1

It was Labor Day. That meant I was supposed to work, right? Actually, getting a start on the DIY Chicken Palace wasn't work in the traditional sense because I laughed too much. There was sweat involved, but no blood or tears. Yet.

Planning the project, shopping for the materials, then hauling them home was the hard part. Click here if you need to catch up. Putting the Palace together would be the fun part ... or so I hoped.

I set up shop in the garage, then stared at the pile of lumber for longer than I'd care to admit. I had most of the tools and supplies I needed...all that was missing was an instruction manual. What would Dad do? I asked myself. Measure twice and cut once. Alrighty then.

I can't begin to tell you the perverse amount of satisfaction I get from figuring out how to do something when I don't have the right tool. 

While I do have an impressive collection of Dad's hand-me-downs, it does not include a pair of sawhorses. 

Watch the curtain rise on DIY Improv Theater. 

And when I accomplish a two-person job by myself? I'm insufferable. Seriously, you don't want to be around to witness the fist-pumping.

Somewhere along the line I read about clamping a board to a board to use as a guide for the saw. It worked!

And when I needed to attach the legs of the base to the Palace floor, what better to assist me than 

Snapper's scratching post and Smooch's 40-pound bag of dog food for ballast?

There was a table dance involved to test the strength and levelness (is that a word?) of the Palace base. It passed!

I kept reminding myself that I was building a chicken coop and not a piece of fine furniture, so I did cut myself some slack. But when all was said and done, the base of the Chicken Palace was sturdy, level ... and kind of awkward and heavy. Not to worry. I have a plan to easily transport it to its final destination in the barn.

Meanwhile, at the end of construction day one, the base was finished and suitable for framing. Between now and next weekend, I'll be scheming how I can attach the siding without the benefit of an assistant. Can you see me deviously rubbing my hands together with an evil grin on my face?

You would think that someone capable of getting this far would have thought to take down the bicycle hanging from the ceiling so she wouldn't bang her head on it 127 times in one afternoon.