BHM Newsletter
Volume 10      Number 9

September 25, 2008
 

INSIDE BHM

New Issue

We just completed deadline for our upcoming Issue No. 114. The Nov/Dec 2008 issue will feature articles like:

The community treasure chest by Sandy Coates

The fire wick fire starter by Len McDougall

Whole grain breads by Richard Blunt

Cash in on autumn’s bounty of crabapples by Linda Gabris

Great home-cooked meals from your storage pantry by Jackie Clay

An economical battery of guns for the backwoods home by Massad Ayoob

The world is coming to an end...and this time, I’m not kidding by John Silveira

and much more.

We also shot some video about how the new cover came to be and posted the three parts on YouTube. If you'd like to watch them, just use the buttons, below. Each will open one of the videos in a new window. Scripting must be enabled in your browser.

Discounts for Newsletter Readers

New Anthology

We also just received our new anthology, Starting Over -- Chronicles of a Self-Reliant Woman by Jackie Clay.

Starting Over is the remarkable story about Jackie Clay building her homestead in the Minnesota wilderness. It is taken from her Starting Over series in Backwoods Home Magazine spanning the last several years. The series covered gardening, preserving the harvest, recipes, care of livestock, and building a home and outbuildings. This is a wonderful story of her journey that continues today. This series, consisting of 14 chapters, flows into a beautifully written story. If this book doesn't inspire all of us yearning for a more self-reliant life, then nothing will.

The book is available now in our General Store for $15.95 but Newsletter readers can save $5.00 if you order it using this special code - JCB9. See directions for ordering and getting the discount, below.

Click Here for the book page.

Preparedness Pack

Two months ago, we ran a special offer on our Preparedness Pack, pictured to the right. The response was great, but given what's happening in the financial markets, we thought we'd make it available at a discount again to Newsletter readers, for those who may have missed it. You can get the discount using this code - PPS8.

Click here for the Preparedness Pack page

By the way, if you would like to order Starting Over and the Preparedness Pack and save $10, just use the code JCPP8.

Here's how to order:

To order either or both of the above specials, just visit our General Store. Add Starting Over and/or the Preparedness Pack to your shopping cart.

When you are ready to check out, type the appropriate in the box below where it says "Enter Coupon Code # here". Then click on the "Enter" button and the cart will deduct either $5.00 or $10 from your order.

You may order other items at the same time, but your order MUST include either Starting Over or the Preparedness Pack for the $5 discount to be honored, or both for the $10 discount to be honored. Also, this offer may not be combined with any other coupon, offer, or discount, however named, and will expire October 21, 2008.

SELF-RELIANCE TIPS

Turning the Harvest into a Home Business

It's that time of year. The vines are heavy. Apples fall from trees. Tendrils of squash plants have escaped beyond the garden fence and fecund fruits threaten to take over the yard. Gathering days are here.

Perhaps, too, this is the time of year when friends and relatives start telling you, "Your preserves are so good you should market them" or "You could make a mint from your mint jelly!" or "Your raspberry tarts could sell at any restaurant."

So perhaps your thoughts turn to starting a home-based food business. It's easy enough to sell home-grown produce at farmers' markets, roadside stands, or to subscribers of community-supported agriculture plans. But you know it's a greater challenge altogether to sell processed, "value-added" food items. The maze of health rules, the special equipment, the labeling, the inspections, the distribution -- these all present daunting problems to anybody who hopes to earn money from the family crops.

Those barriers remain real and substantial. But incentives for turning your produce into saleable products are increasing. First, and saddest, is the state of the economy. Face it, more rural families need an extra source of income these days. But then come some more positive incentives: The push toward eating healthier, locally produced foods is gaining strength. Health-conscious and socially conscious people in cities near you are looking for foods produced locally and produced without tons of industrial chemicals.

All this could spell opportunity for entrepreneurial rural families.

So we scoured the web in search of resources to help you decide whether and how to turn your crop and your culinary skills into a business.

First, the National Center for Home Food Preservation starts out with the basics: Can you legally market food you process in your own kitchen? They answer, "Probably not." (Right away, you run into those complicated government rules.) But then they go on to list a series of resources, such as extension agents and government-run test kitchens designed to help would-be entrepreneurs develop recipes and learn more about how to market them. The message: Home-based food entrepreneurship isn't easy, but it can be done.

Penn State University, one of the U.S.'s best-known sources for info in this field, chimes in with a more positive set of basics on food entrepreneurship. Their guide takes you from the fundamentals ("Making the decision to become a food processor") to the more advanced how-tos ("Co-packing and co-packers").

For those interested in natural, organic, and sustainable agriculture, the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service has a good page on "Marketing, Business & Risk Management."

The Postharvest Yellowpages gives a large, well-categorized series of links to packing houses, equipment makers, chemical and testing systems, makers of cooling systems, transportation companies, and much more.

Finally, we turn to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for two websites. We warn you in advance that (no surprise) these two pages are dull enough to serve as substitutes for Sominex. Yet there's no question that the FDA is the source for food safety and handling issues. So before investing your time and money in any value-added food business, check out the FDA's pages on "Starting a Food Business" and "Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables".

RECIPES

Autumn Harvest

The pumpkin is on the vine and very soon the frost -- and the scary Halloween grins -- will be on the pumpkin. Apples, zucchini, and more are coming in by the bushel. To help with all that bounty, this month's recipes -- from salads and soups through meat dishes and desserts -- all contain at least one fall fruit or vegetable.

Squash and Tomato Salad

Use any type of yellow squash and/or zucchini; it's up to you.

1 pound squash or zucchini, sliced diagonally
1 pound ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges
1/2 cup purple onion, sliced into narrow strips
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

Arrange squash in a steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam 1 minute, then plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.

Combine squash, tomatoes, onion, and basil in salad bowl. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the vegetables and toss gently. Serve chilled.

Serves 4 to 6.

Fall Colors Salad

4 cups sweet potatos, peeled and cubed
1 apple with skin, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
seasoned rice vinegar to taste

Steam potatoes until soft but not mushy. Toss all ingredients lightly, dress with balsamic or your favorite herbed vinegar.

Autumn Salad

This salad was served at the former Shoalwater Restaurant in Seaview, Washington.

organic baby greens (some bitter greens like mustard or endive add a great zip)
crumbled feta cheese
chopped toasted walnuts
dried cranberries (aka craisins)

Toss together and top with a vinaigrette dressing. The Shoalwater used its own cranberry-vinaigrette.

Pureed Autumn Soup

1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 cup carrots, sliced
2 cups butternut squash, cubed
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups light cream
2 ounce dry white wine
salt and black pepper to taste
chives and/or grated carrot for garnish

In a large kettle, melt butter. Add onion and leeks and cook until soft but not brown. Add potato, carrots and squash; cook 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add stock; cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree in food processor or blender until very smooth.

Return to saucepan.Stir in cream to desired consistency. Add wine. Heat slowly until very hot (do not boil). Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with a sprinkle of chives or green onions and a little grated carrot.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Vinaigrette

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup port wine
1 butternut squash (about 2 lb.)
1 small red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 medium heads endive
1 small head frisée
1/2 small head radicchio
3 cups loosely packed spinach leaves, stemmed
6-oz. log fresh goat cheese
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Sherry-Maple Vinaigrette
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon or other spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 cup peanut oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To make the vinaigrette: Combine vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and shallots in a bowl and slowly whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready for use.

To make the dish: Cover the raisins with the port and let sit overnight.

Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut off the bulb end of the squash; reserve for another use. Peel the cylinder end and cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces. Thinly slice the red onion. In a bowl, combine the squash, red onion, olive oil, and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine thoroughly. Spread the squash and onions on an oiled sheet pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until the squash is just cooked through and the squash and onions are browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cut the endive into 1/2-inch slices. Cut off the stem end of the frisée, separate the leaves, and cut them into smaller pieces. Core and roughly chop the radicchio. Combine the endive, frisée, radicchio, and spinach in a nonreactive mixing bowl; toss with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette. Arrange the greens on six plates.

Heat the broiler. Slice the goat cheese into 6 rounds and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil until just soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Top each plate of greens with the still-warm squash and onions. Drain the raisins and sprinkle them, the toasted walnuts, and the bacon, if using, around the plate. Garnish with a round of warmed goat cheese. Drizzle a few teaspoons of the remaining vinaigrette around each plate and serve. Reserve extra vinaigrette for another use.

Chicken-Apple Skillet

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 sweet apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped dried tarragon

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken 5 minutes or until beginning to brown. Gradually stir the apples into the skillet, and continue cooking 15 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear and apples are tender. Mix in the garlic salt, pepper, pumpkin pie spice, and tarragon.

Honey-Mustard Chicken

1/2 cup apple cider
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon dijon or other spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons seasoned dry breadcrumbs
4 chicken breasts (with or without skin, as you prefer)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small unpeeled apples, cored and cut into eighths
1/2 cup chicken broth
fresh parsley for garnish

Whisk cider, cornstarch, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.

Place bread crumbs in a bowl or on a piece of wax paper and dip the chicken to coat with crumbs.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the chicken breasts. Cook over medium heat until golden brown on one side. Turn chicken, add apples, and cook until browned on the other side.

Add chicken broth, cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 15 minutes.

With slotted spoon, remove chicken and apples to serving plates. Whisk cider mixture again and add to skillet. Cook and stir over high heat until lightly thickened and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon over chicken and apples, sprinkle with parsley. Serve with rice or noodles.

Serves 4.

Apple-Glazed Pork Roast

4 pounds pork loin roast
6 apples
1/4 cup apple juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Rub roast with salt and pepper. Brown roast briefly under broiler to remove excess fat; drain well. Peel, core and quarter apples. Place apples in bottom of crock pot. Place roast on top of apples. Combine apple juice, brown sugar, and ginger. Spoon over top surface of roast, moistening well. Cook for approximately three hours or until tender.

Pork and Pumpkin Stew

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
14-to-16-ounce can tomatoes, including juice
1 1/2 cups water
1 pound turnips, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups chopped washed turnip greens or kale
2-pound pumpkin, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces (seeds removed)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large kettle heat the oil over moderately high heat until hot. Brown the pork then remove it to a bowl. Add onions to the oil and pork juices. Stir occasionally, until onions are golden, then stir in garlic. Add the tomatoes, water, and the pork. Bring the mixture to a boil, and braise the stew, covered, in the middle of a preheated 350° F. oven for 1 hour. Stir in the turnips and braise the stew, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in the greens and the pumpkin and braise the stew, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender. Season the stew with salt and pepper and serve it with the rice.

Microwave-Poached Pears

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice
1 tablespoon dry red wine (optional)
2 Bosc pears, ripe but not too soft

Combine cranberries, walnuts, 1 cup of the cranberry juice, and the wine in a saucepan on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium and cook until the liquid becomes syrupy, about 10 minutes.

While the mixture is simmering, halve the pears and scoop out the center with a melon baller to remove the center core and create a small hollow. Place the pear halves in a microwave-safe dish and pour the remaining 1/2 cup cranberry juice over the pears. Cover and microwave on high until softened, about 6 minutes.

Arrange the poached pears on a serving dish and use a slotted spoon to fill with the cranberry-walnut mixture. Drizzle the remaining syrup over all.

Serves: 4

Apple-Pecan Crisp

For the topping:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup pecans, chopped into large chunks

For the filling:
8 apples peeled, cored and quartered
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Butter an 8" square pan, and preheat the oven to 350 F.

To prepare the topping, mix together the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnomon and salt. Ad the butter and work with your hands until the mixture is homogenous but with large chunks. Mix in pecans.

To make the filling, in a large bowl stir together the apples, lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon. Spread the filling in the prepared pan. Evenly spread the topping over the apples.

Bake about 45 minutes or until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a bit of half-and-half.

HUMOR

Shaggy Dogs and Other Stories

Some friars wanted to do more for their flock but their vow of poverty, simple lifestyle and lack of gainful employment meant that their supply of available funds was, to say the least, meager. Nevertheless, they put their collective heads together and came up with the idea of opening a small florist shop. They reasoned that they could grow most of the flowers on the church grounds, and what they couldn't grow, they could likely pick from the surrounding countryside.

As you can probably guess, everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God and their little business flourished. So much so that the rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close their little shop, but their flower business was providing them with much-needed funds for their good works and they refused. He went back time and again, finally begging the friars to close. By this time, they had tired of the florist's constant whining and they ignored him. The florist even asked his mother to go and ask the friars to get out of the flower business, but they ignored her, too.

By this time, the florist was nearly backrupt and in desperation hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town, to "persuade" the good friars to close. Being a man of few morals and even fewer religious convictions, Hugh had no ethical problems with his assigned task and promptly gave the friars a thorough beating and trashed their store. He departed with a stern warning that he'd be back if they didn't close the shop.

Terrified, the friars did so immediately, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.

All the top chess players show up at a hotel for an important international tournament. They spend the first hour hanging around the lobby telling each other of their recent victories. Their crows get progressively louder and louder as each one tries to outdo the others.

The hotel manager gets tired of this, so he throws them out of the lobby and tells them to go to their rooms. "If there's one thing I can't stand," he says, "it's chess nuts boasting by an open foyer."

Steven Spielberg was discussing his new project - an action docudrama about famous composers starring top movie stars. Sylvester Stallone, Steven Segal, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were all present.

Spielberg strongly desired the box office 'oomph' of these superstars, so he was prepared to allow them to select whatever composers they would portray, as long as they were very famous.

"Well," started Stallone, "I've always admired Mozart. I would love to play him."

"Chopin has always been my favorite, and my image would improve if people saw me playing the piano," said Willis. "I'll play him."

"I've always been partial to Strauss and his waltzes," said Segal. "I'd like to play him."

Spielberg was very pleased with these choices. "Sounds splendid." Then,looking at Schwarzenegger, he asked, "Who do you want to be, Arnold?"

So Arnold says........

"I'll be Bach."

It's a little-known fact that Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, had an identical twin bother. The twin had left the city many years ago, to live in the countryside, where he made a good living as a bell-ringer for a small rural church.

One day, Quasimiodo decided he wanted to go on a holiday, so he called his brother and asks if he'd like to come over for a week or so to look after the bells at Notre Dame. The brother decided that this would be a great idea. Nice change of scenery, and all that, so he packed a couple of bags, and headed off to Paris.

He was overwhelmed by the scale of everything, especially the great cathedral where his brother worked. Quasimodo lead him high up into the belfry. "The bell-cords rotted through years ago," he explains, " so I now have to ring the bells from up here."

"How do you do that?" asked his brother.

"Well," said Quasi, "I run at the bells, and hit them with my head like this...". He dashed and bashed the nearest bell with his forehead, and it made a beautiful chime.

After a few demonstrations, the brother decided to give it a try. He ran towards a bell, smacked his head against it, and it made a lovely chime. Unfortunately, it also gave him concussion, and he staggered around the belfry for a moment before falling out. Down, down, down, down, down he plunged to the pavement below as Quasi peered over the edge in horror.

Down below, a crowd gathered around the still, broken body.

"Who is it?" cried one horrified onlooker.

"I'm not sure," said another. "But his face sure rings a bell."

"Yeah," said a third, "He's a dead ringer for Quasimodo."

"No, wait," said another. "I think it's Quasi's brother. I had a hunch he was back."

A handyman had a dog named Mace. Mace was a great dog except for one weird habit: he liked to eat grass. Not just a little bit, but in quantities that would make a lawnmower blush. And nothing, it seemed, could cure him of it.

One day, the handyman lost his wrench in the tall grass while he was working outside. He looked and looked, but it was nowhere to be found. As it was getting dark, he gave up for the night and decided to look the next morning.

When he awoke, he went outside, and saw that his dog had eaten the grass all in the area, around where he had been working, and his wrench now lay in plain sight, glinting in the sun. Going out to get his wrench, he called the dog over to him and said, "A grazing Mace, how sweet the hound, that saved a wrench for me."

Shortly after they retired from TV and movies, the famous singing cowboy couple Roy Rogers and Dale Evans had a problem with a mountain lion on their ranch.

This lion had cost Roy and Dale a number of head of cattle, but what really got Roy's goat was that one night the big cat crept onto the front porch of their house and mangled Roy's brand new cowboy boots, which had been left outside overnight for their sidekick, Pat Brady, to polish.

After he lost his beautiful new boots, Roy (who tended to sulk, anyhow, in his retirement boredom), just hung around the house moping and grumbling. Finally, Dale had enough. "Look, Roy," she said, "I know it's dangerous. But I don't think you're going to be happy until you track that mountain lion down and kill it."

Roy agreed. So next morning, he saddled up Trigger, called his famous dog Bullet to his side, and rode off into the hills following the big cat's tracks. Dale anxiously stayed at home, watching and waiting. She knew "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," But she also knew Roy was pretty old and could be in jeopardy out in the wild.

It took days, while Dale waited in distress. But Roy found that lion, shot it dead, and tied the carcass across Trigger's back for the ride home. Slowly, they trotted back toward the house

First, Dale saw him only as a speck in the distance. But as she watched, she was overjoyed to see Roy, Trigger, and Bullet all in good shape. And sure enough! There was a mountain lion carcass slung over the saddle. Yee haw!

Dale was so overjoyed as her beloved husband rode up the the porch, that she grabbed her guitar, started strumming and spontaneously burst into song: "Pardon me Roy, is that the cat that chewed your new shoes?"

BONUS ARTICLE

Moving a Free Outbuilding

By Harry G. Nemec

Twice now, people have offered (and I accepted) a "free shed" for moving it onto my property. This is how I managed to move two rather large sheds. I moved these buildings using "common items" in uncommon fashion. The structures were a 12 foot x 20 foot steel building, and an 11 foot x 28 feet wooden shed.

Now, I am not a building mover, nor in the building moving business...but I wanted those buildings. I made up my mind to move the building because it could be mine if I could get it to my property. So the first tool I had was determination.

Next item needed, a good small working jack. I have a small 3 ton hydraulic jack. "Bridging" is nothing more than a series of anything that keeps the building elevated once raised. The bridging pieces I used consisted of 4 inch by 4 inch, 4 inch by 6 inch lumber, etc., (most about two feet long), and some concrete blocks. A pry bar, crowbar, good hammer, and some 20 and 24 penny nails. A versatile saw permitting of a variety of cuts (I used a reciprocating saw). A good trailer, and something that will pull the "loaded" trailer.

I first looked at the trailer I had to use, and "visualized" the "balance point" of the load over the axle. This meant that I had to determine if the trailer I had could haul the building, and if I could get the building onto the trailer. Once I figured out "how" (engineering), it was a resolution (management) that I could "do it" (labor).

I moved the steel shed with a four by six foot utility trailer. This was achieved by backing the trailer into the shed. In order to get the trailer into the shed, I had to remove a panel from each side of the (missing double door). I used 12 foot timbers (on edge, about two feet apart) to "connect" the walls of the shed. Then placed those timbers on the upper edge of the trailer. [Later these timbers would be nailed into from the outside, through the steel walls, thus connecting the two walls.] Then I loosened the shed from its foundation. Jacked it up about ten to twelve inches to allow for the "downward" distance the trailer would "settle" from the weight of the shed. This would result in having "several inches" of road clearance. [A thorough knowledge of the distance and the roads to be traveled was important in this consideration. Also, I had to have a permit for an oversized load and permission from the jurisdictions over the roads traveled.]

While lifting the structure, each side of the building required bridging to support the raise, until lifted evenly. Jacking up a building is somewhat "tricky" because the building can shift and if metal, can bend irreparably. A helper (my son) was a vital part of the raising operation as one person can place a block while the other can apply force on the prying bar.

What this means is that the process of jacking up the building has to be well thought out. How far to lift it and where to place the jack are "engineering" decisions. I prefer to start at the corners. Generally, the corners are the strongest part of a building. By virtue of the right angle and connection at the roof, the building will raise more "square". The steel building was relatively light for its size, and lifted easily. I could use the pry bar to raise it far enough to place a 4 inch by 4 inch block to keep it lifted, and raised another portion until I had the whole building elevated one block. Then I used a block as a fulcrum and raised the building again and was able to insert a second block. And so on.

When the building became high enough to clear the trailer, the trailer was moved into the exact position necessary to transport the building. Any new or additional building support was applied and the building lowered onto the trailer. The lowering process is just the reverse order of lifting it while constantly observing the placement and the reaction of the new supports across the trailer.

The lowering process was just as slow and careful as possible and great attention paid to any and all sounds. I thought if a timber is going to break it might give a warning sign. Once the weight "settled on the trailer" and resulted with sufficient road clearance, the building was ready to be secured to the trailer. Then readied for transportation. Now a word of caution here. All the trips I made with these buildings on trailers, the trailers were overloaded. Not just because of weight, but width and height. I had plenty of help from neighbors making sure I did not break branches, nor run over their bushes, nor pets, nor children, nor tear down their television cable, nor electric, nor telephone lines. The traffic yielded to my progress...(or they could hit me...I guess I was a slow moving "catastrophe" looking for a place to happen).

With the experience of the metal building under my belt, I did not hesitate when offered a wooden shed 11 feet wide by 28 feet long. I figured a few hours to free it, cut it and move half in one day....What a thought!!!

The former owner of the shed partitioned it so that it was a work shop 11 by 17 and 11 x 11 with a garage door.

Here's how I decided to move it. Divide the large shed into two parts consisting of a "garage" and a shed. Then move it "lengthwise," one piece at a time. It took me two hours to empty the shed, finding several "antiques" and some items that I could sell at a yard sale. Any odd lumber and siding would be used to repair the "openings" made to effect movement.

The wooden structure was on a block foundation and bolted fast. I cut the bolts so that they would allow the building to rise. Then I smashed a part of the foundation, in several locations for placement of the jack. When I was able to begin to lift the building up from it's foundation, I measured to separate the large structure into two smaller buildings. Then I divided the structure with a line.

I then measured the size of the opening I needed for the trailer, and cut that hole in the end of the building wall. Then I cleared the foundation wall away and was able to back in the trailer. Then I sawed the building in half. Measuring between the studs, and roof rafters, I planned to "loose" no more than about a foot from each "half". That way, I did not need to worry about a perfectly straight cut. The "cut" area would be walled on both sides, and the large shed would become two smaller sheds.

Once the building was in two pieces, I was able to begin the process of lifting each portion separately to move it. The garage door had been "frozen" in a half raised position for several months, but just when I began to lift the building, the door fell to it's "locked" position. When that happened, I ceased raising it. I had to secure the garage door for two reasons. The first reason was to prevent further damage to it. Above all, to prevent it from shifting below the sill level until "set" on its new site. (Also, had the door fallen down during transit there could have been a serious accident, because the door would have the same effect as an anchor on one side, causing a load shift.)

The garage door was secured by looping through the roof sill around the door bottom and cinching with a stout line. On the inside, the door and lock was fastened also. When I was satisfied that the garage door would not move, either up or down, the lifting process continued. The next project was to raise the building sufficiently that it could be supported onto the trailer. This was done by making "rafters" from wall to wall. Again I used 12 foot timbers nailed across the end wall and the partitioned wall. A timber was fastened across the inside of garage door. Thus the door was protected from damage and that timber was a "weight bearing" timber, since the cross timbers were transferring the weight of the wall to the trailer. The wall opposite the garage door was heavier. There, the timbers were fastened to the studs. Once performed, the building was lowered onto the trailer, allowing for the necessary distance for "road clearance". When that was accomplished, everything was "secured" to prevent movement.

That portion of the building was moved onto my property into a temporary position, and lifted off the trailer, supported, and the trailer pulled out from under.

The next portion of the building proved much more challenging. It was much larger, and heavier than thought. The first attempt resulted with two broken timbers and the other timbers unfastened. What I hadn't planned on was not clearing the foundation of the first portion, already moved. It was similar to hitting a high curb with the building, and it dislodged, so I had to start over again.

However, this time I had my son to help me jack up the building and reinforce the timbers. The setback was only an hour or so. No big deal.

Moving the building into place on a new site involves the opposite process. One thing that must be considered is the elevation of the building since it has no floor. The height of the floor is a factor in all calculations involving consideration of the foundation.

Having moved the steel building twenty years ago made me feel that I could move anything. That was twenty years ago. The wooden shed was moved just a couple weeks ago. The process really hadn't changed. However, now, my son grew up, the digging iron got heavier, the jack got heavier, the cinder blocks got harder and the hammer got heavier, and the hands on the clock move faster. Other than that, everything is the same.
 

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Just visit the BHM web site at www.backwoodshome.com and click on "Newsletter" in the navigation menu on the left side of any web page.

Contact Info:

Editor/Letters - Dave Duffy, editor@backwoodshome.com
Web Site - Oliver Del Signore, webmaster@backwoodshome.com