Black Pond Ranger Station Or
What I Did For Summer Vacation
By Tim Chovanak
After almost 9 years of long hours and long commutes I took the summer (plus Fall, Winter and into Spring) off to develop our property, and I mostly finished all the projects as-planned and in the timeframe planned, but one project -- the rebuilding of a wood-shed -- got a little out of control.
For starters, it is no longer a wood shed.
Some basic spec's include: 10x12x6 foot interior for the downstairs workshop area. All stones were found on the property, selected, washed, organized, placed, and then set into place using a variety of home-made and bought mason mixes, settling on Quick-Crete Professional Mason Mix. It took about 180 hours over about 60 days to build the stone portion, although somebody with some experience should be able to do the same in about 3 weeks working full-time and every day.
The upstairs playhouse is made of Douglas Fir logs from the property for the base, and 4x6 Douglas Fir timbers for walls. Most of the remaining wood is Western Red Cedar. Upstairs dimensions include an 8x10 room, 4x10 covered porch overlooking the campfire area, and a loft.
