Kate at the Ranch: Finally Building Something

In previous years at the IZ Ranch, I built numerous structures. I had become very handy with a hammer and nail as well as a variety of other tools and skills in regards to building. With this past experience, I came into this summer with the expectations I would be able to utilize my skills in building yet again. However, as you have read, that was not really what happened. We mostly worked in demolition and a bit of painting. Both completely different than building!

But, my team was assigned ONE lone task to build. I was so excited to be able to use the skills I had from previous years to finally do something I was already good at. We were asked to build a shed from the ground up.

First, we had to lay the foundation. This included a lot of cement work and was hard to get just right. It was important we didn't mess up the foundation so that the shed would last in rough weather conditions as well as without a lot of upkeep. After the foundation had been laid, we built the frame of the shed. In this process, I was able to hone my skills using a nail gun and skill saw. I also measured the frame with my team specifically so all the boards would all fit together. Our leader taught us well, reminding us of proper measurements to make sure it was done correctly. When the frame was ready to go, I helped finish the side paneling and the roof so the other parts of the shed could be added to the frame. After a few solid days focused on the shed, we completed this project! I helped build this shed from scratch, and it was so neat to see something finally be built while at the IZ Ranch this summer. Like I mentioned before, this was the only building project on the our Beaver Creek Site this year!