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The Fallout shelter 14'X40'X80'

56479 Views 933 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  Rusty Scupper, 
firestopper
Back in 2013 I decided to build a detached shop next to my home. For 15 years I had been working out of an attached 26'X50" but it seemed I had acquired too many machines and quickly found myself unable to park any rigs inside. Living in the SW desert of Arizona, I was at full time war with packrats and the harsh UV rays of the sun. I wanted something large enough to address it all. My old shop had a large Band saw, cold saw, lathe, mill, pipe bender, CNC 5'x10' plasma table, several tool boxes, a compliment of miller welders, 51Ton iron worker and a 4'x12' jig table just to name a few. Needless to say all automotive work was preformed outside.

A last look of the old shop.
Motor vehicle Automotive design Engineering Industry Factory


After pulling a large Palo Verde tree and relocating a 40' sea container I was ready to layout the new pad.
Tire Wheel Vehicle Sky Car


Forming and importing dirt as well as laying out all the anchor bolts for the 10 columns.
Cloud Sky Wood Road surface Asphalt

The night before the 3am pour.
Automotive lighting Light Street light Road surface Asphalt

The foundation was poured in mid July with temps averaging 105º.
A 44 meter pump truck kept the flow coming. I had hired eight finishers for the day myself included.
The fella at the drivers side outrigger at the pump is 6'3" so it gives you an idea of the size of the pump rig.
Cloud Sky Road surface Asphalt Vehicle

The power finisher doing its magic.
Cloud Sky Property Tire Road surface

Finished up around noon for a 9 hour day. I kept the water on for 7 days to counter the hot days.
Cloud Sky Tree Asphalt Road surface

Another shot from the NW corner. You can see the 1.5" notch around the perimeter. This will secure a 3" base flange with the skins over it to keep water out. The hose entering the slab is a "man door" location. The west end will have
two 10' x 12' garage doors. the NE side will have a 10'X 12' rollup door (2 post lift), and the SE end will have a 10'X12'
garage door aligned up to the one of the West doors for a drive through option.
Water Plant Watercourse Composite material Tree

About a week later the delivery from El Paso arrived with the kit I purchased through Mueller inc. They were great to deal with every step of the way. The provided all the engineering to satisfy my county. The only thing I had to source was a foundation with an engineering stamp for all the steel in the piers and footers.
Cloud Sky Vehicle Wheel Tree

Between the drivers crab style fork lift and my Hyster, we made short work of staging the "red iron".
Cloud Sky Tree Road surface Mountain

More to follow.
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firestopper
mp06011999 said:
Part of me wants to see Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner, with puffed smoke and all - lol.

Jokes aside, I'm more a fan of basics like cactus, boulders, maybe a lizzard. I still wanna make stone-filled rebar cactus to replace anything left growing in the yard. Just haven't yet.
View attachment 656607

Just saw this and think it's cool.
View attachment 656608

Just sharing ideas....

As always, you do nice work (y)
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That’s very cool art no doubt. I’m a fan of those gabion walls.

OkDually said:
I'm positive the GSD's appreciate their life you gave them on this earth. Their journey across the bridge will be peaceful and your loyalty will give solace in the last days.
They in turn have given you many, many memories that will live on.
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100% brother! Our dogs are like children to us. They’ve brought us many years of joy and great memories. Saying goodbye is never easy but they depart while I’m holding them.
My eyes dry and telling them how much they mean to me/us. Thanking them for their unconditional love and companionship..
When they draw their last breath is when I lose my cool.
Honestly, I’m not over the last two losses and miss them daily.


77cruiser said:
It's tough losing your furry friends.
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Very difficult brother. Having another pup left helps, but being from the same litter, it’s coming for him too.

mp06011999 said:
Sad. I try and focus on the fact that a sad end of life means there was a happy life. Easier said than done when it happens.

I feel for you.

My inability to handle loss of a loved one kept me from ever having another pet and is part of the reason for never having kids and trying to resist the love of a good woman for years. I know, even sadder than loss. In that regard, I am most definitely broken.

Kudos for all you did for each other and again, my heart goes out to you.
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Thank you brother,
My wife and I were talking the other evening and we began taking specificallyabout our past furr kids and we both began to weep.
We made the decision then we would not raise any more dogs.
It’s too painful when they depart.
You’re not broken, you’re guarding your heart.

I appreciate everyone’s support. I also know others have lost close family members and that’s truly a loss. Losing a pet is not in the same league but then again, I trust and love my animals more than most humans.
Peace…
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R
I feel your pain. Cherish every last moment you have. Having many different breeds of dogs, a GSD is (IMO) the most loyal dog there is. When you say she is your "shadow", she is there to guard you and be a part of you. Something I haven't seen in other breeds.
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firestopper
Rusty Scupper said:
I feel your pain. Cherish every last moment you have. Having many different breeds of dogs, a GSD is (IMO) the most loyal dog there is. When you say she is your "shadow", she is there to guard you and be a part of you. Something I haven't seen in other breeds.
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Thanks, I’ve had four females and three males and the girls have always been stuck to my side. I’ve always luv that about my girls. Today she had a pep in her step! Spending extra time with both of them.
Be well brother.
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firestopper
Yesterday we set Valkyrie (Val) free. She not only made her 11th birthday, she gave us 12 extra days.
Being the first of six to be born on February 24, 2012, she was born Apneic. I was between shifts while my wife was at work when Gladius began to welp. Gladius's motherly animal instinct was to attempt to burry her. I gently took Val and began to stimulate and blow air into her tiny lungs. By the time my wife arrived from work we had three pups with Val hanging on. By 8 pm we had all six (four girls and two boys).
She also suffered a partial amputation to her outer toe to her right rear leg. I also removed this along with her rear dew claws. She also sustained a tendon injury to the rear left hawk or knee. By the time she turned 6 months it was evident she suffered from Pano (Panosteitis) an extremely painful condition that affects the long bones of larger breed of dogs. Later she developed an eye disorder that required prescription drops. As she aged she also developed a skin condition that would result in small open lesions that required wound care to prevent infection. All this and she was always the first at the door when it was time to work. I never once herd her wince in pain in her 11 years. She was an inspiration to me as I experienced my own aches and pains from aging.

A shot of the litter enjoying outside time. Notice the splint we fashioned for her left leg using a roll of SAM splint material. This splint was changed out every day as she was growing fast. Without the splint her rear leg would splay out when walking. A visit to the vet proved to be a waste of time and money since what we provided was what the doc recommended. She required the splint for two weeks until the tendon mended.
Dog Carnivore German shepherd dog Gesture Dog breed

A gentle soul even as a pup!
Dog Carnivore Dog breed Fawn Grass

They remained together for 8 weeks.
Dog Felidae Dog breed Carnivore Dog bed

She had my heart from the start!
Dog breed Whiskers Plant Wallaby Grass

Snack training! Meaning they are training the mom. Valkyrie's left ear never stood on its own for nine years. It wasn't until the passing of Gladys that her ear popped tall. Weird right?
Dog Vertebrate Carnivore Grey Fawn

The juvenile phase is alway my favorite because they are awkward and developing their own personality.
Dog breed Carnivore Fawn German shepherd dog kangaroo

A couple of months prior to Gladius's passing. Valkyrie loved her pack.
Dog Plant Carnivore Road surface Grass

Her second favorite spot when she wasn't my shadow.
AKA "Baby crate".
Table Chair Sunglasses Carnivore Fawn

More times than not, this was her sleep position.
Dog Carnivore Dog breed Mammal Fawn

A few more to share..
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firestopper
The last few photos are of Val since the passing of her mother Gladius and grandfather Phalanx.
Look at those ears! I told her she was faking it for 9 years. 🤣 Notice the missing outer toe to her right rear foot.
Dog Cabinetry Dog breed Carnivore Countertop

Her favorite pillow out in the living room.
Dog Felidae Comfort Carnivore Grey

Last Octobers trick or treat.
Dog Couch Purple Floor Dog breed

Yesterday morning last photo prior to her depature back heaven.
Carnivore Terrestrial animal Snout Whiskers Fur

RIP little Valcaroo! You will be missed deeply...
Thanks for visiting, I wanted to share a special girls life with you all.
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IdahoSteve
firestopper said:
The last few photos are of Val since the passing of her mother Gladius and grandfather Phalanx.
Look at those ears! I told her he was faking it for 9 years. 🤣 Notice the missing outer toe to her right rear foot.
View attachment 657543
Her favorite pillow out in the living room.
View attachment 657544
Last Octobers trick or treat.
View attachment 657545
Yesterday morning last photo prior to her depature back heaven.
View attachment 657546
RIP little Valcaroo! You will be missed deeply...
Thanks for visiting, I wanted to share a special girls life with you all.
Click to expand...
No words can express...RIP 🙏
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R
Awesome pics! Thanks or sharing. Sorry for you loss.
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OkDually
Thanks for sharing. She lived a Happy and Pampered life!
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firestopper
Good morning brothers! Your words bring comfort to my hurting heart, I know time will also help. My boy Hercules is in deeper mourning than myself. His life has changed the same and he’s showing signs of depression. He got groomed yesterday and even his groomer mentioned his depressed demeanor. Today the three amigos will hit the road to visit my mother who will spoil him. I think this will help Blanca as well as myself. The constant reminders around the house both hurt and bring smiles but the deep ache remains for the three of us.
I did want to thank you fellas for your kind words and I wish each of you a blessed day.
God bless.
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OkDually
firestopper said:
Good morning brothers! Your words bring comfort to my hurting heart, I know time will also help. My boy Hercules is in deeper mourning than myself. His life has changed the same and he’s showing signs of depression. He got groomed yesterday and even his groomer mentioned his depressed demeanor. Today the three amigos will hit the road to visit my mother who will spoil him. I think this will help Blanca as well as myself. The constant reminders around the house both hurt and bring smiles but the deep ache remains for the three of us.
I did want to thank you fellas for your kind words and I wish each of you a blessed day.
God bless.
Click to expand...
I believe you both will pull through in time. Losing someone who has had a big impact on your lives will always leave an empty space but a flood of memories and love will slowly mend that so that you go on in her honor

Have a great Friday Brother!
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firestopper
#847

^^^Update to the conductor heads and down spouts.^^^
Broke two pieces to form a the down spout receivers. I made them just under size to allow for any angle issues caused by irregular stucco.
Automotive tire Combat vehicle Hood Motor vehicle Tire

With all nine boxes welded, the next step was to grind and blend the welds.
Automotive tire Wood Road surface Asphalt Automotive wheel system

After a first test fit I realized the tapered feature of the walls would require more design. I pulled some 16 gauge 1"x 2" rectangular tubing to create a 3/4 frame that would allow custom angles between 2.5º-5º. The mounting tabs you see tacked are on an angle to match the stucco while leveling the frame. At this point the top frame and boxes aren't tacked. A slight tight fit to allow slight adjustment both side to side and front to back until the box is plumb to the world.
A Sharpe is used to trace the the frame to the box to index exact placement for welding.
Tire Wheel Automotive tire Motor vehicle Wood

The 36 tabs (4 per scupper) were shared and notched after drilling a 5/16" hole for the Tapacon screws.
Saw Tool Wood Gas Automotive tire

Using a small scaffold allowed me to take my time to get each angle matched and center the boxes to the scuppers.
The first of nine required an offset due to a fire sprinkler drain line. Keeping track of the pesky seam while cutting angles made my head hurt.o_O
Rectangle Wood Road surface Asphalt Automotive exterior

The upper section of the same downspout. Here you can really appreciate the tapered feature I was dealing with.
This detail follows the entire perimeter so not so obvious from this shot. The downspouts are made from 14gauge 4" x 4". I was hoping to source some 16 gauge but that wasn't possible. This cost more than 1/8" wall but I didn't want to deal with the weight of the heavier of the .120" wall. This material weighs 3.4 ld/ft.
Sky Tints and shades Font Monument Grass

A side shot of the same. This took me a minute to complete because I was learning as I went.
Notice the angle of the top mounting tab. This one was redone because I didn't like the gap.
Sky Daytime Property Azure Road surface

The second box and down spout went much faster as I now understood what I was dealing with. Stucco was blown on and finished by hand so some variations in angles existed between the both tabs on the same box. This was a problematic scupper so close to the door. Constant dripping/splashing required frequent maintenance on the door frame.
Window Sky Road surface Shade Asphalt

The last one on the south end of the house. Everything worked out with the dumpster support and hose saddle.
I had to secure the dumpster some years back from Javalina. Those creatures sure can make a mess when they tip over a fully weighted down dumpster.
Sky Water Azure Waste container Tire

All three!
Waste container Waste containment Sky Cloud Asphalt

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firestopper
Working my way around the house, the fourth and fifth scupper were taller yet.
The two scupper shed water from a smaller roof section so no real gully washers here. Again the constant dripping from scuppers can cause maintenance hassles.
Sky House Landscape Brick Facade

Side shot.
Black Sky Wood Land lot Road surface

The fifth scupper is at the main entry.
Sky Land lot Shade Landscape Gas

The view from the front door looking out.
Sky Plant Road surface Tree Shade

The last four on the North end of the house. I decided to hang all the boxes first since I had to deal with slopes and rocks using the scaffold. The last unboxed scupper shows the penetration right at the base of the taper.
Cloud Sky Land lot Building Wood

Ready for downspouts.
Cloud Sky Ecoregion Window Building

Luv this saw!
Automotive tire Vehicle Asphalt Motor vehicle Road surface

The sixth scupper required a few extra angles to clear the spigot and water supply shutoff. I also had to stay clear of the pop-out.
Automotive tire Automotive design Engineering Gas Machine

Same downspout.
Building Engineering Automotive tire Gas Motor vehicle

The fit worked out fine. While I was there I reworked the dirt slope to be filled by large river rock to prevent erosion.
These four scuppers like the first three really shed water from larger portions of the roof. The scupper all were upgraded from 3" to five inch when the new roof was done a year ago.
Sky Cloud Plant Property Building

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firestopper
The last shot complete the conductor and downspouts. Seam sealer will be applied inside the weld seams of each box.
The Tapacon screws will be removed one at a time and sealed with caulk then reinserted. All mounting tabs will be caulked on top and sides and painted to match the walls. This should decrease and rust stains down the walls. Most portions of the down spouts are gapped slightly away from the walls.
Bending the tabs allowed me to slightly gap the downspouts.
Tire Wheel Automotive tire Motor vehicle Road surface

This shot shows the scratch of the Ellis bandsaw. Burning in fast and hot makes for excellent penetration. This is crucial when bringing down and blending welds.
Automotive tire Rectangle Wood Grey Asphalt

The seventh downspout and dirt work complete.
Cloud Sky Daytime Property Road surface

Eigth and ninth done.
Sky Road surface Asphalt Flooring Wood

Yup! I forgot to flip the tube on the last cut resulting in a seam being visible. This portion of the house is only accessed by me when driving around the rear of the property. The rust will eventually disguise the oversight but I wanted to point out my boo-boo!
Sky Property Shade Land lot Landscape

All done!
Sky Land lot Rectangle Window Landscape

When I got estimates from three gutter companies, I was taken back by the prices. They use 26 gauge aluminum to form the flimsy boxes and use run of the mill downspouts. The most expensive bid broke it down to $450 per scupper.
What a rip-off when you consider each scupper probably only cost around $100 in material. I have $1200 total in the entire project and in my opinion a nicer fit and finish with substantial robustness by comparison. It's safe to say I have every bit of 50 hours designing and executing this project.
Thanks for following along and stay tuned for more on the flagpole and front fence. first I have another slide gate to build and a smaller gate for yet a different client before I can resume on my personal projects.

On a side note,
We have Valkyrie back home with her pack!
Basket Bag Luggage and bags Handwriting Rectangle

Three loses in under two years sucks hard but having them home brings comfort to us. Hercules' is also back to normal and had commandeered "Vals" crate in our room so that also a positive!

Enjoy your Sunday!
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OkDually
firestopper said:
The last shot complete the conductor and downspouts. Seam sealer will be applied inside the weld seams of each box.
The Tapacon screws will be removed one at a time and sealed with caulk then reinserted. All mounting tabs will be caulked on top and sides and painted to match the walls. This should decrease and rust stains down the walls. Most portions of the down spouts are gapped slightly away from the walls.
Bending the tabs allowed me to slightly gap the downspouts.
View attachment 657926
This shot shows the scratch of the Ellis bandsaw. Burning in fast and hot makes for excellent penetration. This is crucial when bringing down and blending welds.
View attachment 657927
The seventh downspout and dirt work complete.
View attachment 657928
Eigth and ninth done.
View attachment 657929
Yup! I forgot to flip the tube on the last cut resulting in a seam being visible. This portion of the house is only accessed by me when driving around the rear of the property. The rust will eventually disguise the oversight but I wanted to point out my boo-boo!
View attachment 657930
All done!
View attachment 657931
When I got estimates from three gutter companies, I was taken back by the prices. They use 26 gauge aluminum to form the flimsy boxes and use run of the mill downspouts. The most expensive bid broke it down to $450 per scupper.
What a rip-off when you consider each scupper probably only cost around $100 in material. I have $1200 total in the entire project and in my opinion a nicer fit and finish with substantial robustness by comparison. It's safe to say I have every bit of 50 hours designing and executing this project.
Thanks for following along and stay tuned for more on the flagpole and front fence. first I have another slide gate to build and a smaller gate for yet a different client before I can resume on my personal projects.

On a side note,
We have Valkyrie back home with her pack!
View attachment 657933
Three loses in under two years sucks hard but having them home brings comfort to us. Hercules' is also back to normal and had commandeered "Vals" crate in our room so that also a positive!

Enjoy your Sunday!
Click to expand...
Excellent work!
Glad to see Valkyrie back home(y)
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IdahoSteve
Well Done!! (y)

I have to ask b/c I didn't see one single weed in your gravel. What do you use to keep them away?? 🤔
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firestopper
OkDually said:
Excellent work!
Glad to see Valkyrie back home(y)
Mr OKDually, thank you! And yes the pack is complete once again🙂
Click to expand...
IdahoSteve said:
Well Done!! (y)
Thank you sir!
I have to ask b/c I didn't see one single weed in your gravel. What do you use to keep them away?? 🤔
Click to expand...
The property gets sprayed once or twice per month. We don’t like weeds. I use the same chemical used by professionals with the green dye to show where you e sprayed. Inside the back yard I have to pull them b/c my wife doesn’t want the furr kiddo to potentially lick the treated weeds. Weed and monsoon make for a bad recipe. 😂
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firestopper
Decorative Fence

Set 12 4x4 posts for a decrative fence along the front property. The grade change in 120' came to about 15". Set up some forming steaks, transit and line to create the three equal grade steps each 5".

Optical illusion with those tops looking sawtoothed. If you look closely, the line at the bottom changes elevation about every three posts.
Sky Tree Natural landscape Plant Shade


The far left post is 15" higher than the last post on the right.
Sky Cloud Ecoregion Tree Plant

Last double check before determining the panel heights. Since I mostly work alone I set up the measuring stick
with two earth magnets secured with 3M double side tape. The two magnets hold the stick securely in place.
Sky Tree Grass Landscape Triangle

The frames are .120" x 2x2 angle to match the privacy fence frames. I purchased four sheets (7'x20) of 1/4" cold rolled re-mesh 4" O.C. from Harris rebar. These used to run about $98/sheet but with the weak dollar they now cost $157 ea.:(
Sky Tire Wheel Road surface Shade

All pieces cut ,demurred and ready for welding.
Automotive tire Light Black Road surface Asphalt

A cool detail of how nice the notcher on the iron worker works on angle iron.
Bumper Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Automotive design Gas

One down, 10 more to go!
Sky Cloud Tree Wood Composite material

Bolt cutters were used to trim the wire. Each panel was carefully laid out and cut in an attempt to center the wire side to side and keep the horizontal lines running true from panel to panel.
Eleven down.
Sky Building Wood Brick Rectangle

Since I work alone I decided to design and build simple locating jigs that not only locate the correct top spacing but also work with the grade step changes. These panels are long and awkward so being able to set them in place with the aid of the jigs makes it much easier.
Motor vehicle Hood Automotive design Bumper Automotive exterior

The pair of jigs will be used as I go in a leapfrog fashion as each jig spaces both sides of the posts.
Automotive tire Bumper Wood Asphalt Motor vehicle

More to come...
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firestopper
Starting at the low end I set the first panel using those jigs. The top 3/8" x 1" bar is used on panels with the same elevation. The lower bar is used when a step is encountered (about every three panels).
Sky Plant Ecoregion Tree Land lot

A close up of the jigs in action. Once the panel is tacked the jig is pulled away from the back side.
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Wood Road surface Automotive exterior

Pretty darn straight and from the shadow you can make out the steps. The ends will get tapered wings to terminate the fence.
Sky Plant Tree Road surface Land lot

Another angle of the 120' fence. Here you can see the horizontal lines of the wire lining up within each elevation sections. Might enlarge the photo to see but it worked out. The post metal caps are just proud of the overall panel height.
Sky Plant Tree Road surface Natural landscape

Need to take the rest of the week off to recover the knees and back. Getting old really hurts!:LOL:

Thanks for the visit and be ready, so you won't have to.
Turn and Burn!
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R
Another awesome project. It amazes me how some people can envison something, create it and it ends up in a spectacular masterpiece. Sir, you have that gift. Someday maybe I will find out what my gift is. :LOL:

Keep the projects coming.
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firestopper
#866
Update on the Pergola we built last November. If you saw that post you'd notice the 3/4" couplers welded to the rear post for running electrical. The gentleman I built this for purchased a ceiling fan so I needed to come up with a custom box.
The same rectangular tubing was used and will weld to the center cross piece of the pergola. The tube will also provide a place to stash the wires and wire nuts.
Automotive design Automotive exterior Naval architecture Engineering Gas

Four holes 90º apart were drilled and tapped for 10-32 screws. only two are needed but I want the option of rotating the fan hanger bracket just in case.
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Bicycle part Rim Gas

With the cover on, the round plate will have about 3/8" reveal.
Musical instrument Motor vehicle Naval architecture Idiophone Gas

Pull string was routed and conduit buried.
Road surface Asphalt Automotive tire Yellow Grass

A outdoor light switch and receptacle will provide power to the fan and future string LED lights. The switch was mounted 55" high to keep little hands from messing with it.
Sky Shade Tree Tints and shades Rectangle

The top receptacle.
Daytime Shade Wood Woody plant Tree

I assembled and installed the fan as well.
Shade Wood Tree Building Tints and shades

I picked up more work while I was there. He's gonna want a small pool fence section to keep his little dog away from the water as well as a small equipment gate.
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