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I know I’m drifting into “get an engineer” territory here and there’s tons of variables but I’m just trying to get a ballpark sense of what psi (or psf) a slab can carry. For example, a 2 post lift, fully loaded is about 20psi to the slab and it’s fine. The weight point load is mitigated by...

I’m looking for some recommendations on how to attach girts to 2x2 posts without drilling. I built my solar racking out of 2x2 steel tube and want to enclose some of it with ag panels to create a spot for firewood storage. The 2x2 is fully caped and welded, otherwise I’d just bolt the girts on.

I've been researching and am still not sure on what direction I should go here for wire type as I'm reading conflicting info. I have about a 60' run from my AC combiner panel (off grid solar) in a shed to my shop panel. I plan to run 2" PVC conduit buried and completely piped from panel to panel...

Has anyone on here bought these off Amazon and can give a first hand review? Letaya Metal Cabinets I know they're thin and I should just pay 10x as much for new age cabinets or spend the next 10 years hoping something comes up on marketplace but seem to fit the price and use case for me. I'm...

Does anyone on here have experience with E Fire USA's Fireballs for fire protection? https://www.efireusa.com/product-page/e-fire-usa-ball-bundle-brackets-included It seems like a pretty novel product for a passive fire protection system. There's some CPSC warnings out there about how consumers...

I have spent years reading threads and watching you tube videos about these topics and have dreaded this point where I ask a bunch of random strangers on the internet their opinions on barriers and insulation only to get a recommendation for every possible option with the only consensus that you...

For my build I'm planning to put in a 4' section of wainscot metal at the bottom of the walls but I'm not sure how to fasten the panels to the stem wall. Back when I was originally having this building engineered I had planned on adding OSB and doing a manufactured stone of some sort but I'm now...

I currently have a 120v seaflo pump powering an outdoor camp shower, bathroom and washing machine. It works pretty good but I can't seem to get the pressure switch dialed in right where the pressure will stay constant enough to run the water heater (camplux propane on demand). One shower is...

I'm fortunate that in my area homeowners are allowed to do their own electrical and from a conversation with the permitting authority they seem pretty awesome to work with so far. Basically it seems like they're happy your doing permits and trying to do the right thing so they are willing to...

I recently used my Milwaukee M18 framing nailer to build a small pole building and it worked great shooting the 3-1/4" 0.131 galvanized nails that were provided by my kit supplier to do the main structure. I sheeted my building in OSB (roof and walls) and was on my own for providing the...

I'm starting to plan the mezzanine for my shop build and I really like some of the old construction in the PNW with big timber joists, beams and posts. My goal is to span 20' and have a 4' overhang giving me a total length of 24' and an overhang less than 25%. I can find a span chart that says...

I currently have a band saw comparable to this grizzly: https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-7-x-12-1-hp-metal-cutting-bandsaw/g0561 and no matter how much I fiddle with it I can't get a square cut and its even worse if I try to do a 45deg cut. It also takes up a lot of space for how often I...

My house was built in the late 50's and there's no light in the stairway to the walk out basement. There's a light switch at the bottom of the steps for the laundry area and a switch at the top for a light in the hallway. There's also a cut out that lets in light from the kitchen/dining area...

I'm a novice when it comes to networks and am looking for solutions to transmit internet long distances from my router (Starlink) to point of use. My Starlink router is set up about 600' from where I'd like to set up another wifi network. Here's the challenge. There isn't any power along that...

Hello, About 5 years ago my wife and I purchased a timber property in the PNW with the intention of slowly building it out as our retirement compound and paying cash as we went. We started off with a plan to build a modest barndominimum and over time expanded into a plan to build 3 pole...

This is probably a dumb question but this is my first build that needs to be built to an engineering plan, everything else I've done has been sheds or non-load bearing walls. I recently received the engineering back for my small pole shed and the engineer is calling out 16d nails. They do not...

I'm working on setting up my water system and am planning to pump up to a cistern with a solar pump then gravity feed back down to the shop/house with max pressure being around 60psi. Can someone point me in the right direction on which HDPE/poly pipe I should be using? This stuff at Home...

I'm slowly developing a property over the next couple of years and the realization is hitting me that contractors will either be overpriced or unavailable (or both!) for the structures I'm looking to build. My target for next year is to build the first of 3 buildings which will be a small...

I'm in the planning stages of developing a SW Washington off-grid property into a future home site over the next 5 years. The property will be on solar, well, septic and propane and I'd like to get the well drilled next Spring. The factor driving off-grid decision is that its about $40k to bring...

I need some help picking out a tool box for my Mom to organize and store some hand tools. She suggested this Craftsman one from Lowes https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-Portable-Tool-Box-20-5-in-Ball-bearing-3-Drawer-Red-Steel-Lockable-Tool-Box/1000602661 My budget is $150 with $200 max and I'm...