Cabana Kit Build

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Several years ago, I was at a local nursery and saw a very cool garden shed kit. It was actually called “The Cabana” by Cedarshed, a manufacturer of dozens of prefab cedar kits.

It was decided that I had to have this kit (thank you), and it would become my “backyard fort.” Today it’s called a Man Cave, but when I was little ‘fort’ was the popular term.

One Saturday morning, a half-ton flat pack was delivered to my front yard. I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?”

The only way to get it into the backyard, was to unpack it. I soon learned it was a bunch of panelized pieces with four shingled roof sections. Actually, it looked like I could really build this kit.

The most difficult issue, was where to place it. There was really only one location, and it was on a slope. After much discussion, I hired a guy to remove what turned out to be 20 yards of dirt! Of course, then I needed a retaining wall. There was no way I could have done this job myself. Not cheap, but well worth the cost.

Alright, looks great! The next step was to layout the flooring. I used some retaining wall blocks as my foundation piers.

Once the floor was installed and level, I began putting up the panels. These actually went up very quickly. It was really fun to see it “coming together.”

The challenging part for me was lifting the shingled roof pieces in place. This is really a two person job, but after nearly falling off the ladder and crushing my rib cage, well… it turned out great!

Over the years, I have modified the fort with interior shelves, a foldable desk, side window, a skylight Cabana Skylight Project and a bubble window project Bubble Window.

These kits are nicely layed out for the weekend warrior. If you are thinking about building a Man Cave or a fort, this is a good way to go!

Drawing A Dali – The Grid Method

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I was always impressed with the work of surrealistic artist Salvador Dali. To me, he tapped into another part of his brain, much like we do during the “dream state” while sleeping, but he could access the dream state while awake.

One of his works, “The City of Drawers,” fascinated me. As an undergrad in college, I took an introductory art class — part of my general education requirements.

While I had taken drafting in high school, I certainly had no talent for freehand drawing. However, our professor taught us a special skill – “The Grid Method.”

Using The Grid Method, a small grid is placed over the original artwork that you want to enlarge. A larger grid, for example, with squares 2 or 3 times as large as the grid squares placed on the original artwork, is then layed out on blank paper or canvas. Use a light pencil to lay out the grid, so the lines can easily be erased.

Whatever is seen in a small square, is then drawn in the corresponding larger square. It doesn’t seem like it would help you to draw better, but it works.

Below is a picture of the drawing that I completed in my class. The Grid Method enabled me to draw Dali’s “City of Drawers.” I have to say, I was pretty surprised!

This method allows you to scale a drawing up or down in size. It is extremely helpful in getting the proportions correct.

Of course, if you have access to an overhead or digital projector, then that’s a good option too.

However, I found rather than being overwhelmed by the entire drawing, focusing on one square at a time enabled me to do a better job on shading.

If you thought that you could never draw, then try this method. Bob Ross would be proud and so will you!