CLICK HERE FOR FULL SCALE PRINTABLE IMAGE
Originally Posted October 1997
I have had a lot of interest in the actual plans or blueprints I used to build a lean-to. A number of people have asked directly, and I can see from the search terms that led people to this page that a lot of people are looking. HERE is a link to the plans, which is posted at the highest resolution I was able to get onto the site. In many browsers the image will automatically resize itself to fit your screen, but you can magnify it to its full size to see the detail. The original, which I have on my hard drive, is 8384 x 6160 pixels, but was too large for my host to accommodate. The file I posted is 2190 x 2196, which should be large enough to resolve even the smallest details.
If you cannot access it please let me know. I probably cannot get a larger file posted, but I am happy to mail a plan to anyone who cannot download it. Please understand that the mailed copy will probably not be any better than the one you can download. I will do this for $5.00 per copy via PayPal, which covers the fees PayPal charges me, postage, my time, etc. (in other words I am not making any money off this – If I were trying to make money I would not be posting it for free).
I will put a link to this post in the upper right to keep it accessible.
Originally Posted April 2007
Building a lean-to shouldn’t take all that long. It took me over 5 years, if you count the planning stage.
I felled the first of the cedar trees about 3 or 4 years ago. Then, working during those few hours per month when I was both freed from childcare duty and not taking care of, you know, those other more essential tasks, I slowly cut more and hauled them over to where I was going to build.
I actually broke ground (to the extent that you “break ground” to build a lean-to) only about a year ago. Then I frantically marked trees and cut them trying to get all the logs to the site before summer. When I actually started placing the logs, it went pretty quickly, and save for a few details, it was up by the Fourth of July.
So why did I dawdle? First of all, although I certainly knew what a lean-to looked like and knew the dimensions, etc., I wanted a plan to go by. It was hard to find a blueprint. I think it was hard mainly because I did not know who to ask, and a quick internet search didn’t turn up much that was helpful.
Choosing site took tme, too. And then getting the logs to the site was the hardest
Perhaps I should be ashamed that I do not own a truck. My Chevy Tracker gets me where I want to go though, and I was not going to let its limitations keep from hauling logs with it. I had plenty of old machine parts laying around, and the chassis from a defunct DR mower/trimmer served wonderfully as a makeshift log trailer.
Perhaps I should have waited another year. Cedar logs lose a lot of moisture if you season them for a year. And believe me, they are very, very heavy.
The only other tool I broke (if you don’t count a chainsaw chain or two) was my hand mallet. John Henry-esque (you know, I felt like I was dying with a hammer in my hand), I drove spike after spike into those logs. Having just read Little House on the Prairie, my sons worried I was going to pull a bone-headed move like Charles Ingalls and drop a log on my family, so they made sure the were not around as I balanced the topmost logs while trying to fasten them.
But I didn’t drop any. I strategically lowered them (quickly) to the ground while I reassessed my placement strategy. But drop them? Never.
So, that’s a picture of my lean-to up the in the left corner. I’ve couple more up above in this post. Also, a (perhaps not-as-readable-as-you-would-like) picture of the plans I used. NYS DEC standard.
I really would like to see pictures of anyone else’s self-built lean-to. I know you can buy kits, or have one built for you for six or seven grand. But I am interested in all the home grown structures that I know are out there. If I get enough images and anecdotes I will even start a new page to post them all.
I will soon transfer everything over from my old site and start using this site.
