In the same vein of the past "Big Feeder Club" thread(s), do we need to start a Big Blind Club? 
Originally planned to be a 6x8, the idea for this project started back in December of last year. I started acquiring materials in January, didn't actually start until May, and then struggled all thru the heat of this summer, but I'm mostly finished with the biggest blind I've ever built!
Premise: Build a blind that I could stay in all day, all night, for a few days (at least). My late FIL used to love sitting in a blind all day, and that gave me the idea for it. It's also where the name comes from.
Materials: the floor, walls, ceiling, and just about everything that's made from wood is from a stash of old concrete formwork panels that were given to me. Most panels were 4x8 or 2x8 w/ 3/4" plywood. Some were in better shape than others, so I had to pick/choose what would work where.
The build plan was to start on my back deck at the house to get everything fitted, then take it all back apart and trailer the pieces out to the lease. That plan had to work, since there's no way for me to get an 8x8 box out of my backyard! Plus it wouldn't fit on the trailer that way.
I laid the floor out in May, and then put over 3 gallons of wood sealer on both the top and bottom sides. It was amazing how much that old wood sucked up the sealer! What little rain we had during the summer would just create puddles on top of the floor.
In June I started standing walls up to get puzzle pieces started going together. 8' tall panels are really tall! So the walls were cut down to 7'-4 on the front and 7'-0 on the rear. The side walls are taper-cut to fit in between.
The door is 2'-0 wide and was also "free". (Although I had to remove another pile of items I didn't need just to get the door.)
Running late prior to this season, as usual, and it was late September before I was finished enough to tear it all down, pack it up on the trailer, and then haul it out to Comfort. That's the entire blind stacked on the trailer with everything I needed to finish it out!
With my new hunting spot picked out for this year, it was time to shake out the puzzle pieces. What took me the better part of 3 months to figure out and build, now took only a day and a half to put back together!
(Yes, the pieces were all numbered to go back together easily! )
I knew I was going to paint the outside, and had acquired some dark colored paint from Habitat for Humanity. I also brought a sanding disc for my grinder to take off the old, outer layer on the plywood in hopes of getting to some clean wood that would soak up the paint well. It took every last drop of 2 gallons of paint to get the blind done. But it's has two very heavy coats on it now and is sealed up pretty good. (Of course, this will be a maintenance item for years to come.)
Windows were made from 12x24 x 1/8" thick plexiglass with DIY window screen frame kit pieces from HD to frame the plexiglass. Those worked really well and they are good and strong. The 2x's where the windows are mounted were recessed so the windows will sit tight and flush. The design came from here on the green screen and is working well!
This past weekend was getting the shooting shelves built and the carpets put in.
Final interior dimensions are 7'4 x 7'4...that's over 53 sf of openness to kickback, stretch out, and just plain relax!
Only items left to get done are to get my battery/solar power installed, and then get my fold-down bunk mounted on the back wall for sleeping.
As these items get completed, I'll add to this thread.
For those that are wondering...my total build cost so far is pretty low. I haven't run the exact numbers yet, but here's what I know off the top of my head:
5 lb box of 3" screws - $38
2 tubes of caulk - $13
Window pieces/parts:
2 pcs of plexiglass (12x24) - $28
2 pcs of screen frame w/ corners - $32
10 pk plastic hinges - $7
3 gals of paint (2 dark, 1 light) - $24
Misc painting stuff (rollers, burshes) - $15 (roughly)
1/4" tall door Alum threshold plate - $37
Sanding disc - $18
All the free items (minus gas to go pick it up):
- all of the wood, and I still have a lot of 2x's left for other projects
- metal roof panels
- cinder block supports
- door
- office chairs (found at my work dumpster)
- carpets (some from Dusty Britches -- thanks)
I'm sure there will be other added "luxuries" over the years, so we'll see where it all ends up!
Enjoy!
Originally planned to be a 6x8, the idea for this project started back in December of last year. I started acquiring materials in January, didn't actually start until May, and then struggled all thru the heat of this summer, but I'm mostly finished with the biggest blind I've ever built!
Premise: Build a blind that I could stay in all day, all night, for a few days (at least). My late FIL used to love sitting in a blind all day, and that gave me the idea for it. It's also where the name comes from.
Materials: the floor, walls, ceiling, and just about everything that's made from wood is from a stash of old concrete formwork panels that were given to me. Most panels were 4x8 or 2x8 w/ 3/4" plywood. Some were in better shape than others, so I had to pick/choose what would work where.
The build plan was to start on my back deck at the house to get everything fitted, then take it all back apart and trailer the pieces out to the lease. That plan had to work, since there's no way for me to get an 8x8 box out of my backyard! Plus it wouldn't fit on the trailer that way.
I laid the floor out in May, and then put over 3 gallons of wood sealer on both the top and bottom sides. It was amazing how much that old wood sucked up the sealer! What little rain we had during the summer would just create puddles on top of the floor.
In June I started standing walls up to get puzzle pieces started going together. 8' tall panels are really tall! So the walls were cut down to 7'-4 on the front and 7'-0 on the rear. The side walls are taper-cut to fit in between.
The door is 2'-0 wide and was also "free". (Although I had to remove another pile of items I didn't need just to get the door.)
Running late prior to this season, as usual, and it was late September before I was finished enough to tear it all down, pack it up on the trailer, and then haul it out to Comfort. That's the entire blind stacked on the trailer with everything I needed to finish it out!
With my new hunting spot picked out for this year, it was time to shake out the puzzle pieces. What took me the better part of 3 months to figure out and build, now took only a day and a half to put back together!
(Yes, the pieces were all numbered to go back together easily!
)I knew I was going to paint the outside, and had acquired some dark colored paint from Habitat for Humanity. I also brought a sanding disc for my grinder to take off the old, outer layer on the plywood in hopes of getting to some clean wood that would soak up the paint well. It took every last drop of 2 gallons of paint to get the blind done. But it's has two very heavy coats on it now and is sealed up pretty good. (Of course, this will be a maintenance item for years to come.)
Windows were made from 12x24 x 1/8" thick plexiglass with DIY window screen frame kit pieces from HD to frame the plexiglass. Those worked really well and they are good and strong. The 2x's where the windows are mounted were recessed so the windows will sit tight and flush. The design came from here on the green screen and is working well!
This past weekend was getting the shooting shelves built and the carpets put in.
Final interior dimensions are 7'4 x 7'4...that's over 53 sf of openness to kickback, stretch out, and just plain relax!
Only items left to get done are to get my battery/solar power installed, and then get my fold-down bunk mounted on the back wall for sleeping.
As these items get completed, I'll add to this thread.
For those that are wondering...my total build cost so far is pretty low. I haven't run the exact numbers yet, but here's what I know off the top of my head:
5 lb box of 3" screws - $38
2 tubes of caulk - $13
Window pieces/parts:
2 pcs of plexiglass (12x24) - $28
2 pcs of screen frame w/ corners - $32
10 pk plastic hinges - $7
3 gals of paint (2 dark, 1 light) - $24
Misc painting stuff (rollers, burshes) - $15 (roughly)
1/4" tall door Alum threshold plate - $37
Sanding disc - $18
All the free items (minus gas to go pick it up):
- all of the wood, and I still have a lot of 2x's left for other projects
- metal roof panels
- cinder block supports
- door
- office chairs (found at my work dumpster)
- carpets (some from Dusty Britches -- thanks)
I'm sure there will be other added "luxuries" over the years, so we'll see where it all ends up!
Enjoy!
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