I use the area under my deck for storage. Have a shed and
several motorcycles under there. For years I've tarped the
bikes for winter, but the whole area gets drenched and
retains moisture. It's also a pain to go under the deck to
get something when it's raining with all the water dripping...

I got the bright idea of slinging a large tarp under the
deck. As I tried to implement this, I realized it wasn't so
bright. No matter what I tried I couldn't get all the sags
out. It rained pretty good last night, and this morning I
found most of the tarp on the ground. Sigh....

What I'd like to try now is metal siding, screwed directly
to the bottom of the joists. Starting at the side of the
house the metal would have just a very shallow depression
between the joists, and this would increase gently as I
approach the other side of the deck. At that side, I would
install a gutter to collet the runoff and deposit it well
away from my stuff. What I would end up wtih is a gently
sloped trough between each adjacent pair of joists.

Anyone have any suggestions for sources of cheap siding or
any other source of thin readily worked sheetmetal? Aluminum
preferred as it's easy to work with.
I'm north of Sacramento, so hoping for something within
reasonable driving range, say 120 miles.


Thanks,

Jon

On Nov 11, 2:53 pm, Jon Anderson wrote:
I use the area under my deck for storage. Have a shed and
several motorcycles under there. For years I've tarped the
bikes for winter, but the whole area gets drenched and
retains moisture. It's also a pain to go under the deck to
get something when it's raining with all the water dripping...

I got the bright idea of slinging a large tarp under the
deck. As I tried to implement this, I realized it wasn't so
bright. No matter what I tried I couldn't get all the sags
out. It rained pretty good last night, and this morning I
found most of the tarp on the ground. Sigh....

What I'd like to try now is metal siding, screwed directly
to the bottom of the joists. Starting at the side of the
house the metal would have just a very shallow depression
between the joists, and this would increase gently as I
approach the other side of the deck. At that side, I would
install a gutter to collet the runoff and deposit it well
away from my stuff. What I would end up wtih is a gently
sloped trough between each adjacent pair of joists.

Anyone have any suggestions for sources of cheap siding or
any other source of thin readily worked sheetmetal? Aluminum
preferred as it's easy to work with.
I'm north of Sacramento, so hoping for something within
reasonable driving range, say 120 miles.

Thanks,

Jon

Most aluminum you are asking for was taken to the recycler months ago.
Keep an eye on old trailer parks, look for trailers that are being
demolished. In Oregon, probably same in CA, trailers older than a
certain age cannot be moved on public roads.

See if you can take the siding in exchange for removing it. If it's
like our triple-wide, the aluminum siding pieces are locked together
on one edge and stapled to the wall at the other edge. With care the
pieces can be removed for reuse for things like you are thinking
about.

My brother demolished a single-wide on his new property with a back
hoe with a thumb. The local recycler gladly came and picked up the
"WAD" of aluminum siding.

The aluminum is rather stiff, but can also be deformed for what you
want. Perhaps nail a couple of 2x6 together, on edge and use another
to force the siding sheet into the "V". Not pretty, but will produce
your trough.

Good luck,

Paul

On Nov 11, 5:53 pm, Jon Anderson wrote:
I use the area under my deck for storage. Have a shed and
several motorcycles under there. For years I've tarped the
bikes for winter, but the whole area gets drenched and
retains moisture. It's also a pain to go under the deck to
get something when it's raining with all the water dripping...

I got the bright idea of slinging a large tarp under the
deck. As I tried to implement this, I realized it wasn't so
bright. No matter what I tried I couldn't get all the sags
out. It rained pretty good last night, and this morning I
found most of the tarp on the ground. Sigh....

What I'd like to try now is metal siding, screwed directly
to the bottom of the joists. Starting at the side of the
house the metal would have just a very shallow depression
between the joists, and this would increase gently as I
approach the other side of the deck. At that side, I would
install a gutter to collet the runoff and deposit it well
away from my stuff. What I would end up wtih is a gently
sloped trough between each adjacent pair of joists.

Anyone have any suggestions for sources of cheap siding or
any other source of thin readily worked sheetmetal? Aluminum
preferred as it's easy to work with.
I'm north of Sacramento, so hoping for something within
reasonable driving range, say 120 miles.

Thanks,

Jon

Some Home Depots stock or can order corrugated galvanized roofing at
about $9.50 for a 2' x 8' panel or about $14 for 12'. They also carry
strong, expensive polycarbonate panels and cheap, weak PVC ones that
might be good enough.

I stapled a sandwich of old/new/old tarps to the top of the deck and
carpeted it. The outer tarps definitely reduce wear and puncturing of
the middle one.

Jim Wilkins

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:53:10 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

snipp

Anyone have any suggestions for sources of cheap siding or
any other source of thin readily worked sheetmetal? Aluminum
preferred as it's easy to work with.
I'm north of Sacramento, so hoping for something within
reasonable driving range, say 120 miles.

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/ Look under th' Barter, Free, and
Material sections? Prolly find an old metal storage shed someone will
give ya for haulin' it away. Lots of cheap metal stuff in there that
could do what you want with a bit of creativity.

Snarl

I had the same need some time ago. I also thought about the
metal trough idea but couldn't figure out how to clean the inevitable
collection of debris out of it, not to mention the initial $$ as you
have discovered too.

I currently use a tarp with a drain and it has been working just fine
for the last 4 years. I cut an oversize tarp to the needed dimensions
and added grommets to the 2 cut edges. In the center I installed a
plastic deck plate I got at a local boating supply place for under $10.
The tarp is installed so the deck plate is at the bottom of the sag. In
the removable part of the plate I added a PVC hose fitting so I could
attach a drain hose. I also secured a plastic kitchen dish scrubber
"thingie" to the inside of the plate to filter out the big pieces of debris
so they wouldn't clog the hose.

As a safety measure I used heavy cotton string to attach the tarp to the
deck so if a clog did occur, the string would break instead of the tarp.
This happened only once in 4 years during a heavy downpour and I'm
sure glad I did it.

If you don't know what a deck plate is see here for a similar one.
(watch the line wrap)
http://www.boatersworld.com/product/...es-deck-plates

Hope this helps.
Art


"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
[snip]
I got the bright idea of slinging a large tarp under the
deck. As I tried to implement this, I realized it wasn't so
bright. No matter what I tried I couldn't get all the sags
out. It rained pretty good last night, and this morning I
found most of the tarp on the ground. Sigh....

Deck got any slope? If not, I'd suggest attaching blocks to make the
slope (ie, at the house, no block - 16 inches out, 3/16", 32 inches out,
3/8", 48 inches out, 9/16", etc...) and then using steel sheet roofing,
no fiddling with bowing it. Tends to be dark on top and white
underneath, which may improve the ability to see things under that deck,
too.

If you must have aluminum (it's more expensive) you can order 50 or 100
foot sections of 20 inch wide flashing, if your local hardware store
doesn't have any in stock. Raised-rib steel roofing will probably hold
up better and last longer, however.

Homely Despot carries a typical version, though they only have short
sheets - any decent hardware store should have access to ordering the
same or similar stuff in that's cut to the inch, up to some fairly long
length (24-30 feet or so, best I recall - my roof is 15'3")

Saves trouble if you caulk the joints as you install them, and caulk the
screws (before screwing in) even though they have cute little rubber
washers on them. Butyl if you can find it, silicone or polyurethane if
you can't.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

On Nov 11, 2:53 pm, Jon Anderson wrote:
I use the area under my deck for storage. Have a shed and
several motorcycles under there. For years I've tarped the
bikes for winter, but the whole area gets drenched and
retains moisture. It's also a pain to go under the deck to
get something when it's raining with all the water dripping...

I got the bright idea of slinging a large tarp under the
deck. As I tried to implement this, I realized it wasn't so
bright. No matter what I tried I couldn't get all the sags
out. It rained pretty good last night, and this morning I
found most of the tarp on the ground. Sigh....

What I'd like to try now is metal siding, screwed directly
to the bottom of the joists. Starting at the side of the
house the metal would have just a very shallow depression
between the joists, and this would increase gently as I
approach the other side of the deck. At that side, I would
install a gutter to collet the runoff and deposit it well
away from my stuff. What I would end up wtih is a gently
sloped trough between each adjacent pair of joists.

Anyone have any suggestions for sources of cheap siding or
any other source of thin readily worked sheetmetal? Aluminum
preferred as it's easy to work with.
I'm north of Sacramento, so hoping for something within
reasonable driving range, say 120 miles.

Thanks,

Jon

Fergeddabout aluminum. I have two options. I know a roofer that gets half
sheets that they use to bind the good sheets with. So, on a shipment, he
gets four extra eight foot x three foot steel panels. They are tan. He
holds them for me, and I pay him cash. Call around and see if you can find
someone who does metal roofs, and they will have the same thing.

OR HD has some reasonably priced goods.

OR advertise on your local AM Tradio segment for what you want or put it in
the local Quick Quarter rag.

It's amazing what you can find when you place a wanted ad. I have gotten
countless deals at less than the going rate and in some cases FAR less than
the going rate.

HTH

Steve

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:53:10 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

What I'd like to try now is metal siding, screwed directly
to the bottom of the joists. Starting at the side of the
house the metal would have just a very shallow depression
between the joists, and this would increase gently as I
approach the other side of the deck. At that side, I would
install a gutter to collet the runoff and deposit it well
away from my stuff. What I would end up wtih is a gently
sloped trough between each adjacent pair of joists.

A note of caution - if you secure any sort of aluminum sheeting
under the open-planked deck you will increase the odds of the deck
joists staying wet at the bottom and rotting out - redwood is rot
resistant but not immune, if it stays wet it will rot. And between
the planking on top and the aluminum underneath, it will be very hard
to inspect for rot problems - you have to pull one layer or the other
off to check, meaning it won't get done.

Only takes one rotten joist in a critical spot, throw a party and
invite the relatives over for a BBQ on the deck, and you could drop
people through the hole. This will quickly get you taken off the rich
relatives' inheritance lists...

If you really want the deck watertight, the simplest way is just
make the stupid deck watertight and be done with it... ;-0

Plank it with 2 layers of overlapped plywood (glued down and
together with construction adhesives), coat it with Magnesite deck
sealant, and mix some crushed walnut shell into the finish coat to
give it some grip. Treat all edges like a roof with flashings and
seals as needed.

Paint it in wood brown with stripes that look like planks. If you
want to really go crazy, get a rocker graining tool or a patterned
roller and paint faux wood grain on top.

You have to recoat the Magnesite every two to four years, but that's
as simple as a paint job - but then you may have to redo the faux.

-- Bruce --

In article ,
"Artemus" wrote:

I had the same need some time ago. I also thought about the
metal trough idea but couldn't figure out how to clean the inevitable
collection of debris out of it, not to mention the initial $$ as you
have discovered too.

I have something similar, and finally figured how to get the debris and
wasp nests out. I just remove one plank close to the house and insert
the nozzle of a leaf blower. Works wonderful. Sometimes I have to blow
both ways to get everything, but it's quick and EZ

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

On Nov 11, 12:53 pm, Jon Anderson wrote:
I use the area under my deck for storage. Have a shed and
several motorcycles under there. For years I've tarped the
bikes for winter, but the whole area gets drenched and
retains moisture. It's also a pain to go under the deck to
get something when it's raining with all the water dripping...

I got the bright idea of slinging a large tarp under the
deck. As I tried to implement this, I realized it wasn't so
bright. No matter what I tried I couldn't get all the sags
out. It rained pretty good last night, and this morning I
found most of the tarp on the ground. Sigh....

What I'd like to try now is metal siding, screwed directly
to the bottom of the joists. Starting at the side of the
house the metal would have just a very shallow depression
between the joists, and this would increase gently as I
approach the other side of the deck. At that side, I would
install a gutter to collet the runoff and deposit it well
away from my stuff. What I would end up wtih is a gently
sloped trough between each adjacent pair of joists.

Anyone have any suggestions for sources of cheap siding or
any other source of thin readily worked sheetmetal? Aluminum
preferred as it's easy to work with.
I'm north of Sacramento, so hoping for something within
reasonable driving range, say 120 miles.

Thanks,

Jon

we used corrugated fiberglass roofing from Home Depot about 10 years
ago. Sloped of course. Still works like new.
Karl

I get pole barn siding/roofing material from my local distributor. The
stuff comes in precut for a specific job, they use a "cover sheet" for
top and bottom of the stack. It's the same material but odd colors. I've
been paying $.50 a running foot for 3' wide material. The stuff cuts
easily with a cheap plywood blade in the skillsaw mounted BACKWARDS.
Wear eye protection and ear protection. It really throws chips and noise.

Jon Anderson wrote:
I use the area under my deck for storage. Have a shed and several
motorcycles under there. For years I've tarped the bikes for winter, but
the whole area gets drenched and retains moisture. It's also a pain to
go under the deck to get something when it's raining with all the water
dripping...

I got the bright idea of slinging a large tarp under the deck. As I
tried to implement this, I realized it wasn't so bright. No matter what
I tried I couldn't get all the sags out. It rained pretty good last
night, and this morning I found most of the tarp on the ground. Sigh....

What I'd like to try now is metal siding, screwed directly to the bottom
of the joists. Starting at the side of the house the metal would have
just a very shallow depression between the joists, and this would
increase gently as I approach the other side of the deck. At that side,
I would install a gutter to collet the runoff and deposit it well away
from my stuff. What I would end up wtih is a gently sloped trough
between each adjacent pair of joists.

Anyone have any suggestions for sources of cheap siding or any other
source of thin readily worked sheetmetal? Aluminum preferred as it's
easy to work with.
I'm north of Sacramento, so hoping for something within reasonable
driving range, say 120 miles.


Thanks,

Jon

In article ,
RoyJ wrote:

I get pole barn siding/roofing material from my local distributor. The
stuff comes in precut for a specific job, they use a "cover sheet" for
top and bottom of the stack. It's the same material but odd colors. I've
been paying $.50 a running foot for 3' wide material. The stuff cuts
easily with a cheap plywood blade in the skillsaw mounted BACKWARDS.
Wear eye protection and ear protection. It really throws chips and noise.

I just cut it with aircraft snips - very quiet. Will cut you if given
half a chance, though, so don't...

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

Ecnerwal wrote:

In article ,
RoyJ wrote:

I get pole barn siding/roofing material from my local distributor. The
stuff comes in precut for a specific job, they use a "cover sheet" for
top and bottom of the stack. It's the same material but odd colors. I've
been paying $.50 a running foot for 3' wide material. The stuff cuts
easily with a cheap plywood blade in the skillsaw mounted BACKWARDS.
Wear eye protection and ear protection. It really throws chips and noise.

I just cut it with aircraft snips - very quiet. Will cut you if given
half a chance, though, so don't...


I bought some for my saw shed from an Amish metal dealer. I bought plain
galvanized sheets that were used for covers also. The guy had a neat 'paper
cutter', slid out the sheet, grabbed the 4ft handle and cut to size in an
instant.

Wes

Thanks all for the excellent suggestions. Should have added
the qualifier that I rent, and so there's a real limit to
how much money I'm going to spend on this project.

As pointed out, sheeting nailed to the bottom of the joists
will promote rot. Well, they're already rotted. Landlord is
talking about tearing it down and building a new one. We'll
see... If so, I will see what he things about sealing it
like a roof.


Jon

Jon Anderson wrote:
Thanks all for the excellent suggestions. Should have added the
qualifier that I rent, and so there's a real limit to how much money I'm
going to spend on this project.

As pointed out, sheeting nailed to the bottom of the joists will promote
rot. Well, they're already rotted. Landlord is talking about tearing it
down and building a new one. We'll see... If so, I will see what he
things about sealing it like a roof.


Jon

Maybe it's time to use craigslist to SELL some stuff?

Jeff wrote:

Maybe it's time to use craigslist to SELL some stuff?

Going to have to start up with that. I'm clearing house.
Getting rid of a few motorcycles, and I have a lot of stuff
that was set aside for a yard sale that I never got to. It's
all in my way and I want it gone. Some stuff destined for
ebay, some for Craigslist and a local online listing, some
for freecycle, and I'll be posting some freebie stuff here
that some folks might be interested in.

Jon

On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:05:28 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

Jeff wrote:

Maybe it's time to use craigslist to SELL some stuff?

Going to have to start up with that. I'm clearing house.
Getting rid of a few motorcycles, and I have a lot of stuff
that was set aside for a yard sale that I never got to. It's
all in my way and I want it gone. Some stuff destined for
ebay, some for Craigslist and a local online listing, some
for freecycle, and I'll be posting some freebie stuff here
that some folks might be interested in.

Jon

Motorcycles? Whatcha got, and where are ya?

Snarl

wrote:

Motorcycles? Whatcha got, and where are ya?

Spoken for... '74 Montesa 348 Cota going to my brother.
A '78 Maico chassis I was going to stuff a Ducati 350 engine
into. Chassis spoken for, have a narrow case non-desmo 350
engine to sell. An XR200 that my dad had started to modify
years ago as a woods/trials type bike. I was going to part
it out, but I think (as if I need ANOTHER project) I'd like
to find a 125cc road racing rolling chassis and make a
street legal baby thumper road racer out of it.

I'm in Northern California if the Ducati 350 engine is of
interest.

Jon

On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:30:17 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

wrote:

Motorcycles? Whatcha got, and where are ya?

Spoken for... '74 Montesa 348 Cota going to my brother.
A '78 Maico chassis I was going to stuff a Ducati 350 engine
into. Chassis spoken for, have a narrow case non-desmo 350
engine to sell. An XR200 that my dad had started to modify
years ago as a woods/trials type bike. I was going to part
it out, but I think (as if I need ANOTHER project) I'd like
to find a 125cc road racing rolling chassis and make a
street legal baby thumper road racer out of it.

I'm in Northern California if the Ducati 350 engine is of
interest.

Jon

Ive got a '73 Honda XL350 thumper just taking up space.Id thought
about making a desert hunting bike out of it..shrug...but its way way
down on the list of things to do

Might swap it off for something that goes bang...havent had a new bang
toy for a couple years. Something like a Marlin 39 lever action 22


Gunner



"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:30:17 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:


wrote:


Motorcycles? Whatcha got, and where are ya?

Spoken for... '74 Montesa 348 Cota going to my brother.
A '78 Maico chassis I was going to stuff a Ducati 350 engine
into. Chassis spoken for, have a narrow case non-desmo 350
engine to sell. An XR200 that my dad had started to modify
years ago as a woods/trials type bike. I was going to part
it out, but I think (as if I need ANOTHER project) I'd like
to find a 125cc road racing rolling chassis and make a
street legal baby thumper road racer out of it.

I'm in Northern California if the Ducati 350 engine is of
interest.

Jon


Ive got a '73 Honda XL350 thumper just taking up space.Id thought
about making a desert hunting bike out of it..shrug...but its way way
down on the list of things to do

Might swap it off for something that goes bang...havent had a new bang
toy for a couple years. Something like a Marlin 39 lever action 22


Gunner



"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner


I have a 1980 Honda CB750F available to anyone who doesn't have enough
projects already. It will require some work but I believe it can be put
back into running shape without a great deal of investment.

Jim Chandler
Apple Valley, CA

Jim Chandler wrote:

I have a 1980 Honda CB750F available to anyone who doesn't have enough
projects already. It will require some work but I believe it can be put
back into running shape without a great deal of investment.

Dang, wish I could afford to take on a project.... I've
always liked that model.


Jon

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:53:10 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

I use the area under my deck for storage. Have a shed and
several motorcycles under there. For years I've tarped the
bikes for winter, but the whole area gets drenched and
retains moisture. It's also a pain to go under the deck to
get something when it's raining with all the water dripping...

I got the bright idea of slinging a large tarp under the
deck. As I tried to implement this, I realized it wasn't so
bright. No matter what I tried I couldn't get all the sags
out. It rained pretty good last night, and this morning I
found most of the tarp on the ground. Sigh....

What I'd like to try now is metal siding, screwed directly
to the bottom of the joists. Starting at the side of the
house the metal would have just a very shallow depression
between the joists, and this would increase gently as I
approach the other side of the deck. At that side, I would
install a gutter to collet the runoff and deposit it well
away from my stuff. What I would end up wtih is a gently
sloped trough between each adjacent pair of joists.

Anyone have any suggestions for sources of cheap siding or
any other source of thin readily worked sheetmetal? Aluminum
preferred as it's easy to work with.
I'm north of Sacramento, so hoping for something within
reasonable driving range, say 120 miles.

Can't help you with locations, as I'm nowhere near the area.

But I might be able to offer a few suggestions, for what it's worth:

First off, metal might not be the way to go here- that's not to say it
wouldn't work, because it would. But you might get away with a less
expensive alternative.

What I'd do, if I had to do this project, is get some cheap OSB
sheathing plywood- depending on the size of your deck, it'd probably
be less than $50. Take that plywood, and staple tar paper over it,
and then shingle it. Then just lift the whole thing up and nail it to
the underside of your deck- flush to the joists at the house side, and
about 4-6" lower on the other end. Cheap, easy and waterproof. Since
you're not going to really be able to see the shingles anyway, ask at
your local hardware store if they have mismatched open bundles for
sale- I know at Menards (a midwestern chain) they sell them for about
$9 a square. (a square, if you're not familiar with the measurement,
is 100 square feet. In roofing terms, 3 bundles of shingles is
commonly one square.)

The other thing I'd consider is looking into semi-rigid plastic shower
walls. Since you've got decking over the plastic, you don't need to
worry too much about it being able to support a lot of weight- just
the water as it runs into the gutter.

In any case, you'll be a lot happier if you find something that
overlaps itself or is one solid sheet. Spanning the gaps between the
joists with thin material will still allow the water to leak through
the gaps, if you don't caulk it thuroughly, or through the wood itself
if you get a good enough soaking.

On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:53:56 -0600, RoyJ
wrote:

I get pole barn siding/roofing material from my local distributor. The
stuff comes in precut for a specific job, they use a "cover sheet" for
top and bottom of the stack. It's the same material but odd colors. I've
been paying $.50 a running foot for 3' wide material. The stuff cuts
easily with a cheap plywood blade in the skillsaw mounted BACKWARDS.
Wear eye protection and ear protection. It really throws chips and noise.

It's not too tough to cut it to length with a good pair of tin snips,
either. If you need to rip it lengthwise, you can score the material
along one of the humps with a utility knife a few times, and then bend
it to snap it off. Never saw anyone do it with a circular saw- I'm
sure it works, but I'm equally sure it's loud as hell and hard on the
saw to boot.

Prometheus wrote:

What I'd do, if I had to do this project, is get some cheap OSB
sheathing plywood- depending on the size of your deck, it'd probably
be less than $50. Take that plywood, and staple tar paper over it,
and then shingle it. Then just lift the whole thing up and nail it to
the underside of your deck- flush to the joists at the house side, and
about 4-6" lower on the other end.

Good idea, I'll check out local materials costs. I really
don't need to keep the area totally dry, some drips here and
there would be fine. I might be able to do this with largely
scrounged materials.

Thanks!

Jon