that job done, she called in
someone she knew could
handle it: her ex-husband
Henry Ruelas, a longtime
contractor. His and
Shannon’s son, Trevor, also
joined the crew. “I can’t get
enough of it,” says Trevor,
who plans to study construc-
tion management in
college.
The general store, like all
old buildings, contained
secrets: the usual whiskey
bottles and newspapers
inside the walls, but also
human bones buried
beneath it. Those bones
remain a mystery, but every-
one agrees that the building
is haunted.
Since the reopening of
the general store, The
Ostertag Group has tackled
several more projects in
Mount Vernon, including
our latest shed.30 JULY/AUGUST 2019 FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM
W
hen Greg Ostertag
retired from basket-
ball after 10 seasons with
the Utah Jazz, he and his
wife, Shannon, eventually
settled near Mount Vernon,
Texas. The town was look-
ing a bit tired—mostly
empty storefronts down-
town, just one restaurant.
“But we went ahead and
moved here anyway,” says
Greg. “Then Shannon
came to me with the idea
that she had to buy this
building and try to put
some life back into the
town.”
The building was the
century-old barbershop,
and the project gave birth
to new businesses: a coffee
shop and The Ostertag
Group, a design and con-
struction company.
Shannon next targeted
the old general store. To getBUILDING A TOWN,
A BUSINESS—AND A SHED
W
ith its exposed
rough-sawn
cedar framing
and paneled
ceiling, this is
a beautiful pavilion, perfect for
entertaining or just enjoying the
outdoors. The shed at the rear
provides more than 80 sq. ft. of
storage, including 36 lin. ft. of
walls, so you could install 100 ft.
of shelving and still have a huge
space left over for hanging up
yard tools.Materials,
time and tools
Our DIY materials cost was about
$5,000. We hired a contractor to
pour the 30 x 32-ft. slab, which
cost another $5,000. This is an
advanced building project that
requires a lot of attention to detail
and experience with layout and
complex framing. Three carpenters
and occasional helpers spent eight
long days on the construction,
while the prepainting and staining
work took one person two full
days. You’ll need a complete tool
arsenal, including a 1/2-in. hammer
drill, a chain saw and scaffolding.Start with
a flat slab
You could go with a perfectly level
slab; no slope. But the best slab
would be level at the shed area,
then slope away slightly so rain-
water runs away from the building.
Whether you do it yourself or hire a
contractor, make sure the building
area is flat. Ours wasn’t, and that
cost us hours of complicated com-
pensating. A 4-in.-thick slab will be
fine, but thicken the slab under the
four sets of 6x6 posts to a 4 x 4-ft.
area 8 in. deep.Prepaint and
stain everything!
It will take many hours to paint all
the siding, trim and ceiling panels
and stain the cedar parts. But it’s
worth doing before starting con-
struction. It’s a much larger job
after the construction is complete,
Continued on p. 33To hear more about how Greg went from basketball to
building, go to familyhandyman.com/pavilion-shed
BUFF STRICKLAND