Hey guys, I took care of the measurement problem, I have the hive boxes done, and the outer cover made, (except for the tin), starting on the bottom board. My family thinks Im nuts, because Im building this out of wood around the house, I wont be moving to Arkansas until the spring, its too late to do anything with bees now, and I wouldnt want o have to move them if I did get some. I am just really impatient when I get my mind on doing something, so to settle me down Im just building a hive. nuts huh? Louisiana stays warm for a while, I have worn shorts at Christmas. My landord(next door) has a tree full of bees down by the pond and bayou, Im going to put the hive there and see if maybe the bees will leave the tree and go in the hive. If the do, and they start working on the frames, Ill just give them to a local keeper. Like I said Im excited. I study about bees every night, I checked out books at the library, and purchased Beekeeping for Dummies. And of course Im here at this forum learning from the pros!! Thanks yall for all your help.