Shed

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Shed
« on: January 24, 2006, 13:35 »
I'm quite determined not to buy a brand new shed for my patch, and second hand ones seem to be in short supply in my area....
So I'm going to get my hammer and saw out, and build one.
Obvioulsy I'm not going to leave all my tools up there, so I only really need somwhere to keep a chair, a watering can and a bottle of sherry....does anyone have any drawings or plans they'd like to share with me, or will this be an initiation ceremony for the Novice to join the allotmenteering fraternity ?

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John

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« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2006, 18:37 »
Sorry I've no plans - I bought a book but it was American and seemed to assume you would need to keep a family of 6 in it  - useless!

You might like to just build a box and lock the lid. Fix it solidly to the ground though. Snoop round sheds and see how they are built. I found that I couldn't buy the wood for the money they wanted for a shed though,

My allotment shed is basically painted plywood on a frame of 3 by 2 timber  - much cheaper than T&G or feaherboard.

Hope this helps
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noshed

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« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2006, 19:54 »
I must admit I was intending to leave my tools in my shed, if I ever get one. It's a real pain having to drive down to carry my tools.
The cheapest shed I've found seems to be the best part of £200, so there is an incentive to work out a cheaper DIY alternative.
The people on my site assure me people will help if I embark on contruction, so I think I'll take the plunge.
Self-sufficient in rasberries and bindweed. Slug pellets can be handy.

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« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2006, 13:24 »
Funnily enough, I was looking on the internet, and found I kept on getting directed to an American site which had plans for log cabins...sounds like a similiar thing to your book John !!
I'm afraid that I've given up the search a bit too easily, and am off to my local DIY store, where they have a garden storage box for about £50. It measures 5' x 3' 6" x 2'.  This will be good enough for my limited storage needs, and to shelter from the rian in, and to....errmmmm... releive myself into a big plastic bottle when the need arises ( which I can then use on my...soon to be built with old pallets from work....compost heap )
I'll be honest Noshed - I'd be fairly loathed to leave tools in an allotment shed...I know it can be a pain taking them with you each time, but at least you know where they are. I shove mine into a big holdall, put them over my back, and cycle up to mine !!

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John

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« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2006, 13:55 »
Before I got the shed I hid things behind the compost heap. Now I wonder how I got by without the shed. The Merry Tiller and the Mantis live in there along with spade, fork, rake, dutch hoe, draw hoe, fleece, nets, cloches, fertiliser, pots, trays, petrol cans (1 for two stroke, one for 4 star), hammer, nails, WD40, carrier bags, ph meter, saw, crowbar, wheelbarrow, cuddly toy and teamaker. OK - the last 2 were a joke.

And the list is just what I can remember.

You do realise the day after you buy a box you will be offered a free shed?  :tongue2:

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Gnome

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« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2006, 14:03 »
I had this notion of building a shed to last that would accommodated tools and people (on rainy days) and be a base for a brew up and for storing furniture. I was inspired by a friend in London who had built one that was 8feet by 8feet by 8feet. This meant that he could by timber that was a nominal 2.4 mtres in length and not have to cut it. He had built panels on a framework and constructed it like a flat pack store built one. I was thinkng of building it on a frame in situ.  This would then be an outsized version of Johns box. My friend also had a sliding door which was quite nifty. Reminded me of the rolling stock with sliding doors that used to be airlifted onto mountains and used for mountain rescue huts.

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« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2006, 14:27 »
I reckon if it will do for mountain rescue it should survive an allotment!

My own experience of building things like a wooden framed greenhouse and a shed at a previous house is that  they always take longer than you think.

The roof is always the fun bit as well, a good overhang to stop most of the rain going onto the sides will help.

Good luck with it!

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noshed

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« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2006, 11:26 »
I've changed my mind again, having discussed it with a veteran allotment person - who gave me the fantastic advice: "It's only an allotment."
I'm therefore going to get one of B&Q's finest 6'x4' sheds - about £90, with a view to adding homebuilt extensions when required. This can sit on slabs - about £1 each, which will just sit on compacted earth. I think this will be cheaper and easier than the immense construction I was thinking about building from scratch.
I built a compost bin on Saturday from old bits I found lying around the plot and an adjacent one - in about 20 mins. This was using the most useful tool I have found so far - a lump hammer I bought in a cheap shop for £3. The bin does the job and in my opinion could be up for an Arts Council grant.
The existing compost heap is where I want the shed so I've had to break it up - it's full of lovely black compost but also a failed attempt by the previous plotholder to compost an entire kitchen. Fortunately there's a skip on site for all the mouldy chipboard.
I've also found that if your beds are about 4' wide you can bung compost on them without really needing any edging at all.

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John

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« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2006, 13:06 »
Depends how much you would enjoy being a builder!

I've seen summerhouses on allotment plots. Chap on our site built one with wood he gets from work that would be thrown. It even has decking and a balustrade as well as an attached conservatory (I kid you not) plus an old shed and 2 greenhouses.

On my list of contents of the shed, I think I forgot the lump hammer. Very useful.

I'm quite busy workwise at the moment so haven't escaped to the plot since Saturday. Maybe an hour this afternoon :)

OK, back to the grind for me.. I just love coding... honest.

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Gnome

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« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2006, 20:43 »
Lump Hammer. Explain please. Is it a 2lb engineers hammer or a club hammer ? B and Q sheds dont look great and I guess you get what you pay for. And how many people can you get into a 6 x 4 with gardening tools ?

Please get serious with the discussion. How far will I get for £90 with my 8foot by 8foot by 8foot cabin with sliding door ? On that basis we can assess my plan on a Best Value basis.

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John

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« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2006, 22:04 »
Well I don't know - square headed heavy hammer - like a lump hammer. I expect a new shed from anywhere will look better than my jobby.

As for your construction - well you'll just have to draw up a cutting list then shop around for the bits to see how far your money will go.

Last time I costed building a shed with T&G boards it worked out more expensive than buying one - economies of scale I expect.

And do remember - some people enjoy growing and not constructing and the money is all relative.

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noshed

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« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2006, 18:09 »
Even though the cheap ones are a bit flimsy I think they will be easy to strengthen and it will still be cheaper than buying the wood.
I've also got a fiendish security plan involving some chain and the council's concrete fence post.
Half the pleasure is using all the old bits lying around to make something useful, especially if it involves hitting things with a lump hammer. You should see my metal loganberry support I built today.

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Gnome

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I.T.G.A. (Its that Gnome again)
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2006, 13:42 »
So by deduction Holmes we discover that a lump hammer is in fact a sledge hammer. Nice one Watson, but is it nuts we are cracking or is it the Council concrete posts ?

Its only an allotment ? I feel a Tony Hancock moment coming on. It is your allotted place on earth, the destination of all your creative dreams, the building site that is a clean page for all your designs.......and then you throw up a B and Q shed ? Swipe me.

Ok, I shall do as advised. I shall price up the project from scratch and then calculate the difference in value and quality. As Clint so aptly puts it, I'll be back.

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noshed

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« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2006, 21:00 »
A lump hammer is like a sledge hammer but with a smaller head and a short handle - it's very handy for lumping things with, although I wasn't actually going to attack the fence post, merely use it to put a chain around. Not so exciting.
The base for my future shed is coming along nicely and people keep giving me things - loganberry and gooseberry bushes and the loan of someone's wheelbarrow. Really friendly atmousphere.

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John

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Re: I.T.G.A. (Its that Gnome again)
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2006, 22:29 »
Quote from: "Gnome"
. As Clint so aptly puts it, I'll be back.


I think the reference is actually to Arnie as in The Terminator rather than Clint as in 'Make my day'

Whatever the hammer is called, it packs more heft for knocking things in - including 6" nails- than a claw hammer.

Glad your shed is coming on, noshed, and that you have such a friendly site. It's funny how some sites are very friendly and some are quite insular. We're trying to develop more of a cooperative atmosphere on ours, not that there are many on the site at the moment.

Gnome, are you sure building is the way to go? I'd check the local rag in case someone is selling one for peanuts. You're in a big city, I think.



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