The Doing Up The Battered Shed Thread :d

[Bekki]

I got given a 6x4 shed so I thought I could post updates here with photos which may become a resource to anyone in the future who needs to make a battered old shed more piggy/other animal friendly :-)

Its a bit battered but there it is as we were doing some roof repairs, the felt was damaged in the move.


Roof nearly done, timber put on to help hold the felt, excess still needs trimming


Progress inside so far, its expanding foam I picked to use. the shed is an overlap shed meanging there are gaps at every lat where daylight can be seen through and draughts can get in .... erm not any more! The foam also sets like a glue thus strenghtening the entire shed too.


Thats all ive done so far, foam will be knifed neatly. The whole shed will be brushed down with a wire brush to remove teh moss/lichen and then will be given an anti rot and woodworm killer treatment as there is a tiny area of woodworm damage, followed by a coat of paint (or many) outside, and insulation inside as well as flooring and we'll go from there.

 

[gus+walter]

Looks great so far! lucky pigs will have their own mansion when finished!

 

[Goth Mummy]

That's great Bekki - I will be joining you in shed-revamps soon! I used that expanding foam stuff for my garage which had a corrugated roof that leaked a bit, it worked really well and withstood the storms of last winter.
Are they going to free-range in the shed?

 

[Bekki]

No the pigs wont be free ranging in here, they will be moving into my as of yet unbuilt brick shed. The rabbits are likely to move in here and they would be freeranging and if the insulation is good enough the rats cage will move in whilst we decorate the house. Somewhere in these sheds we want to store their food, hay, stuff, and paint/tools! So may need some crazy shelving! The rabbits are currently in a hutch and run set up, which is bigger overall than they could have with the shed but for winter the shed is more indoor space so the aim is to get everything done for next winter ... but we will see!

 

[sport_billy]

Thanks for this, interesting to see the project going through each stage, it will be a useful resource for many piggie shed builders

 

[Goth Mummy]

That's a great idea to make it a multipurpose rabbit home and storage shed

 

[Bekki]

ill be painting with this

as soon as I get time on a good day, after giving the whole shed a good brush with a wire brush prior to painting

and treating the small area of woodworm with a woodworm killer but I need a decent day to do that so it doesnt just run off in the rain! Its only a really small area i'm just being a tad OTT.

EDIT: jeez those photos are huge, forum rezie them properly!

 

[BossHogg]

I'll resize them later for you.

 

[Bekki]

Shed has been brushed and all the worst of the cracks and gaps on the exterior have been filled using a basic exterior filler, I have evidence of woodworm in places I hadnt spotted so I still have that treatment to do ill likely just coat the entire thing up about a metre. For anyone reading who isnt familiar with woodworm its a few types of beetles (abundant in the "wild" and able to fly) whose larvae sit and munch tunnels through your wooden items, they can only live in moist wood though so dry the wood and the problem is gone. Part of the reason ill be going mad on filler, foam, mastic, paint and whatever else I find in the cupboard to seal any cracks or gaps so water cant get in and stay in and cause damp and then rot/bug infestation .... I'm not in a major rush to finish it so may as well go OTT as I want a few years from it The shed is in a south facing spot (part of the reason it will be well insulated) so it should dry out and the areas affected are only on this face as it was the exposed side in its previous home that was also north facing and on the grass side of its previous base, and obviously its now on concrete that isnt level in a good way that water runs straight off this part.

 

[twiams]

I love following threads like this, i'd love to be able to do something similar for my pigs! Look forward to seeing the rest of your progress Looks great so far