Frame completed and rafters go up

Week Sixteen.

 

A good week weather wise considering that it is late November. The frame was finished and the rafters have also gone up.  We had a few decisions to make including the exact height of the mezzanine level - which we set at 4' - and the positioning of the two vertical oak beams set either side of where the door is going to be. We wanted the door to be fairly central giving the mezzanine level enough space but also leaving enough space for the window over on the right hand side.

The rafters have gone up too so we have had the first chance to see how high the mezzanine level will be.  I have to stoop but it gives a reasonable height for the kids plus leaves enough for a decent amount of storage underneath.

First view of the roof

View from the side - starting to feel like a proper building!

View from inside

Horizontal beam set at 4 feet high - the mezzanine will sit at this height with storage below

View from the garden

View of Laura's shed from our garden.

Week Sixteen - frame goes up

Week Sixteen.

 

Dan worked all weekend making the most of a good spell of dry weather and managed to get the majority of the box frame up.  Work has continued today with the box frame being completed and some of the six king posts being put in position.  Standing down on the scalpings today directly in front of the buildings gave me the first sense of how big they are actually going to feel. Up until now, the floor space felt small and there was no way of imagining what the front of the building was going to look like.

 

Huge progress after a lot of hard work plus weekend working!

The middle vertical post marking the position of the mezzanine/storage section (to the left) and the main utility part (on the right).

The two front vertical posts marking where our doors will be.

Brick pier and oak frame meeting

View from the garden

The first oak beams go up

Week Fifteen.

 

Despite almost constant drizzle today, Dan and Jack managed to get the first timbers up. They erected a temporary shelter to keep off the worst of the weather. They are having to position the rear left hand post away from the wall to get over the fact that the wall not only leans out towards the top but it also bows out at the centre so without this adjustment, the buildings won't be square.

Trying to keep dry...

Trying to overcome the lean in the brick wall

First horizontal oak beam in place

The large oak beams arrive

Week Fifteen.

 

Two 5m oak beams have arrived.  These will go along the back wall and form an important structural support for the entire frame and roof.  Dan and Jack managed to get these through the Churchyard and over the wall on their own!

 

Week Fifteen - building work continues

Week Fifteen.

 

A reasonable day weather wise, so work has continued on the central wall. We are getting close now to seeing the actual oak frame go up and I cannot wait!

 

Tarpaulins being used to protect the oak timber and the wall

Work continues on the central wall

Design change to allow for a mezzanine!

Week Fourteen.

 

Dan has come up with a brilliant idea which gives us shed storage but also a mezzanine level!  His idea basically involves dropping the level of the beam which goes from front to back over the wall dividing the shed 1.5m section from the utility/kids area which takes up the remaining 3.5m. The beam instead of being high up will be dropped to approx 4.5 feet and the partitioning wall instead of being floor to ceiling will not be removed. We can then store the shed stuff under the new floor which will be created from the 4.5' beam. The building  will feel much more spacious as you will be able to see the roof structure along the full 5m length.  The kids can use this higher mezzanine level as their play room, leaving the lower part of the building as my utility room! We therefore can have totally different areas and we will still have plenty of storage space underneath the mezzanine. Dan has suggested we use trolleys to access stuff, but we have given the design a lot of thought and plan to have a combination of shelving at the back for the heavier and rarely used items plus a large cupboard and three or four trolleys cleverly hidden behind a slim bookcase created from MDF.  I can picture it exactly! I want to use glass panels as the balustrade and I will have a go at making a ladder with my Dad - a great project for us over the winter! 

Starting to think about lighting....

Week Fourteen.
 

I have been doing lots of research into the types of lighting I would like for the shed.  I am going to use a variety of light types which will hopefully provide a beautiful ambience for when the shed is in use for social occasions or when the kids want to be in there.

 

I plan to have four dimmable LED spotlights up high fixed to the rafters.

 

Benton Angled LED Spotlight - which is dimmable

 



Touch-4 LED Strip Light Colour Controller  - this will control the LED strips (see below).

Then I would like to have RGWB LED strip lights in the ceiling fixed on top of the beams controlled by a colour changing dimmer.  This will be a fun feature for the children mainly.

LED Strip Lights - which will go on the oak roof beams

I then plan to install 18mm stainless steel plinth lights into a low oak beam shelf which will be installed top of the newly constructed dwarf wall at the back of the building. These lights will shine up the wall like this...

I would like plinth lights to be angled upwards like this photo....

Central wall is constructed

Week Fourteen.

 

Work began today on the central wall between the two sheds.  It is being built using structural concrete blocks - 100 of which we were given to us free by a neighbour.  A brick pier has also been built at the front of the building which will act as structural support for the timber beams and also disguise the fact that the angle of the garden wall and therefore the sheds are at a different angle to the fence line and are not parallel to the houses. Unfortunately, we will not see much if any of this brickwork on our side but it will be visible above the lower level fence when that is added at the end of the project. 

 

Construction of central wall with brick pier to the front

Week Fourteen - work begins again!

Week Fourteen

Dan and Jack arrived back with us on Monday morning. It has been a long break and I was glad to see them back although they have spent three days on re-pointing the wall on the other side of our wall so we hardly saw them!  That is now complete and the only thing left to do on that side of the wall is to put two coats of a masonry sealant on.  We have then done all we can to prevent any moisture coming through into our sheds.  The product we chose after much research is Bond It Masonry Silicone Ultra Waterseal Waterproofer.

 

Product details:

A premium grade, solvent-free silicone waterseal conforming to BS6477 part 1,3 and 4.

Provides a micro-porous water-repellant coating for masonry work, which, while repelling exterior water, allows the emission of water vapour ensuring the interiors and cavity walls remain dry.

Used as a masonry waterproofer suitable for use on brick, stone, concrete and unglazed tiles.

It protects the surface against water and frost, providing a micro-porous coating which does not change the aesthetic appearance of a building.

A secondary benefit of the product is to repel waterborne dirt and resist fungal growth as well as help reducing heating costs, as energy is not wasted in drying out.

Apply by brush or or garden sprayer.

Typical coverage of hard brick is 5 metres squared per litre.

We wanted to choose a product that would not change the appearance of the historic brickwork and would allow the wall to breathe.

Week Thirteen - rain, rain, rain

Weather has prevented any work taking place this week which has been really frustrating.  Forecast better next week so fingers crossed!