Internal Plasterboard - Fermacell - top tips I have finished fixing the fermacell plaster boards: pretty easy on the walls, not so easy for the ceiling. The ceiling was eventually accomplished by chopping the boards in half and using temporarily affixed battens to give me somewhere to locate one end of each board so that I could then prop the other end... I have finished fixing the fermacell plaster boards: pretty easy on the walls, not so easy for the ceiling. The ceiling was eventually accomplished by... Nick 19-May-2014 workshop fermacell boarding
First-fit Electircs A bit of progress this past week. Simon the electrician came and did the first fix of electrics. I think this has a different name in the US, but it involves laying out the cables before any plasterboard(drywall) goes up. Before this happens you need to have thought through the quantity/rough location of:... A bit of progress this past week. Simon the electrician came and did the first fix of electrics. I think this has a different name... Nick 13-May-2014 workshop electrics
Electric cable sizing - voltage drop calculating cable size – Voltage drop The copper wire in a cable acts as a resistor and the amount of resistance varies according to the its size and length. As current runs through the conductor a voltage drop occurs: the voltage at the end of the conductor is lower than at the source. Smaller wires and... calculating cable size – Voltage drop The copper wire in a cable acts as a resistor and the amount of resistance varies according to the its... Nick 08-May-2014 workshop electrics
Electrical Connection I mentioned before that I have an electrician doing all the connections, but to keep costs down I am doing the labouring and my main job is to lay a cable between the shed and the house. When running electrical cables outside you need to use steel wire armoured (SWA) cable for safety reasons – sometimes... I mentioned before that I have an electrician doing all the connections, but to keep costs down I am doing the labouring and my main... Nick 04-May-2014 workshop electrics
More Electrical Bits You Will Need I bought the following sockets from screwfix: not an exact match with the lightwaverf switch, but a bit closer than appears in the pic, where the light has caught them at different angles. Also pretty good value for £4 each. I also got a cheap but functional exterior light – will be replaced with something nicer... I bought the following sockets from screwfix: not an exact match with the lightwaverf switch, but a bit closer than appears in the pic, where... Nick 03-May-2014 workshop electrics
Home Automation obviously a critical feature in any decent shed is the ability to turn on and off the lights from the comfort of your armchair (inside the house). enter… lightwaverf launched by a British firm (JSTS) in 2011 they produce a range of remote controlled devices (including switches and sockets) that can be controlled with a... obviously a critical feature in any decent shed is the ability to turn on and off the lights from the comfort of your armchair (inside... Nick 28-Apr-2014 workshop electrics
Electricity - rules and regulations Is DIY electrical work illegal in the UK? I had a vague idea that work done to the mains or to equipment directly attached to it had to be done by a qualified electrician, or at least signed off by one, and that to do otherwise was against the law. It turns out that this... Is DIY electrical work illegal in the UK? I had a vague idea that work done to the mains or to equipment directly attached to... Nick 27-Apr-2014 workshop electrics
LED lighting After a lot of hunting around I have decided to go for these – ecoled zep2. Made in the UK and definitely not cheap (60 quid each) but top quality so far as I have read. details: 1. 800 lumens1, which is about the same as a 60 watt incandescent bulb 2. Coloring Rendering Index (CRI2)... After a lot of hunting around I have decided to go for these – ecoled zep2. Made in the UK and definitely not cheap (60 quid... Nick 26-Apr-2014 workshop electrics
Preparing for First-fit Electrics Battens attached – a very tedious job that took pretty much the whole day. They are spaced at 400mm centres and I used counter battens on the ceiling to make room for the light fitting (the recess will be 75mm which is just about deep enough for the led lights I have picked). Anyhow, it is... Battens attached – a very tedious job that took pretty much the whole day. They are spaced at 400mm centres and I used counter battens on... Nick 19-Apr-2014 workshop electrics
Exterior finished I have completed version II of the pillar cladding and I am reasonably happy with it. This means the outside building work is now all finally done, bar a couple of coatings of clear coat for the cladding and a bit of silicon sealant between the pillar and the doors. I used paint from Bedec... I have completed version II of the pillar cladding and I am reasonably happy with it. This means the outside building work is now all... Nick 14-Apr-2014 workshop cladding
Cedar Maintenance It is a much put about myth that cedar is maintenance free – it is true that you don’t have to treat it, but it can’t be guaranteed to fade to a consistent grey colour and frequently ends up as a blotchy mess. So what clear coat to use? Well what I have discovered... It is a much put about myth that cedar is maintenance free – it is true that you don’t have to treat it, but it... Nick 11-Apr-2014 workshop cladding
Exterior vs Marine Plywood Having spent hours preparing and priming my improvised plywood column cladding to the point where I was happy with it, there was a bit of rain and the ply started to de-laminate. grr. Lessons learned: exterior ply is not the same as marine ply. Seal the cut ends. Back to the drawing board on that... Having spent hours preparing and priming my improvised plywood column cladding to the point where I was happy with it, there was a bit of... Nick 09-Apr-2014 workshop cladding
Heating and Ventilation I toyed briefly with the idea of electric underfloor heating, but soon concluded that being too hot was likely to be as much of a problem as being too cold (large windows that don’t open and in the sun all day). So… mini-split air-con …or as I think they are more properly known ‘air... I toyed briefly with the idea of electric underfloor heating, but soon concluded that being too hot was likely to be as much of a... Nick 04-Apr-2014 workshop electrics
Gutters gutter and downpipe installed... gutter and downpipe installed... Nick 01-Apr-2014 workshop EPDM roof
Fermacell Exterior Cladding I put up the boards to the rear and right hand side this weekend. I am using the same boards internally and externally, and the trademark name is Fermacell. The boards are made of recycled gypsum and paper. The addition of cellulose fibres to the gypsum plaster makes the boards very strong (they can be... I put up the boards to the rear and right hand side this weekend. I am using the same boards internally and externally, and the... Nick 31-Mar-2014 workshop cladding
Corner Post Cladding in the end I decided to use plywood, rather than cedar, to cover the corner post – mainly because I had a piece of marine plywood to hand and if it ends up looking terrible I will have only wasted £10 on materials. Besides I am getting impatient to be done with the exterior and start... in the end I decided to use plywood, rather than cedar, to cover the corner post – mainly because I had a piece of marine plywood... Nick 25-Mar-2014 workshop cladding