Timber

Timber

I finally got around to ordering the timber and it has arrived, but due to a combination of the bad weather and other things keeping me busy, it remains stuck on the drive. The shopping part is definitely the low point of shed building, and this particular episode was not any different. To liven things...

I finally got around to ordering the timber and it has arrived, but due to a combination of the bad weather and other things keeping...

workshop cladding
EPDM Rubber Roof

EPDM Rubber Roof

I got an hour or two this afternoon to stick the roof cover down. I am using a roofing material made from EPDM which is a synthetic rubber. It can be bought in large sheets and is glued down – there are two main manufacturers selling in the UK, Classic Bond and Firestone. Firestone seems to...

I got an hour or two this afternoon to stick the roof cover down. I am using a roofing material made from EPDM which is...

workshop construction
Roughly Weatherproof

Roughly Weatherproof

a minor milestone has been reached and the workshop is now more-or-less wind and rain proof. Bob arrived with the replacement window on Tuesday and helped me fit it. It turns out there is a right and a wrong-way for a modern glazing unit to face – apparently one of the surfaces is ‘low emission’ and...

a minor milestone has been reached and the workshop is now more-or-less wind and rain proof. Bob arrived with the replacement window on Tuesday and...

workshop construction
Dry Roof

Dry Roof

lovely day today but since I haven’t got much I can get on with I faffed around silicon sealing the windows and doors. Finally got the roof dry. I should probably be shopping for plaster boards & soffits etc (yawn)....

lovely day today but since I haven’t got much I can get on with I faffed around silicon sealing the windows and doors. Finally...

workshop construction
The Weather. Again

The Weather. Again

a brief pause while I wait for Bob, of Bob Best’s Windows fame to deliver my new window unit (next week I hope). I explained my amateurish mistake while breaking the old one, and he said sagely: ‘it does happen, mate’ which made me feel better about the whole thing. The other important step...

a brief pause while I wait for Bob, of Bob Best’s Windows fame to deliver my new window unit (next week I hope). I...

workshop construction
Windows and Doors

Windows and Doors

I have turned what should have been a simple job into a bit of a palaver. Things started off fairly comically when I did a trial fit of the window frame and found out it was 25mm too short. Panic! I had just about come to terms with the fact that I had somehow failed...

I have turned what should have been a simple job into a bit of a palaver. Things started off fairly comically when I did a...

workshop construction
Weatherproofing - breather membrane

Weatherproofing - breather membrane

The weather here is going from bad to worse, but earlier today I dashed out in a quiet spell to try and fit the window frame only to get caught in an unbelievable hail storm – some of the hailstones were about 1cm across and they were hammering down – I really needed to stay out long...

The weather here is going from bad to worse, but earlier today I dashed out in a quiet spell to try and fit the window...

workshop weatherproofing
Putting on the roof

Putting on the roof

Finished off the walls by fixing the structural posts and beams in the near corner (these will frame the window and door). A post is needed to support one corner of the roof.  When I did the drawings I arranged it so that the post sat directly on the sub-frame inside a cut out in...

Finished off the walls by fixing the structural posts and beams in the near corner (these will frame the window and door). A post is...

workshop construction
Erecting the Walls

Erecting the Walls

There was a welcome break in the weather between Christmas and new year, and we ended up with a couple of sunny days in which some construction work could be done. Happily the two clear days were in succession and coincided with my brother staying over, so we got a lot done. I am eternally...

There was a welcome break in the weather between Christmas and new year, and we ended up with a couple of sunny days in which...

workshop construction
Speed Square

Speed Square

we continue to enjoy rain and wind of biblical proportions, but I managed to get an hour or two on Saturday to cut the remaining osb splines. The weather forecast looks grim for the near future so I have revised my plans and now will attempt to get the walls and roof up in one...

we continue to enjoy rain and wind of biblical proportions, but I managed to get an hour or two on Saturday to cut the remaining...

workshop construction
Constructing the floor

Constructing the floor

A surprisingly nice day today and I even saw the sun on a couple of occasions. I had a few more hours to finish the floor, which was good Re. the weather – I do realize the sensible thing to do would be to wait for dry conditions, but this is the only spare time I...

A surprisingly nice day today and I even saw the sun on a couple of occasions. I had a few more hours to finish the...

workshop construction
Subframe

Subframe

Today I did the subframe – it is complete over-engineered....

Today I did the subframe – it is complete over-engineered....

workshop design
Estimating the cost of your build

Estimating the cost of your build

How much does it cost to build your own garden room? Those of you with a good memory may recall that my original estimates on the build costs were around £6,000-£7,000, which after a bit of cursory research I imagined being spent like this: * SIP panels and sub-frame = 3300 * plinths (footings) = 700...

How much does it cost to build your own garden room? Those of you with a good memory may recall that my original estimates on...

workshop costs
Installing the footings

Installing the footings

I laid out the footings at the weekend. Finally place the concrete mini-plinth concrete tops and steel supports on to the grids:...

I laid out the footings at the weekend. Finally place the concrete mini-plinth concrete tops and steel supports on to the grids:...

workshop foundations
Clearing a Space

Clearing a Space

I finished clearing the site at the weekend: I then realised – rather belatedly – that: 1. the tree I had planted 7 years ago will be pressed right up to the front of the new building 2. a 3.6×3.6×2.7 meter building is actually pretty big compared to your typical shed These...

I finished clearing the site at the weekend: I then realised – rather belatedly – that: 1. the tree I had planted 7 years ago will be...

workshop foundations
Building with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)

Building with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)

what is a SIP? A SIP is a prefabricated panel consisting of two layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) sandwiching a layer of expanded polystyrene or urethane foam. The history of building with SIPs SIPs are a relative novelty in the UK – the majority of our houses are still built with brick and block – but...

what is a SIP? A SIP is a prefabricated panel consisting of two layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) sandwiching a layer of expanded polystyrene...

workshop construction