Climbing Rose - Mme Alfred Carrère

Climbing Rose - Mme Alfred Carrère

I briefly thought about having a clematis and rose together on the new trellis on the front of the shed, but have now decided to keep it simple with a white rose. I plan to use Mme Alfred Carrère – introduced by Joseph Scwarz in France in 1879. This is a climber that has a tinge...

I briefly thought about having a clematis and rose together on the new trellis on the front of the shed, but have now decided to...

workshop fitting-out
Wire Trellis Installation

Wire Trellis Installation

a narrowly avoided fiasco re. the trellis.  My original plan was to suspend the wires vertically from the overhanging roof, perhaps using pad-eyes,  but I decided it would be too hard to get the wires tight and tidy. The tensioned wire trellis kits from s3i looked a much better option, but it appears I had...

a narrowly avoided fiasco re. the trellis.  My original plan was to suspend the wires vertically from the overhanging roof, perhaps using pad-eyes,  but I...

workshop fitting-out
outstanding workshop jobs - trim

outstanding workshop jobs - trim

One of the little jobs I had forgotten about was to fit some trim between the soffits and the walls. I used oak trim from B&Q, glued and screwed them to the wall and then filled the countersunk screw holes.   I stained the wood with a mahogany stain and then varnished it, and...

One of the little jobs I had forgotten about was to fit some trim between the soffits and the walls. I used oak trim from...

workshop cladding
Building a workshop - things I wish I'd known before starting

Building a workshop - things I wish I'd known before starting

Design In terms of the overall design my main regret is that I did not make it a bit bigger.  No doubt I’d still be saying it was too small, even if I had, but making it a couple of feet wider would have made a big difference to the usability of the space...

Design In terms of the overall design my main regret is that I did not make it a bit bigger.  No doubt I’d still...

overview
How much did it cost?

How much did it cost?

My original guestimate of around £6000 was not even close and my updated, and slightly better informed, estimate of £7500 was not much better.  The actual total was £9760 – add in a skip or two and we can call it £10k. Could it be done for £7500 ? I think so, but I would have had...

My original guestimate of around £6000 was not even close and my updated, and slightly better informed, estimate of £7500 was not much better.  The...

workshop costs
Door and Window Trims

Door and Window Trims

A trip to B&Q was the nudge I needed to finish a couple of jobs on the inside of the shed. I made a corner trim out of some left over plywood to tidy up the join between the door and the window, and also added a bit of aluminum trim over the...

A trip to B&Q was the nudge I needed to finish a couple of jobs on the inside of the shed. I made...

workshop construction
Rubber Flooring

Rubber Flooring

The rubber flooring was straightforward to lay – I started by covering the (SIP panel) flooring with 6mm ply, screwed down every 300mm (I countersunk and filled the holes). You need a completely flat surface to lay the tiles You then apply the adhesive in sections big enough to work at one go, wait for it...

The rubber flooring was straightforward to lay – I started by covering the (SIP panel) flooring with 6mm ply, screwed down every 300mm (I countersunk and...

workshop fitting-out
Rubber Floor Tiles

Rubber Floor Tiles

it was a toss-up between bamboo and rubber, and I have plumped for the latter. Rubber was my missus’ suggestion, and since she is generally right about things I did very little research. During the small amount of reading I did though, it did not take long to find people with critical things to say:...

it was a toss-up between bamboo and rubber, and I have plumped for the latter. Rubber was my missus’ suggestion, and since she is generally...

workshop fitting-out
Decoration

Decoration

I am  pleased with the end result, certainly not perfect but not a bad effort for a first attempt either. The walls are white ‘with a hint of apple’ in case you were wondering! One schoolboy error was that I forgot to do a mist coat for the ceiling, despite knowing full well it was...

I am  pleased with the end result, certainly not perfect but not a bad effort for a first attempt either. The walls are white ‘with...

workshop fitting-out
Fermacell finishing - Part II

Fermacell finishing - Part II

..  ceiling is done – doesn’t look nearly as bad as I feared. A few small ridges and dents if you look very closely, but otherwise a passable effort. I am really pleased with the ecoled downlighters. A bit hard to show in a pic, but they are very bright – to give you some idea, they...

..  ceiling is done – doesn’t look nearly as bad as I feared. A few small ridges and dents if you look very closely, but otherwise...

workshop fermacell boarding
Fermacell - finishing

Fermacell - finishing

Preparing for decoration * Step 1: filler over the joints and screw heads * Step 2: fermacell fine surface treatment (FST) * Step 3: caulking in the corners lessons learned FST is a smooth filler that comes pre-mixed in a large tub – it has the constituency of whipped cream and goes on easily. The technique with FST that...

Preparing for decoration * Step 1: filler over the joints and screw heads * Step 2: fermacell fine surface treatment (FST) * Step 3: caulking in the corners...

workshop fermacell boarding
Electrics - done!

Electrics - done!

all wired up and live, the sequence of events was: 1. mark where the fittings will go (me) 2. First fit wiring (electrician) 3. Plaster-boarding (me) 4. cut holes for fixtures, fit back-boxes and pull cables through (me) 5. lay SWA cable from shed to house (me) 6. feed SWA cable from garden through side...

all wired up and live, the sequence of events was: 1. mark where the fittings will go (me) 2. First fit wiring (electrician) 3. Plaster-boarding...

workshop electrics
Internal Plasterboard - Fermacell - top tips

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...

workshop fermacell boarding
First-fit Electircs

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...

workshop electrics
Electric cable sizing - voltage drop

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...

workshop electrics
Electrical Connection

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...

workshop electrics