Erecting a New Garden Shed

If you missed the first post about our old wooden shed (which was quite some time ago) then head over to

Demolishing a Garden Shed 

first and if you don't want to read the whole post you can just watch the short time-lapse video.

Then last month ago I posted about the

Preparation for a New Garden Shed  

so you might like to click above and see the work involved there before we tackle the actual process of putting up our new shed.


We got rid of a wooden shed but we have now replaced it with a larger metal shed.

I am not going to say this project was easy, nor am I going to say it was FUNWORK because it wasn't but I am going to say that it was not me who had the hard work to do and we were all happy to see the job completed and also there was a great sense of satisfaction.


We bought a Yardmaster Shed and of course the first thing Fred did was to check up on any videos for tips on erecting one of these.

So to be completely honest about it all

The videos we found made it look easier than it really was!!

One guy seemed to be implying that he did it all himself except for when his wife helped him to lift up and carry over and place on the roof frame.

His shed was the size smaller than ours but after tackling this project we can say without a doubt that two people are needed for more than one part.

All the thanks is due to Fred & Daniel who did all the hard work.

The work was done over four days - not 4 full days due to Daniel having to work part of the time and because of breaks because of rain (we do live in Northern Ireland!).

Day One 

Fred was on his own except for when he asked me to check something with him.


First Stage  -  Organising Materials.

Unpacking of the three boxes, checking everything accounted for, laying out on paved area and patio table.

This kind of thing always takes longer than anyone would think.



Second Stage  -  Building Base Frame.

Reading instructions,  picking out correct pieces,  attaching the various lengths of the base frame together,  placing base frame on the concreted area.

The important thing here was to make sure that the electric and water connections were inside and not too close to any of the frame.

Happily Fred had measured and placed the connections carefully during the pouring of the cement base.



Third Stage  -  Building the Roof.

Reading instructions,  picking out correct pieces,  forming the front and back sections of the roof.

Reading instructions,  picking out correct pieces,  completing the roof framework.

I did have to go out and help here as it was easier for Fred to make the connections while I held parts together for him.

This was all that was completed on the first day.

The next stages would definitely need two good workers.



Day Two

Daniel came for the afternoon and evening to help his dad.


Fourth Stage  -  Frame Uprights.

Reading instructions,  picking out correct pieces,  joining the uprights to the base.

Because (at this stage) the base is not yet pinned down, the uprights can easily tilt and move the frame.  We live at the top of a hill so I had to frequently give a hand with steading the framework when the wind decided to blow through.

This part was rather tedious and time consuming.

Fifth Stage  -  Bottom Wall Panels.

Reading instructions,  checking for top and bottom of the panels,  slotting the panels between the uprights and screwing them in place.

Sixth Stage  -  Attaching Roof Frame.

Lifting and carrying over the roof frame, placing it on in exactly the right position and attaching it to the other framework.

Definitely a two-man job and glad they are both tall guys.

Seventh Stage  -  Side Panels.

Attaching the remaining side panels.

Easier and quicker paced here because they had got the hang of it earlier.

One man inside and one outside really helped here.



Day Three 

Daniel had to work so I had to help Fred but we didn't need any heavy work here.


Eighth Stage  -  Attaching Roof Panels.

Very repetitive job because there are quite a few panels to be placed and many, many screws and washers to be applied.

There are two clear panels to provide light into the shed.

Day Four 

Daniel was back to help for the final stages.


Ninth Stage  -  Attaching Sliding Doors.

Both Daniel and Fred had to work together to attach the sliding doors.

Tenth Stage  -  Securing Shed to Concrete Base.

Holes had to be drilled into the concrete at the corners and along the sides of the shed base frame.

Then the shed was bolted to the base.

Eleventh Stage  -  Filling the Shed.

All three of us then put all the things back into the shed from where we had been keeping them in the garage.

There was so much more room for them in the new shed and now there was more room in the garage again so a very happy result.




Fred of course made a short Time-lapse video this time again each day but we will not bore you with 4 days worth this time.


I don't think even I could describe this job as Funwork over Housework as it was very time consuming and hard work on us all.   But it was a job that had to be done.

Preparation for a New Garden Shed - Organising My Home

If you missed the previous post about our old wooden shed (which was quite some time ago) then head over to
Demolishing a Garden Shed 
first and if you don't want to read the whole post you can just watch the short time-lapse video.

Today's post is getting everything ready for the new shed.

This involves the clean up after the old shed was removed and the work since then before the new shed could be erected.



CLEAN-UP

Well first we had a skip to fill to get rid of all the wood from the shed and Fred & I managed this part which gave me a lot of exercise walking back and forward with the wood etc.

By this time we were very happy about the shed being down and in the time-lapse video below you can see fred waving & smiling into the camera a couple of times and if you watch carefully you will catch a quick kiss (might as well make it a bit more fun).





Then we had the clean-up of the rubbish that we found around the back of the oil tank which I had not known was there from moving into the house 4 years ago.

Balls, plastic planters, bits of wood, bricks, old patio slabs, 2 swings!

Added to this then was the taking care of the water connection and electric connections that had been inside the shed.  These were there because of the little stone water feature on the decking.



CREATING A BASE FOR NEW SHED

Well we had to wait over the winter until this summer to be able to lay the concrete before we would erect the new shed.  Working outdoors in Northern Ireland is always subject to the weather especially as we are at the top of a hill and then we have to work around Fred's travel schedule for business.


Fred measured out and cut the wood to make a wooden surround into which the concrete would be poured.

He had to dig out a little bit of the ground at the back because the new shed was longer than the old one.

He also had to make sure it was in exactly the right position.

The old shed had been on a wooden base which had rotted but underneath that there was a large concrete slab.  This was however too low for us to use for the new shed because we wanted the bottom of the shed level with the decking.

Hence we needed to put another base on top of this original concrete.


And this was the finished surround.

Then came the day of the pouring of the cement and we were so glad to see this happen.


But I forgot to start taking photos of the work until most of the cement had been offloaded.

Notice we had to tie back the water tap while the cement went in and be careful about the placing of the electric cable.


Although we got someone experienced in working with concrete to come and do this, Fred wanted to help as usual.

The cement lorry was parked at the front of the house and they had to wheel the cement into the back garden in wheelbarrows along the path at the side of the house and through the small gate to the back.

Then when the area was full it all had to be levelled off

and then smoothed

For a few days we had to water the cement as it should not dry too quickly and then the wooden surround was removed and we had our concrete base ready for the new shed.


BUT what I presumed would be a grey base turned out to be a cream base - I can not remember ever seeing cream concrete before.


This was rather disappointing as the decking is grey so there is a contrast with the cream!


So for this part of the Shed project we started with this

and ended like this

Well Housework or Funwork for this project?


Definitely Funwork for me - not too much hard work, more helping out with something different and having excuses to make coffee because you have to keep the workers happy & me!



Next month I'll have the details of the erection of the new shed  -  what a job that was!

Demolishing a Garden Shed

Today we are going back to something we had hoped to have done a few months ago but it just was not possible to do so, but we badly needed to get on with Demolishing The Garden Shed.

The weather stayed good for the first few weeks of this month

                 
                              and our son was able to get an afternoon off work

                                     
                                                            when Fred wasn't travelling so

the demolishing of the old wooden garden shed
 was scheduled for Wednesday.

If not too interested in the details then head on to the end of the post
and watch the short video.

I was ready with the camera as well as old clothes and two other items that I was just excited about having the chance to use for the first time

an AXE 

and

  a SLEDGE HAMMER

this was going to be some FUNWORK this time!!!

Equipment needed:

• Hammer
• Crow Bar
• Screw Drivers
• Axe
• Sledge Hammer
• Chainsaw
• Gloves
• Safety Glasses
• Face Shield
• Wrench
• 2 Stepladders

Why Demolish The Shed?

The shed had to be replaced because this wooden one was rotting away.  

The trees from our neighbour had been overgrown and hanging badly over into our garden since we bought the house 4 years ago and the lower branches had been lying on the roof of the shed and rubbing along the roof during windy weather.

NI is known for it's rain and so with the wet branches rubbing against the roof of the shed we now had a roof with holes in it and the wood was ruined resulting in everything in the shed getting very moldy and dirty and wet.

Our neighbour finally decided to cut off the offending branches but

 it was too late to save the shed.

The Demolishing

Fred & Daniel started with the roof.

They took out all the nails from the tar-covered felt and got the felt off and the rotten wood removed while I unscrewed the hinges of the doors.

Then came my moment.

Fred allowed me to have a few swings at the front of the shed with

the axe 

and then

 the sledgehammer 

and then I was happy & left them to do the rest of the knocking down of the shed.

They soon had the front of the shed taken apart and started on the side and this was time for the chainsaw to come into action.



Safety

My husband works for a global company who take safety very seriously and so does he; hence the gloves, safety glasses and face protectors were donned from the start.

Another aspect of safety was always to make sure the electric cable of the chainsaw was clear of the saw and other objects and even Daniel knew to keep an eye on this.

With the first side all cut away they started on the other side which was closest to the garden fence .

This picture above was taken specifically for me as Fred had to bend over to get right down through the wood with the saw.

(Well there had to be some more FUN in all this WORK for me and not just getting to wield an axe and a sledgehammer.)

With the second side completed they were on to the back of the shed.  Which they lifted off the base in one piece and

then proceeded to cut into narrow strips.   

But this was not the end of the shed.

There was still the floor of the shed and they first had to remove all the edging of wood around the base.

Extra Work for ME!

I knew that the previous owners had left some things behind the shed where the oil tank sits but I was surprised to find that there were:

• 3 white plastic planters, 
• 3 white plastic oil containers,  
• a football, 
• 2 brush heads, 
• a brush shaft, 
• 2 swing seats with ropes 
• and a large red sledge 
• plus many planks of wood 
• and strips of old skirting board.  

Finishing The Demolishing

Then the first plank from the floor of the shed was removed

and Fred cut the rest of the floor in two with the chainsaw so that they could lift each half up on it's end and cut it as they had the sides.

You can see from this next picture just how much damage had been done to the floor of the shed from the rain getting through the roof.

All Done!  Well Not Quite Yet!

Now the shed was all cut up but that wasn't the end of the job.

All the pieces of the shed and the junk found behind it had to be got rid of.

So it was on to the phone to order a skip to be delivered the next morning to take all the rubbish.

All of this was done in 2 and a half hours;

 including 

two breaks for drinks and fruit and biscuits

 to keep the workers happy and because they needed it, as we were all getting rather hot 

working in 19 degrees that afternoon.

Now there was another piece of equipment that Fred had used and that was the new time lapse video app on his iPad.   

He set up a stand to hold the iPad and videoed the whole event. 

 Thankfully because of the time lapse aspect of it we only had to watch around 4 mins of video which you can also watch below & see me having a few swings at the shed with that axe and sledge hammer. around the 1.55 mark

This even makes it all look like FUNWORK!