Shed - repair or replace?

[AnthonyL]

My shed is in a very sorry state.

It is 3680mm (12') square, 2526mm (8'4") high to the roof at the front, and 2150mm (7') high to the roof at the rear.

It is at least 30yrs old and its achilles heel as always been the roof and several years ago I just gave up. The good news is that contrary to my fears there are no lions or tigers inside having hacked my way into the front but the roof has completely gone.

Now I find myself in urgent need of the storage and work space.

It appears to be mounted raised above a concrete base, and the floor was floorboards.

Some photos at

sides are very thin cladding, but the thing is still standing up. If I could sort out the roof I could set about repairing the rest bit by bit at my own pace.

If I try to replace it, well I can't afford the same size and I will have to do something with all the stuff that remains in there plus the stuff that I need to store whilst a new shed is erected.

So can I have some views and options please, and in particular how to roof a 12ft x 12ft structure.

Many thanks.

[Phil]

> The sides are very thin cladding, but the thing is still standing up.

Having looked at the photos - it needs a lighted match and an oily rag....

[Martin Brown]

Whatever you do make sure you don't leave it without a roof for any longer than is absolutely necessary. I lost a roofless shed to a weekday storm after taking more than one weekend to sort it out. The rotten roof proved much harder to get off than I expected.

You might consider a corrugated plastic or felt roof as the cheapest thing likely to be fairly waterproof and lightweight in big sheets.

Looks like you already have a green roof ?Russian vine?

Regards, Martin Brown

[Paul D Smith]

I presume the power I can spot is not live! How about some of that "multi-box section polycarbonate sheet"? You will probably want a few cross beams to stop it sagging and stopping water getting in the ends and then "algaeing up" can be tricky but it's light in all senses of the word.

Paul DS.

[NT]

If its softwood, at 30years old there's not much point trying to reuse parts of it. If you cant afford treated sawn softwood, a lot can be done with unchopped firewood, pallets, etc. Palletwood needs treating.

Tarpaulin is the usual temporary storage during rebuild. Felt on chipboard is as cheap as a new roof gets.

NT

[Dave Liquorice]

Yeah at 30 years old and a roof gone for what looks like quite a while I doubt that very much of the existing structure will be sound enough to resue. Will any of the contents still be useable as well?

Spend a couple of days clearing it and making trips to the local HWRC (dump). And see what is left.

[AnthonyL]

Good spot. The fuse has been removed at the house.

What sort of cross beams and what sort of section would I need for the

12' x 12' area?

It's got to support snow etc.

[tony sayer]

Yes give it a decent cremation poor thing and put it out of its misery:(...

[Paul D Smith]

Have a look at this...

DS

[John Rumm]

The sides are very thin cladding, but the thing is still standing up.

Hmmm, to use the technical term, that looks to be shagged.

First job will be clearing all that greenery. Then, assuming the walls are up to it, you need some timbers across it front to back (4x2" ought to do it on a 16" spacing), and then some sheeting (1/2" OSB 3 for example) on top. That will give you a deck you can then roof. Oversail the back by a few inches to create a rain drip you can stick a gutter under. Slap 2" aris rail down each side at the top, and then I would use a couple of layers of torch on felt at that point.

[NT]

Another option is money's tight is to rebuild in papercrete. Not only is it cheap, but outlasts wood too

NT

[robgraham]

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+1 - but I would go with Onduline roofing. No more expensive than a full f= elt roof, has the same life plus and is clean and fast to install. Go with= felt and you are going to get adhesive all over you and your tools, and it= takes several days. Onduline just requires a hammer and probably a saw an= d would take you an afternoon to do.

Rob

[John Rumm]

Yup that is an option, as would be the polycarbonate double/tripple/quin wall etc. That is also very quick to do, but the fixing systems for it add a fair bit to the price.

(personally I prefer something I can walk on ;-)

Only if you use adhesive. Having used "torch on" I would never go back to that.

Cut to size, roll up and position, wave f'off big torch at it as you slowly kick the roll along the roof. Very quick and easy, and if you go for a 4mm modified (i.e. rubberised) bitumen capsheet very tough as well. (I did two layers on a mate's full garage roof in about 4 hours)

Yup. Remember to fix on the peaks and not the troughs like someone I know did. He could not work out why it leaked when it rained! ;-)

[John Rumm]

What would you suggest as a low cost mixer for this?

[stuart noble]

I'm guessing it would take weeks to dry in our climate

[The Medway Handyman]

I should have it shot & put out of it's misery....

[SteveW]

With the prices some places charge, a new shed may be cheaper!

SteveW

[SteveW]

> The sides are very thin cladding, but the thing is still standing up.

Are you likely to be able to afford the same or similar at any time soon?

If so, cheap, seconds OSB (maybe ex-shuttering) and cover it with a big tarpaulin for now.

If you buy a pre-made, knock-down shed, you can put it up in a day, so storage shouldn't be a problem.

SteveW

[Harry Bloomfield]

John Rumm explained :

Unless it is the metal cladding sheets, which do and should be fixed in the troughs. ;o)

[Another John]

...

A couple of random thoughts from someone who built his own shed last year, and who will never buy "the (expensive) best" if there's a cheap-but-solid-looking alternative...

- That's a great looking shed! (if you can refurbish it). Good plan, size and fittings.

- How solid are the wall structural timbers? Rip off the cladding, and replace with recycled T&G floorboards.

- I used corrugated iron on mine for the roof. Quite expensive (for my purse), but it's solid as a rock (I sometimes lie on it at night and watch the stars).

- I bought all my materials from a second-hand timber merchant near us. These people are no longer cheap, but they're cheaper than builder's merchants, and the stuff they sell is usually genuine solid stuff, from the old days. The roofing I bought was new (presumably he'd got it from a surplus sale somewhere); I painted it, so it's not only solid but looks lovely (green).

My shed (8'x8'x7' high) cost me a little over £300 -- which doesn't sound a lot when you say it quickly, though I nearly fainted when the guy added it all up.

To repeat: that was once a great shed (apart from the shit materials used for the side and roof!) and if you can work on what's left, it'll save you time and money.

Let us all know what happens!

John