Tarpaulin support ideas please

[AnthonyL]

My 12'x12' shed roof has gone so I have two temporary requirements:

1) to stop further deterioration of the shed

2) to cover various contents, not just from the shed but also from my now closed down office eg filing cabinet, gas heaters and various miscellaneous bits which are just plonked in the garden. I'd like to be able to get at some of the bits from time to time so a "tent-like" structure would be handy.

Hope to have everything sorted but it won't be until the back end of summer so need something temporary in the meantime.

[Harry Bloomfield]

AnthonyL formulated on Friday :

Find a local maker and repairer for tautliner trailer sides. They have lots of scrap material and usually happy to give it away. Its a plastic with nylon reinforcing and extremely tough. You may need to put some wood battens in place to give it some support.

[Andy Burns]

Mine was in a sorry state last year, I used a 'plastic' tarpaulin, threaded some thin rope through all its eyelets, put some cup-hooks at each corner of the shed, hooked and tied the tarpaulin in place, a second pair of hand would help, especially as yours it a size up from mine - doesn't take much wind to make it awkward, mine was fine for a few weeks, should be ok for a few months for you.

Rather than re-felt, I added extra battens and did it with onduline, which should last longer.

[AnthonyL]

Perhaps I should have been a bit clearer about the shed - sorry state shoud read "very sorry state" ie no roof. I need to be able to support the centre of the tarpaulin.

[Andy Burns]

Ah, my roof was OK except for where the leaky felt had let a couple of T&G boards creep apart and let the water inside, I suppose you need to decide now how you're going to eventually fix it ...

[newshound]

Depends on what hardware you have. Five scaffold poles (two each side as A frames plus one ridge pole) would let you support a "pitched" roof of tarpaulin. Ordinary "shed" tarps do now weather particularly well, I like the idea of scrap lorry curtain if you can find any.

[Muddymike]

My 12'x12' shed roof has gone so I have two temporary requirements:

Buy one of those cheap party tents.

Mike