What seemed like a relatively relaxed weekend appears to have seen an incredible amount of work completed. The weather seems to have settled into a fairly regular pattern: cold in the day, rainy in the evening. At least now that the roof is on the Megashed, we can chop and change between inside and outside chores.
Things not covered this week;
- An unexpected power cut creates village gossip.
- A lot of woodchips have found a forever home.
- Work is slowly starting on gutting the house.
Husbandry
The animals continue to eat, sleep and grow at a healthy rate. Our fears of badgers, foxes or owls otherwise engaging with the animals seem to be waning.
Felis Catus
Ah, the cats. I’ve never had two cats before, and I’m discovering the joys of having a pair. They’re entertaining when playing with us and when playing with each other.
The madness is still there, but it seems to be a little more restrained now. I suspect this is simply because ‘cabin fever’ has waned now that they’re outside.
They are surprisingly inseparable. For a brother and sister, they seem to really enjoy each other’s company. Bonnie especially enjoys preening her brother.
Although the cats have been out for a few weeks now, they’re still a little timid when outside. They’re also pretty terrible at playing hide-and-seek. I definitely can’t see Clyde in the bushes.
The terrible duo have also found some really interesting snoozing spots. I would never have considered the steering wheel of the Fergie to be a hammock, but how wrong I was.
The cats have also received a cat flap this week, and once they worked it out, they seem very happy to have some freedom.
Porcine
The pigs continue to eat, drink and poop at alarming rates. They’re slowly starting to ‘beg’ for extra food as we come past in the evening. They certainly seem to kick up a fuss.
But some gentle petting at feeding time is settling them into being around us. I’m hoping this will help with moving them around, if they don’t think they’ll be picked up and driven to a new home every time we come near.
Megashed 2.0
With the roof mostly installed and the weather being relatively moist, Megashed’s work this week has focused on the interior.
Sheeting Up
The key to keeping the shed warm isn’t just in the insulation, but in controlling air flow. To manage airflow, the building must first be sealed. My best chance of sealing is through a barrier.
Wrapped around the entire interior is a vapour barrier. This green sheeting, if installed correctly, should form a near-airtight boundary. Each wall is carefully covered with the overlaps sealed with a 100mm wide PVC tape.
By installing the vapour barrier, the air inside the building can be managed. Heated, mixed, dried, or cooled, the building’s air can then be conditioned as needed. Arguably, this layer is as important as the insulation in keeping the room warm in winter and cool in summer.
To get the best from the vapour barrier, every hole, perforation or imperfection is sealed up. Where the staples secure the sheet to the wooden frame, each one is carefully covered with a piece of aluminium tape.
Deliveries
There’s been a spate of ever-bigger vehicles on-site, with varying levels of driver skill. At the start of the week, one lorry decided it was too big to make the turn and unloaded on the road. Giant bags blocking the gate made for a fun surprise when I got home in the heavy rain.
Fortunately, the Travis Perkins driver had a lot more skill after some gentle persuasion. This is by far the biggest vehicle I’ve had on site, but now I know they can get in and out, although I might make the entrance a little bigger.
And they were delivering a pack of plasterboard for the Megashed. And, as always, when I order plasterboard, the lorry wasn’t quite unloaded before an unexpected and rather heavy rain shower hit.
Rafter Ties
I’ve been struggling to get enough height to install the rafter ties. Fortunately, with the plasterboard moved inside, it gave the extra few inches needed to reach the roof comfortably.
I’m pretty happy that the rafter ties aren’t structurally necessary; however, they will help lower the ceiling’s overall apparent height. There are a few left to install, but I can’t reach the others yet.
Boarding Up
With the vapour barrier installed and minor holes sealed up, the plasterboard could now be installed. Once long ago, I bought a giant box of plasterboard screws. Could I find them? Nope.
A brief trip to Screwfix and I could start to fix the boards. As there is still some primary flooring to go down, the boards need to sit off the floor a little. And this is why the noggins between the studs were set to 123cm from the floor plate.
Using the laser level, I could set the board to be perfectly level. This exposed the twists and bends in both the floor and wall; however, this should minimise the gaps between boards.
Window Details
I’m not quite ready to install the windows fully, but I do have to prep for them.
The boards over the windows were measured, marked and pre-scored. I hope that when I come to knock the plasterboard out of the window openings, it comes out neatly!
Before the boards go up, the vapour barrier around the windows needs trimming and joining. The final seal will come when the widows are installed.
And as if by magic, the window holes have vanished. Hopefully, all the prep has now been done, and installing the window units should be that little bit easier.
Vehicles
After the recent brake replacement and battery change on the Freelander, it seems the other vehicles have become a little jealous.
Tractor
When trying to jump-start the Freelander with the tractor a few weeks ago, I noticed the tractor battery voltage was relatively low, even with the engine running.
That possibly should have been a warning. A non-charging battery would soon prevent the tractor from starting. And I perhaps should have thought about this before parking the tractor in a bog.
Apparently, she’s not looking too shabby for forty years old and 7800 hours. But she’s certainly crying out for a bit of attention.
At least finding the charging issue wasn’t too difficult. The alternator belt was slacker than a slack thing. Not stretched but simply worn out and loose, with no adjustment left. A new belt is on order.
Land Rover
The Land Rover also had a bit more love and finally received some new dancing shoes. The front tyres were very much at the end of their life, and the lack of traction was becoming obvious.
I may well have made the mobile tyre fitters’ day. By the time he turned up rather late in the evening on Friday, the Freelander was hosed down, on the ramp, with the wheels off. I’m fairly sure he’d never had a customer like me before.
And how are the new tyres? Well, they certainly have some depth to the tread, and hold the road far better than the tyres that came off!
Trailer
And not to be left out, the big trailer also had TLC.
As the car transporter seems to be moving far more than just cars these days, I really needed a deck and a bit of an infill. Fortunately, some recently donated scaffold boards seem to be just the job.
So despite the weather, we got through a lot of jobs this weekend. Hopefully, I can make some progress on the Megashed next week, aiming to get the space plastered, dried, and painted before the end of the year.
And that’s all for now, folks.
Nothing to Farm.