A very late, and probably very short write-up for this week. Internet issues have made uploading images rather tricky, and most of the week’s work has focused on the Megashed.
Things not covered in this weeks write-up;
A trip out to Delamere forest
Failure mode investigation on an Ambulance
Apple tree pruning course
Husbandry
There hasn’t been too much to report on the pig front. They’re certainly getting bigger, and I’m not sure I can call them piglets anymore. I also have a ‘least favourite’ who will likely be off for their blanket first.
Feline
Like the pigs, the kittens are rather too large to continue with the rather cuter name, so I’d better start referring to them as ‘the cats’. Clyde is slowly starting to get sufficient confidence that he’s less likely to bolt if he meets a person while outside.
Cat (formerly kitten) brings in its first kill.
And Bonnie has her first confirmed kill. Okay, not the biggest kill by any means, but she did bring it back to the house to share her success. Since this vole, the cats have brought a daily worm for the door mat. I’d rather they found the mouse that has been stealing pig food, but I’m sure that will come!
MegaShed
The MegaShed has nearly killed me this weekend. After the positive start to boarding out for plastering, I started looking for someone to throw mud on the walls. Pretty quickly I found a recomended plasterer with almost immediate availabilty. Que total panick boarding!
Walling Off
Focus was first pointed in the direction of the walls, for the simple reason that they where lower than the ceiling!
Apex boarding completes the gable walls.
The gable walls got their pointly bits
Insulation and a vapour barrier are added to the front wall.
The last of the insulation went into the front wall.
And boarding finishes all the wall sections.
Before the boarding was added to finish the front wall.
Insulating the Ceiling
Saturday mornings’ focus shifted to getting the ceiling insulated.
Attention then turned to the ceiling, starting with noggins.
Noggins went in first, at a board’s width to give me something to land the plasterboard sheets onto. Hopefully, this will help get a nice flat finish!
Followed by bringing the vapour barrier up.
Insultation then went into the lower portion, and the vapour barrier wrapped over.
Final FarmSpec scaffolding helps install the lower boards.
Using FarmSpec scaffolding, the lower boards were lifted into place and screwed to the rafters and noggins. Quite how I managed this on my own, I have no idea.
The front ceiling is insulated and barriered in one hit.
The front portion of the ceiling needed a whole sheet of barrier, so it was easier to do all the insulation and wrapping in one go. A 100mm wide PVC jointing tape joins the vapour barrier from the wall to the ceiling.
The ceiling vapour barrier is sealed up, ready for boarding.
One at a time, the lower ceiling boards could be lifted up and fixed in place. After any holes in the vapour barrier are sealed up, of course.
A little help over hear.
Sunday afternoon saw a knight in shining armour arrive to get the higher ceiling panels in place. There was absolutley no way to get these in on my own, so it was a definite requirement to have another pair of hands.
A little trimming in the apex aids board installation.
A little trimming of the apex boarding allowed the ceiling panels to be slotted over the wall panels. This small gesture made getting the boards in so much easier.
Oh, I get high with a little help from my friends.
Once the four main board where lifted into place, smaller and more manageable pieces could be cut.
Some infil panels are more complicated than others.
Some of the remaining shapes were certainly more tricky than others. And amazingly, this panel dropped straight in without modifying, unlike the other side.
The final pieces of the definitely-not-curved ceiling.
And while the ceiling was not intended to be curved, it kind of happened anyway. By late sunday night, the boards where all installed, but there was one thing left to do.
Window Openings
So that the windows could be edged, the previously measured window openings need to be removed.
Will the plasterboard hole match the woodwork?
This would be something of a moment of truth for my measuring skills. Perhaps not surprisingly, punching the scored plasterboard through was very satisfying.
My assistant had a smashing time.
So satisfying that my assistant reappeared for a smashing time. And amazingly, the marked openings matched the frame work.
Ready for Mud
After a tidy up and brush over from the beautiful assistant, the Megashed was ready for plastering.
All boarded up and ready for plastering.
This is by far the biggest area I have ever boarded over, and the most complicated once it got to the ceiling. And while getting this whole room boarded on my own, with a little help, nearly broke me, the finish is very satisfying!
Lessons have definitely been learned, but hopefully this effort will get me into the MegaShed for Christmas.
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 kittens aren’t in a bag, they’re in a box.
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.
Sleepy kittens seem to need more rest after long days of roaming.
They are surprisingly inseparable. For a brother and sister, they seem to really enjoy each other’s company. Bonnie especially enjoys preening her brother.
I see no kittens in this picture, nope, not one.
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 Henry Ferguson Cat Hammock.
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 cat flap gives the kittens freedom to come and go.
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.
Piggies are always happy when they’re eating.
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.
A vapour barrier will help to control moisture in the Megashed.
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.
The sheeting will stop air from passing from inside to out and back.
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.
Holes in the vapour barrier are sealed up.
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.
By far the biggest vehicle we’ve had on the farm so far.
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.
Torrential rain as the plasterboard is delivered. As usual.
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.
Ridge ties add significant strength to the roof.
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.
The first sheets of plasterboard going up feel like a significant milestone.
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.
The laser level compensates for the natural bends in a timber frame.
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.
Careful measurement and the windows are marked up on the plasterboard.
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 boarding goes up over the windows, the vapour barrier needs trimming.
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.
While I’m not living on a prayer, I am halfway there with boarding.
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.
Knowing the battery wasn’t charging, I probably shouldn’t have parked in a bog.
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.
Still young at just 7800 hours.
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.
The alternator belt is worn out and no longer drives the generator.
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.
New dancing shows on the Freelander.
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.
The new tyres clearly have some serious grip.
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.
Infill boards on the trailer should make the collection of bulk bags and equipment easier.
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.
One thing I’m really starting to understand about farming is the relentlessness of the weather. Beginning the week at sub-zero temperatures, and finishing with a few inches of rain over the weekend. Neither end of the week has been the most pleasant for roofing work. But against the odds, more progress has been made than I ever expected.
Things not covered in this week’s write-up;
I found out the wife’s car is Rear Wheel Drive.
Holes have been dug down to find foundations.
The kids were sent out to litter pick, but it didn’t go well.
Husbandry
There is a general calmness when it comes to the animals at the moment. The fear of losing a pig (one way or another) overnight has abated. With the kittens now allowed out, the panic of getting in through the door without letting them out is lost. Generally, all the animals are just a little more settled.
Felis Catus
The cats are slowly finding their feet outside. Bonnie is still quite timid, but Clydes confidence is gradually building. They’ve not quite made it to the farm’s furthest boundaries, but Clyde has been out to the top of the drive.
And in a flash, they were gone.
The kittens’ morning routine hasn’t changed much. They’re still zipping around like angry wasps come five AM, and there is a good chance of bitten toes if you don’t get out of bed and feed them soon enough.
Upside-down kitten sleeping.
The pair are slightly less bonkers in the evening, but I think this is from all the daytime flying around. Clyde is growing at an astounding rate and already feels fully grown. However, it seems Bonnie has the bigger appetite, eating far more often.
Porcine
Like the cats, it seems the Kune Kunes have us well trained. Heaven forbid they’re not fed at 7 am prompt, they’ll certainly let us know if we dare to have a lie-in. And they are equally boisterous when it gets to 3pm in anticipation of someone coming home.
Some days I think I should have only got three, three little pigs.
Food is definitely the way to their hearts, and a bit like puppies, they are not beyond begging if you are in eyesight. There aren’t many apples left on the trees, but they’re still enjoying the occasional lunchtime sna-pple.
These pigs are like kids to Haribo when it comes to their nuts.
Interestingly, just one of the pigs has started rooting quite heavily in places. While a relatively minor behaviour change, it does seem to be only the single piglet digging in. Regardless, they’re all growing well, and I’m not sure I could pick them up any more, even if I could catch them.
Apis
The bees have all been wrapped up for the winter now. The extra insulation of the small hives should reduce the energy loss in the cold months.
Beeses in their houses.
Although the bees are relatively self-sufficient and generally aren’t seen, they were coming for a visit quite regularly. As their journeys over to our house have dropped off, their absence is definitely noted.
Farm Cottage
While the construction focus has been on getting the Megashed 2.0 complete, so the office can be set up, some work has started inside the cottage. If only to avoid the cold and rain.
Inside work is best in the cold.
To find the floor and locate the foundations, the former pantry needed to be cleared out. With a little help from mum and dad, the cladding and shelves were stripped out last weekend, and this weekend saw the walls stripped.
Running out of power
Rather frustratingly, the Freelander has been suffering from an increasingly frequent flat battery. While it hadn’t quite left me in the lurch away from the house, the frequency of jump starts was becoming problematic.
One of these things is not like the others.
Yes, it is winter, and I’m using more electricity for the heated seats and the windscreen. Yes, the battery is nearly five years old. But even after a full charge on the CTEK, the battery was flat within a couple of days. Finally, I caved and bought a new battery.
This single piece of plastic added about 10 minutes to the battery install.
Having been a bit unimpressed with Varta batteries dying at almost exactly five years, regardless of use or treatment, I’ve moved to Yuasa. Despite the size difference, I was somewhat hampered in the battery swap until I realised this bonus plastic piece needed removing!
The new battery is snug as a bug in a rug.
Once installed, charged, and the battery management reset, the starting has been much improved. So far, no flat battery. The quiescent battery current meets spec, and the alternator seems healthy, so all being well, this new battery should see us happy for another five years or more.
Wet Weather
I mentioned that the weather has been rather wet, with plenty of localised flooding. The front field has been turning into a pond in the worst of it, though it drains pretty quickly.
Diverting your floodwater onto my property isn’t cool!
However, a walk around the block might have highlighted an additional water source. Where the main road dips, it seems someone has dug through our hedge to run the water off the road and onto our field. I really hope this doesn’t kill the grass. This isn’t the only time someone has taken liberties with our boundary. Clearly, someone local has an ‘it’s only a farm‘ attitude.
Megashed 2.0
The urgency of completing the Megashed has increased as temperatures have dropped. Currently, I’m working from the cottage and with no heating, office work is getting ever less efficient.
Roof Sheet Delivery
Monday saw the arrival of the metal for the roof, having been ordered from MCS Roofing a week earlier. For the expenditure, the actual delivery was rather underwhelming. Ten nested roofing panels really don’t seem like a lot, until you try to pick them up!
Top-notch sheets from MCS in Juniper Green.
However, these are top quality, having opted for Tata Rural Clad sheets in a 0.7mm. They’re heavy-duty sheets, and probably excessive for this little shed of mine; however, they should outlast me!
Eaves Felt Support
Before the sheets could go up, a few additional trimmings needed to go up. First off were ‘eaves felt support’ panels.
A brief moment of sunshine in an otherwise freezing weekend.
These plastic trays, made from recycled material, help to guide the rain away from the breather membrane and into the gutter. IN turn, this should help to keep the barge board dry.
Plenty of overhang in the eaves.
Such a simple, cheap piece of trim, this seemed like something of a no-brainer. I guess only time will tell. However, for the time being, they really tidy up the underside of the eaves.
Front Roof Sheets
And finally, after weeks of building up to this point, a break in the weather on Friday means the first sheets could go up.
The front roof sheets go up in just 45 minutes.
And they practically flew up. Although the first sheet took a little while to position, once we had a method, the rest shot up. Amazingly, the whole front of the roof went up in just 45 minutes. Not bad for amateurs. They were also lined up by eye, and over the five-metre length, the complete panel only runs out by 5mm!
Perfection lies in the screw head alignment.
Once the top was loosely fitted, the bottom row of screws was marked before the fixings were applied. By the time I’d finished, the rain had arrived, and frankly, I forgot to get a picture of the roundabout-straight row of screws.
Insulating out the cold
In the later, darker, colder hours, installing roof sheets is less than optimal. Especially when the plastic-coated cladding is lubricated with a misting of water. This means working on the inside of the building once the light and temperature drop.
Wall insulation is nearly complete, keeping the noise out.
Speaking of temperature, the evening task has been to install insulation in the wall cavities. While this isn’t really making much difference to the temperature yet, it has made a big difference to the interior sound.
Gable Cladding
In between the showers and the breaks in other tasks, the remainder of the gable cladding has gone up.
The gable end cladding is complete.
For recycled sheets, often cut with a recip saw, the finish is fantastic. The overlap line between the upper and lower sections is remarkably straight for ‘by eye’ measurements.
Rear Sheets
Saturday started as ‘all go’ for installing the rear roof cladding. The weather was scheduled to be a little variable, so every minute counted in the drier spells.
The eaves finisher is located at the rear of the building.
Like the front, the rear received an eaves felt support panel to deflect moisture from the wooden structure.
One sheet at a time, and the rear section of the roof goes up.
Then, having learned a bit of process from the day before, the first sheets were offered up, stitched together and aligned. Again, the alignment was by eye, and I might regret that this time.
Installing the rear roof was much quicker than the front.
Between each panel, a lapping tape was used to help bond the lips, stopping moisture and air from blowing up between the panels. On the rear, the runout was closer to 15mm, but once the finishing cladding and gutters are on, this won’t be visible.
Another Cold Night
Overnight, the temperature dropped to sub-zero again, and back inside I went.
The wall and roof membrane are joined in the eaves.
Where the wall membrane meets the roof membrane, both sections were lapped with a breathable tape. This dark coloured joiner helps to bring the two sections of membrane together, but really it helps keep the cold out while the heater is running!
Roof insulation may be going up pre-emptively.
Once the sections of breathable sheet are joined, the loft insulation is offered up. This might be getting ahead of myself a little, but as the roof is nearly complete, I hope it won’t get wet!
Unplanned Guttering
After getting drenched multiple times while walking out the shed door on Friday and Saturday. In order to combat this deluge to the neck, Sunday morning saw a trip to Screwfix for their finest flow plast guttering.
The guttering over the front door should keep the rain off.
And while probably not the greatest priority, it was satisfying to get installed. The relatively short run of the gutter went up rather quickly.
Ridge Finish
While it was great to get the gutter up, I should have kept a better eye on the weather. By the time the barge flashing was installed between the shed and the shippon, the rain had arrived.
Ridge work in the freezing cold rain was less than fun.
Not only was it wet and rainy, but it was also really rather cold. Practically icy everywhere it ran. Down my back, down up front and up my legs. It took an excessively long shower to get warm again.
The complete roof is a huge milestone for the Megashed and the farm.
But despite frozen toes and testicles, by midday all the roof sheets were on, the ridge flashing installed and finally weatherproof.
Compared to the original Megashed, this one is just so much bigger, and the size has definitely caused some challenges. From the roof’s apex, on the plastic finished wet panels, the journey to the floor is a lot more rapid. Then there’s getting onto the roof in the first place. And of course, working on the inside at height causes its own problems. I might need to buy some scaffolding!
And that’s a wrap for this week. Hopefully, next week I can get the inside wrapped and semi-air-tight. Wouldn’t that be something!
After getting so close to covering the roof, before running out of membrane, the rain came. And oh, did it come down! Not quite the wettest day on the farm so far, but certainly the longest continuous shower. This made for a slow week of progress, unfortunately, and after the rain came the cold!
Not covered in this week’s round-up;
Even more pallets were brought up to the farm.
Road safety improvements installed.
Destructo-parents 2: Shelved.
Husbandry
While it feels a little like cheating to give the weekly updates a regular structure, I’m hoping to create some anticipation for you, especially when the animals are so cute!
Felis Catus
The kittens are definitely growing, and at very different rates. Clyde is already becoming much bigger than Bonnie and a little bolder. I guess that’s just a boy cat thing, which I’ve never had before.
The kittens fall asleep in the strangest postures.
Both Bonnie and Clyde seem positively settled in. Bonnie seems more than happy to be stroked until she falls asleep. They’re still learning their way around the farm and slowly getting further away from their food.
The kittens have made friends with the other pig.
Both of the kittens seem to be enjoying their wanders around the Shippon. We’ve had to cut holes in some of the doors so they don’t get trapped. They’ve also made a new piggie friend.
Porcine
The pigs are also well settled in, knowing their meal times and making sure we stick to the schedule if we forget. Three of the four seem pretty happy to be petted, once they have their food.
Happy piggies have some toys to play with.
With Halloween having passed, there’s a local glut of cheap pumpkins. The pigs have had great fun pushing a giant pumpkin around until they finally broke it open.
A happy piggy is a full piggy, and they made short work of the pumpkin innards.
Once they were through the pumpkin case, they quickly devoured the innards. I suspect they’re hoping for another one next weekend.
Ethnobotany
There are many wild edibles on the farm. Not all of it would I eat myself; however, some things, like apples and blackberries, do go together rather well under a crumble.
Mycology
When I thought all the mushrooms had receded into the ground, a damp, warm day resulted in a rather large crop appearing.
Nothing to four mushrooms overnight.
Believe it or not, there are actually four mushrooms in this picture, all of which seemed to appear in a single evening.
Megashed2.0
Much of this weekend’s focus has been on the Megashed and on finally getting the room vaguely water-tight. Once water-tight, I can start to get the space warmer and drier.
Wrapped
You might remember that last week, I ran out of breather membrane. Well, a break in the rain on Monday night meant I could throw some more sheeting over the gaps.
Step one to water-tight was to finish installing the membrane.
I didn’t have enough daylight to get the battening in place, or all of the overlaps seemed before total darkness fell. Unfortunately, the rest of the week was rather wet, and the shed was far from water-tight.
Although not quite water-tight, a complete cover keeps more rain out!
A mixture of driving rain blowing through the unsealed overlaps and heavy wind pulling some holes around staples made for quite a lot of leaks.
F€$£ing Foam
To dry out the shed, I needed to get the room a little more air-tight, so I’m not just heating the street. The gaps around the door were a little more than could be filled with sealant, so a can of expanding foam was broken out.
Filling the gaps will make the shed warmer.
And what a disaster that turned into! I nearly always use Soudal expanding foam, but it comes in a pretty big can, and I didn’t want to create a load of waste. Instead of sticking with what I know, I picked up a smaller can of No Nonsense expandy foam.
Unfortunately, the expanding foam didn’t go as planned.
And that was a massive mistake. The expansion rate is nothing like I was used to, resulting in a huge amount of excess being extruded. The cheap masking tape also failed, allowing the expanding foam to spread into too many places it shouldn’t have.
Insulation
To feel a little better about the foam disaster, I threw myself into installing the wall insulation. This is an interesting stage in the build as the space slowly gets quieter.
Insulation means warmth, in theory.
Pre-planning of the spacing meant that a lot of the sections of insulation slabs didn’t need any cutting. Better still, combinations of offcuts also fitted perfectly into the smaller gaps.
With 100mm of insulation all the way around, it should keep the bills down.
In just a few hours, I’d flown through a couple of packs of insulation and, amazingly, the temperature was already rising and slowly getting warmer.
One wall at a time, the insulation goes up.
Once all the insulation slabs were in the lower sections of the wall, I turned to the noggins. If I’ve got my sums right, these should all line up quite nicely with the plasterboard.
Within a short time, two walls are thoroughly insulated.
Some of the larger sections wanted to fall out as they expanded. A slim strip of breather membrane offcut allowed the batts to be held in place until the vapour barrier is installed.
Ready for a roof
By the end of the weekend, a break in the weather finally allowed for the additional membrane lapping to be installed. On top of that went the final battens for the roof sheets.
The shed roof is nearly ready for the sheet metal.
Hopefully, that should make the roof of the shed a little more water-tight. There are still some accidental holes to deal with, which a little tape and sealant should sort out when it arrives.
And that’s it for this week. Next week could be an interesting one if the roof sheds are delivered and I can find the time to install them. Then I can work on drying out the shed before the vapour barrier goes up.
However, that is very much dependent on the weather playing ball, and yet another named storm not turning up to ruin my fun!
What seemed like a reasonably well-planned weekend didn’t exactly go as I had imagined. Plenty of unexpected opportunities made for a busy time on the farm, with plenty of progress on the Megashed roof.
Some other little things happened this week.
Bale trading was completed for the piglets
Belfast sinks are hella heavy
More fence posts were sunk
Piggie Updates
The four piglets seem very well settled in and certainly know their feeding times! The windfall from the apple trees appears to go down really well with the ‘bacon’; they really love a sn-apple.
The piggies definitely know when it’s feeding time.
Teething problems with the water supply have been resolved. We were using a relatively low tray due to my fear of unexpected sub-aqua termination. This gave the pigs plenty of access; however, one little piggie loved to stand in the middle to drink.
Just one pig enjoys a dip in the drinking trough.
Beyond contaminating the drinking trough with mud, it also emptied out all the water. They’ve been upgraded to a hedge find Belfast sink now, less shallow, but they’re not standing in their drinking water.
A snack apple will always make them smile.
Come feeding time, three of the babies tolerate a stroke quite happily; however, one little piggie is not interested at all. I was rather startled when he took off backwards the first time. We’ve mutually agreed not to pet now!
Kitten Updates
The kittens are also well settled and very much making everything their home, including my bed, against my wishes. This weekend was a rather big one for them.
Baby steps on their first day of freedom.
In a sunny part of the day, like expectant parents, we wandered out of the house and left the door wide open to see what would happen. After a long five minutes, they finally came out onto the step.
And they’re off, but not too far!
I suspect that, more through surprise at being let out, they were, and still are, rather cautious. Despite the safe space they have to play, neither Bonnie nor Clyde is straying too far from the front door. They also have outstanding recall, so long as you have snacks for them.
Shroom Updates
After a mad few weeks of mushrooms magically springing up overnight, their unheralded arrivals seem to be slowing a little.
The magic of mycellieum bounds from the ground.
While the quantity might be on the turn, the quality of these fine fungi continues to impress. This fine specimen appeared practically overnight and was a good seven inches tall. I really need to start carrying a banana around for scale.
A BX Breaks Down
One of the weekend unplanned opportunities came in an automotive form. While visiting to collect some parts for their now MOT-exempt Citroen BX, the French car decided it didn’t want to go home.
What better place to break down in a Citroen BX?
I’m going to say that there is probably no better place to break down with a BX in the North West. I’d previously noticed the car’s fuel lines were cracked, and the original pipes were replaced with death hose.
A blue fuel hose should add at least 20 bhp.
Since the initial issues seemed to be fuel-related, we began by removing the not very fuel-tolerant pipes. While this made me much happier that the car wasn’t going to burst into flames on the way home, the pipes weren’t the solution.
And off she went as though there had never been a problem.
After a bit of diagnosis, it became apparent that the mechanical fuel pump had failed. Fortunately, I had an aftermarket fuel pump and some brand-new Samco fuel hose. A little jury rigging and a near-permanent fix were pushed together. The new electric pump is good for 180bhp, and the blue silicon pipe adds a further 20bhp.
PTO Shaft Rebuild
I’ve temporarily rehomed a flail mower for use around the verges when the weather dries up a little. Unfortunately, not long before I went to pick it up, the universal joint on the PTO shaft detonated.
The one bearing to bind them all.
Fortune would have it that the universal joint was a standard size and relatively cheap at £20 delivered. The remains of the old joint came out relatively easily; however, I suspect the yoke might be a little twisted.
Halfway there, living on a prayer.
The old joint is out, and the new one could be pressed back in. All relatively simple mechanical work. That is, until you drop one of the bearings and send tiny little rollers all over the show floor. Which desperately needed sweeping.
This was a very pressing situation.
Some vocalised frustration later, and the rollers were all back in the bearing. I don’t get to use the press often enough, but my gosh, it makes jobs like this so easy.
And then they were universally joined.
With both sides of the joint back together, the shaft could be cleaned down and relubed. I’ve never tried a joint with the grease nipple in the cap and not in the casting before. I’m hoping this will be easier to access as I’m sure a lack of grease is what caused the previous bearings to fail.
Shaft, ahhhha, saviour of the universe.
All reassembled, and this rainy day task was complete, after a jolly good tidy up. Unfortunately, it is far too wet to try out, so I’ll have to wait until the spring now.
Megashed Update
Work on the Megashed continued at quite a pace, with a plan to be water-tight by Sunday evening.
Getting the roof water-tight might finally be possible.
The easytrim master 112 breather membrane flew up onto the partially clad gable end. Two-inch-square battens will eventually receive more of the metal cladding.
Weather membrane is installed on the back of the roof.
For now, though, I’ll be glad simply to get the whole building wrapped and keep some of the weather out. Working between the rain showers, the back of the megashed was wrapped in a few hours.
Finishing details on the roof should see it last my lifetime.
This building is not going to fall down. Not only are the rafters nailed and screwed to the ridge beam, but they are also banded. The excess is due to them also being collar-tied and purlins added at the midspan.
Backlight on a dark night really brings out the rafters.
With dark early nights already upon us, a light was temporarily installed to get a little more working time in the evening.
The wrapped roof doesn’t make the space any smaller.
The weather membrane has changed the feel of the space, but certainly not made it feel any smaller. Standing inside this huge structure, I question how I’m going to heat it!
Insulation should keep the fuel bill down.
But I really shouldn’t worry, as a hefty layer of insulation all around and a near-airtight finish should keep the bills down. The original Megashed could be heated with a 1.5kw heater in about 20 minutes.
Onto the front roof membrane.
The following day, the membrane on the front section of the roof could be installed. A bit of rinse-and-repeat; however, plenty of lessons from the back side can be applied here.
The door was installed after the roofing materials ran out.
After running out of roofing membrane, it became clear that the ‘weather-tight’ milestone wouldn’t be reached. The realisation hit me like a ton of bricks, but there was little that could be done about a lack of materials. Instead, I continued the front cladding and installed the door!
Trima Tractor Bucket
I am starting to realise why farms end up with so much junk. Between the abundance of ‘space’ and Facebook Marketplace, the temptation of cheap ‘stuff’ becomes overpowering.
Facebook Marketplace is a terrible temptress.
Take, for example, this genuine Trima loading bucket. I already have a loading bucket, and the tractor can barely handle a full load. However, that is a five-foot bucket and not original to the loader.
It may be holey, but it matches the picture on the brochure.
This six-foot bucket isn’t just bigger, but it looks just like the catalogue. Sure, it’s a little worn and in places appears more like a colander than a bucket. However, it was cheap and local, and when I get around to it, it will really look right with the tractor.
Bonfire Night
Finally, and predictably, a fiery picture of some waste clearance. A more recent family tradition of visiting friends to burn off some wood, drink hot chocolate and keep warm.
No guys were destroyed in the writing of this blog.
I do love a good bonfire night and a mass family gathering. No fireworks or sparklers this year, as I left it a little late and all the shops were out of stock.
An extra-long weekend for a little bit of catching up looked to be a washout with a lot of rain. However, Sunday was plenty dry for when the piggies arrive and a spot of Megashed building. And after a busy few days, I’m sore in all the wrong places!
Other things that happened this week that aren’t covered;
Halloween Spectacular XXV.
A day out to Aintree.
Yet another trailer collection!
Satisfying destruction of a cast-iron bath.
Kitten Updates
The kittens are most definitely settled in and very much ruling the roost at home. They continue to enjoy ‘zoomies’ every morning (usually before 5 am) and at bedtime (around 10 pm). They’ve even taken to a little parkour up the walls and doors.
Kittens aren’t always as cute as they seem.
Don’t be fooled by this cuter-than-cute appearance. These savage beasties are not beyond a sneak attack, usually to the feet. They also gang up if you’re not careful.
Interesting sleeping shapes often raise concern.
Quite why Bonnie sleeps like she’s been run over, i’ll never understand. More than once, I’ve had to wake her just to make sure she’s not deceased.
Concrete
A mid-week concrete rave for the not-so-solid concrete crew was a mid-week activity nobody needed. This isn’t even my ten cubic meters of concrete. However, we are getting good at finishing now, so perhaps I have a future career.
This concrete hurts. Especially when wet.
That said, this much lift and shift did not set me up well for the weekend. Everything hurts. It still does. I may have reached that age where I’ll never recover!
Agri Auction
I finally dipped my toe into an Agri Auction after wimping out at the last dispersal sale I went to. Unfortunately, I was away from a computer for most of the auction, so I threw in some low bids before I set out.
Finally bought something ‘useful’ from a farm auction.
Would you believe it, I actually won something. Nothing exciting or expensive. And in true farmer-in-training style, I don’t even need a set of ‘Trima’ brackets for the tractor at the moment. But when I do need them, I’ll know I didn’t pay much for them
Fungi Updates
While I expected last week’s fungi news to be a one-off, they haven’t stopped erupting from the ground.
I bet these are great at a party.
Damp warm days seem to be bringing something of a bumper harvest this year, with all kinds of shapes and sizes I know nothing about.
Just need a non-water-living frog to sit on it.
And yes, we did walk the field before the piggies arrived. Not quite a regulation line search, but plenty of eyes on.
Megashed 2.0 Updates
After two weeks standing down from the Megashed build due to the rather epic weather, it was nice to get back to the build. The downtime had given me some thinking time, though.
Bracing
One of the downtime realisations I had made is why I couldn’t seem to get the front and rear rafters to line up properly, or sit snug to the ridge beam.
First, we cut the triangles.
The observation I had finally made was that the ridge beam hadn’t actually been fixed to the supporting columns. Better still, the supporting beam at one end had no triangulation reinforcement. The result was a rather loose structure flopping about under my weight.
Then, we mark the triangles.
The solution was, of course, bracing. And if it was good enough for Pythagoras, then triangles are good enough for me. These 10mm mild steel plates were for a slightly different design I had for the roof, but drilled and bolted, they will be ideal for rigidity.
And then we forget to take pictures of drilling the triangles and skip straight to installation.
A couple of plates, a couple of end rafters, and a combined four triangles had one end of the ridge beam fixed solidly. And the difference was night and day. Well, it took a while, okay!
Un-walling
Getting one of the end rafters into place meant one final bit of demo at the end of the old pig sty. The tower clearly wasn’t of an original construction as it seemed to have been stuck together with concrete.
Imagine a house brick, placed on a stack of biscuits. Similar structure here!
Unfortunately, the original lower section of brickwork was glued together with lime mortar. I really do mean ‘was’ as these days the section of wall was more akin to a dry stone wall with some sand between the layers.
Bang, crash, whollop, and amazing —the wall is still standing.
I really did think dropping this tower would result in a complete collapse of the wall, but amazingly, the softer section survived. Some relaying and repointing will be required, but right now, I’m happy with the result.
God damn tool retrieval
One downside to leaving the original pig sty wall up is the not insignificant gap between the shed and the wall.
Tool magnet for non-ferrous tools. Grrrr.
Sure, the trapped air will act as an excellent thermal barrier, and the bricks will keep the worst of the weather off the tin, but the gap is a bloody tool magnet. Which is ironic, as that alloy speed square isn’t magnetic. Grrr.
Rafters
Before the piggies arrive, and with a break in the weather, I found a little time to crack on with the roof rafters.
Measure one, cut ten times, then make a nice template.
Birdsmouths in rafters are something I really hate doing. I’m not very good at maths, so I tend to go for an iterative approach to get to an accurate template.
Since and repeat until you go a bit tweety.
Then some replication of the template results in a nice stack of pre cut rafters ready to offer up to the wall plate.
The wood finally rises to make the roof.
And while the sun was shining, nearly all the rafters were thrown up to make the new roof. It’s very satisfying as each timber shaft reinforces the structure. (Don’t say ‘erection’, that’s just childish)
Piggies Arrive!
Okay, okay, onto the reason you’re actually reading this week’s update. PIGGIES! Ah, now this is a proper Nothing to Farm milestone. Our first livestock on-site.
piggies arrive
Apparently, you shouldn’t name your food, but ‘Jasper’ (because he’s a carrot) is too cute not to have a name. The four Kune Kune piglets are sixteen weeks old, two girls/gilts and two boys/boars.
Water, food, shelter and security. Happy bacon!
I’m so glad the afternoon was sunny and they settled in well. They also snore rather loudly, lying on top of each other in the pig-wam. Fortunately, the breader they came from is a fantastic human being and made everything nice and easy for us.
Pretty Sky
Yes, it is mad to buy a small holding, and start from nothing and try and make it into a farm. However, it’s weekends like this that make it worthwhile. I’m sore, bruised, probably too old for this s#it, but even in the coldest nights, completely worth it. And hard to believe it’s been six months already!
No, that really is the moon.
A very different type of work and one that is surprisingly rewarding. Having the piggies arrive is another massive milestone. It’s also like having a new baby with friends and family alike clambering to visit the ham for next Christmas.
