Category: MegaShed

As we reach the end of December at the farm, a most peculiar thing happened. Apparently, I had a lot more holiday left than I had expected, and was effectively ‘sent home’. This might have meant a whole week on the farm, but frankly, it came as such a surprise that I was mostly unprepared. However, it might give me a glimmer of hope of being in the Megashed 2.0 for Christmas.

Things not covered in this week’s report;

• Lots of bike and bike part movement with the ‘team’ trailer
• Visits from friends and relatives in the pre-Christmas chaos
• An unexpected, but not too painful, school nativity.

Husbandry

The animals continue to be a general source of hilarity. The addition of a Christmas Tree has been incredibly entertaining for the cats. But the pigs haven’t been left out of the seasonal gifts.

Felis Catus

I’m not really sure why we bothered dressing this Christmas tree this year. The cats have been systematically stripping both the lights and the baubles.

As I sit and write, the bottom third of the tree is free of decorations, with all the baubles moved a few feet away from the cats. Not only have they been climbing the tree, but they’ve also taken to ‘wrestling’ under the lowest branches, much to the demise of the remaining ornaments.

While the cats always have access to fresh water that is changed regularly, they really do love to get in the shower. Neither have been brave enough to join us in full flow, but as soon as the water goes off and the door opens, they’re drinking from the shower tray.

They also continue to sleep, and leave little muddy footprints in places they shouldn’t be. Namely, my bed. However, finding Clyde tucked in under the sheets makes me suspicious that my eldest might be encouraging them!

Porcine

The mild weather has been joyous for the bacon, sorry, I mean the pigs. Warmer temperatures seem to have spurred the routing and general turning over of the soil.

And in the sunnier moments, they do rather love to sunbathe. Usually, they only snuggle up in a row when they’re in the pig-wam, but I did catch them all snuggled up together, catching a few rays.

After many failed attempts to buy water troughs at farm auctions, I finally bit the bullet and ordered new ones from APUK. The water had been brought over to the field before the pigs had arrived, so connecting to the supply was relatively straightforward.

Megashed 2.0

A huge amount of the unexpected free time was, not surprisingly, spent on the Megashed. Really, there is only ‘decoration’ left, but this is tiring work on such a grand scale.

With the plasterwork pretty much dry, preparation could start on decorating. This meant sanding down all the surfaces to remove any defects, and this took absolutely ages. My body still hurts.

Once the walls were all sanded and dusted, I was nearly ready for the mist coat on the new plaster. Before any wet paint was applied, the whole floor was scraped and brushed to minimise contamination.

Throughout the painting process, I continued to battle moisture. Between the moisture in the plaster and the added water in the paint, I seemed to be pulling out 10 litres of water per day with the dehumidifier.

After what felt like a lifetime of preparation, I was finally ready for the first coat. This application of thinned paint ensures the final paint correctly bonds to the new plaster and does not peel or flake as the wall’s moisture levels change over time.

After a few days, all the surfaces had two coats of a 50:50 mix of Leyland Contract Matt paint and water, well mixed, of course. The ceiling would get a final coat of a 1:9 ratio as the final covering.

Decoration ended with expanding foam and a significant Polyfilla session. Joints around the rafter ties and steelwork were just a bit too wide to get the plaster into, so they needed a touch of remedial work.

Vehicles

With a few days off, all the vehicles have had their levels checked and a bit of a runaround. Some have been more fun than others, if a little impractical.

Tractors

In view of making the farm look a little less abandoned, there was a lot of half-arsed tidying up going on. From moving dropped trees to cutting hedges. It is a drop in the ocean of what is needed, but something is better than nothing!

It’s only four months since the tree in the garden was dropped by the power board, and finally, I had time to move some of the timber. The ground was rather wet, so I took the opportunity to run the Fergie out, having the best traction-to-weight ratio for the job. Despite being 74 years old, she started on the button and performed faultlessly.

The Ford 7610 also had a decent run-out, making an afternoon trip down the road to a mate’s house to move some materials. What better way to spend an unexpected day off than a nice local drive? Certainly cheaper than therapy, and it beats unloading tonne bags with a shovel.

Landy

The Landy also saw a bit of attention. Since the recent brake changes, I’ve found that it stinks when stopped at traffic lights. I had also noticed something hanging down from the front subframe.

Up on the ramp, I discovered a considerable amount of debris wedged under the car in various nooks and crannies. A mixture of big stick and airline saw most of a tree appear from the various trays. I’ve recently driven through a lot of flood water, so I’m hoping this was floating debris, rather than a mouse house!

Motorbike

After passing my CBT and motorbike theory earlier in the year, the week ended with a bloody fantastic opportunity. A late scheduled lesson with my favourite team at Aintree Motorbike School.

An early start made me rather nostalgic for the many, many early mornings I’ve had here with Liverpool Motor Club. However, on this occasion, I wasn’t here for bale tossing or even four-wheel motorsport.

I had come for a lesson on this little beast. And what a fantastic session it was, lovely to get out with some great people. Something may have happened during the ride, which we will have to wait until the next blog to really get into!

That’s all for this week. With Christmas upon us, I’m doubtful that the shed will be done for Christmas Day, but it’s relatively close to completion. I reckon finishing the interior in 2025 is more than possible. Maybe in time for a NYE party?

That’s all for now
Nothing To Farm.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Like the front, the rear received an eaves felt support panel to deflect moisture from the wooden structure.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

Until next time
Nothing to Farm.