The Shed - Phases 2 and 3

After the enjoyment of a holiday in Copenhagen I have now returned, with vigour, to the garden shed project. Having dismantled, broken up and dispatched the existing wreck, my builder friend has laid a solid concrete base over the slabs that I originally laid some 25 years ago.

Today I purchased seven 20 kilo bags of 10-20mm Aberdeen pebbles. This took two trips to the local garden centre, a great deal of heaving and loading into my city car and an equal amount of heaving and unloading when I arrived home. I have now packed the entire circumference of the concrete base with these pebbles to a width of around 16 inches (40 cms) and a depth of some 2 inches (5 cms). The result is very satisfying and looks fantastic.

Opening each bag resulted in a whiff of salt, this shingle was obviously harvested from a beach somewhere (Aberdeen I suppose!) and the pebbles were wet and covered in a considerable amount of sand. Anyway, the net result is exactly what I wanted to achieve.

I now have to complete an amount of pruning of the lilac tree that sits close by to ensure that there is no incumbrance for the tradesmen who will deliver and erect the shed on the 27th June.

The mundanity of this post does not escape me, but little else has happened over the last few days, save of course the FIFA 2014 World Cup occurring in Brazil.

Frankly, I find the preparations for my new shed rather more interesting......

Shed Down

That's it then. Phase 1 completed. My good friend Graeme joined me today to dismantle my existing, ramshackle shed. We both wore wide-brimmed hats, just as well. As the roof came off we were showered with hundreds of woodlice! And as for the size of some of the spiders that were lurking amongst the woodwork. Oh boy! They were rather displeased at their home being demolished....

Tomorrow morning a local tradesman will bring his van to load up the shed wood and on Friday a builder friend of ours is coming to lay a solid concrete base over the slab base that I originally laid 25 years ago!

All that remains then is for Skinner's Sheds to deliver and erect the new shed on 27th June. Meanwhile all the contents of the original shed are stored under a tarpaulin on the patio.

The anticipation of having a new, bespoke built garden shed is rather exciting. It's a bloke thing....