Thread: Ghost's Shed Build

Hi All,

So I've finally decided that it's time to build a shed to house all of the Land Rovers. Living in Melbourne I'm sick of leaving them outside in the rain, and so the plunge has been taken to build a shed. Aka "Ghost's Shed"

Ultimately I would love to build a super shed, but to be honest budget has to be taken into account. Unfortunately I haven't won Tatts yet.

The plan is to build a 9mtr x 24mtr shed, which consists of a concrete floor, 5 x 4mtr bays and 1 x 4mtr enclosed bay (the workshop). Here is the floor plan:



After much head scratching the decision was made to build the shed at the front of my property, which means that the huge dog run (it's about the size of a suburban house block) needs to go.

Here is a photo of the current dog run (you can just see the dog kennel and some of the fence). This photo was taken in August, when the initial project planning started... Don't get me started on councils...




What's going to live in the shed?
* 101 FC
* 1960 Series II SWB
* 1961 Series II LWB Ute
* 1976 2 Door Classic Range Rover
* 1983 Stage One V8 Wagon
* 7 x 5 box trailer
* Army Trailer
* Workshop - including newly purchased hoist
The basic project plan is:

1) Design shed (done)
2) Apply for applicable permits (done)
3) Order Shed (done)
4) Build a new dog run (done)
5) Pull down old dog run (done)
6) Remove large half dead tree
7) Site cut
8) Poor concrete
9) Erect shed
10) Electrical
11) Water
12) Move in

BUILDING THE DOG RUN
The "back" side of our house is effectively a dead space and the grass has never grown properly there. Originally we had 2 x big dogs (80kg each) but these have since moved on to another dimension, and have been replaced by 3 x little dogs - hence the downsizing of the dog run..

First thing that I did was:
a) Purchase a 4mtr * 4mtr * 1.8mtr dog run kit
b) Check to see that it fitted (I had already eye balled it)


Next step - mow the lawn, rake it, spray a weed killer.

I then went and ordered 5 cubic mtrs of river pebbles from the local hardware store.. That's when the fun started.

When the truck driver arrived, I immediately thought "this guy isn't playing with the full deck" but I wasn't about to send him away.. Owning a 101 (actually any of the Land Rovers) I am used to a vehicle with a titanic turning circle. So I suggested to the truck driver how I would place the truck in order to dump the pebbles...

I duly left the driver to the task - as I didn't want to put pressure on him by watching him drive his truck.. 10 minutes later all I could hear was loud swearing so I decided that I had to investigate. Unfortunately said driver hadn't listened to me, and had managed to wedge his truck against some trees. Due to the landscape (and the weight of the load) - he couldn't reverse...

So I had to cut down 5 small tree's so that he could get out..

Here are the tree stumps:


Here is the firewood gained (one good thing out of it):



And the branches that will have to be burnt off in winter:


I then supervised the dumping of the pebbles (I wasn't taking any more chances, especially considering he was going to be near some vehicles):



Next step - move the peddles to the side of the house. This involved:
* 5 cubic metres
* 1 x wheel barrow
* 2 x spades
* Up to 3 people
* 84 wheel barrow loads
* Bucket loads of sweat
* With a scattering of cramp
* And some sun burn thrown in for good mix

Later that day the finished product looked like this:



Now before we built the frame work, we had to move the dog house (actually it's a kids play house).. This thing was already built and WAAAAY to heavy to move.. We managed to get it on the trailer, but how to put it in place around the side of the house??

I had a brain wave "walk like an egyptian"...

We had started removing the old dog run, and had some treated pine posts lying around... Worked a treat:



If you hadn't already guessed - I was quite pleased with myself when this plan came together..

The next day was spent building the frame, attaching the cyclone wire (a 16mtr roll of it), and attaching the tarp style roof..

Here are some completed pictures:




Here is SWMBO cleaning out the inside of the kennel... Only one hunstman was found and re-located during the cleaning process.



The "dog run" took 2 people between 12-14 hours to build from start to finish. That is not including the rocks, that is just the construction.. The instruction manual said that it would take 3-4 hours... Anyway - job done now.

Oh - and here is the test fit:


PULLING DOWN THE OLD DOG RUN
Obviously we couldn't pull down the old dog run until the new one had been built. Now that the new dog run is built, deconstruction could take place...

While taking down the dog run, it's been decided to keep the far end of it and turn it into a fruit orchard.. Here is the end that we are going to keep and the "Grey Ghost" earning it's keep...



In the distance is the tree that has to go (it's been dropping branches for a few years now, and half of the tree is completely dead):



Here is another view - one part of the fence being pulled down:


That's it for now.. The next jobs are:

* Remove the old tree (that's going to be a huge job)
* Site cut

Cheers,
The Grey Ghost

Hi Shane,

I'm concreting the entire shed... With extra concrete in the workshop, where I am planning on installing a hoist.

I've been investigating floor paint - man it's expensive to paint that sized area... I might just paint the workshop.

I know that the concrete should be sealed, but I just don't have the $$$ to do it. My thoughts at this moment are paint it, see how that goes, it's better than nothing at all.

Moving the rocks - that was a long day, that I do not want to repeat again. Having said that SWMBO wants me to do more because it looks nice...