Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Bolshevik shed repair.

For me, the part of shed re-building that I have enjoyed the most has been burning the old roof. We took it off first. Basically a garden fence laid on it's side with a layer of roofing felt on top. It was rotten and came off in a combined and uneven way. During this phase of construction we spoke mostly about sex, although we occasionally stopped to consider how we were going to replace the roof. We both accepted, however, that we could only truly learn how to create the new roof through the dismantling of the old one.

After two days we had a big pile of rotten wood and an interim roof was formed in the shape of a tarpaulin tied to some bricks. It was now waterproof, so we turned our attention to the floor. A healthy wooden floor needs to be airy, free of damp and free of the risk of damp. There was a bank of compacted soil mounded up behind the shed within which we found a mangled old iron brasier. The soil had trapped moisture under the shed. It was moved. The brasier was repaired and put to use burning the roof. We're putting the floor in soon. I'll keep you posted.