I started reading the first post without looking at who posted it. By the 2nd paragraph I knew it was another McMoonter special. Good on ya! Thanks for sharing with us

The second pitched roof collapsed under the combined weight of the vine and the weather vane. Today I managed to remake the skeleton which involved some forensic measuring and guesswork to re-establish how the heavy metal support that held up the weather vane was fixed.

It should be reasonably straightforward now to board that portion of the roof to then clad it in tin. I’ll give the tin a slightly longer overhang to more efficiently shed the rain water.

Its not that easy to step back from the top to get decent pictures. Here are couple from ground level.

I’m in Fife.

Dude, you’re in Sixfe.

*High fifes Cougar*

McMoonter – are you the kind of family the the phrase “any resemblance to persons either living or dead is entirely coincidental” was invented for? You sound like you’re the living embodiment of an Iain Banks novel.

Take that as you will, I wouldn’t be entirely unhappy with that comparison myself…

Another fine thread mcmoonter, thanks for sharing

I’ve always wondered on your builds, why you build up on stilts rather than piles (oo er) or a concrete base? How long do you expect your stilted buildings to last?*

*apologies have to ask as I’m planning my summer house/office.

CaptainSlow – Member
…I’ve always wondered on your builds, why you build up on stilts rather than piles (oo er) or a concrete base? How long do you expect your stilted buildings to last?*..

They last for over 100 years in places like Queensland and can survive cyclones if properly tied down.

Great way to build a house IMO.

McMoonter, thanks for the greenhouse info

I hope the Bell board still shows the missing 11 rooms, lots of scope for scaring kids silly as the bells suddenly ring from the ghostly vanished wing 😆

Fair play fellah you work your socks off maintaining that property, I think Scotland should be thanking you.

Fascinating stuff as always!
Keep up the good work!

CaptsinSlow, my buildings are seldom on flat plots, so it’s much easier to build off posts. Their roofs shed water far from the posts so their foundations should stay dry.

I recently replaced our old hen house which had posts set into the ground to create a lean to wall. I think that building was close on a hundred years old. The posts were still in good shape. It was the tin mostly that had given up.

Look at drainage. Buildings on posts allow air to circulate underneath which does wonders for longevity.

Thats a very interesting plant in the first of those three pictures.

Thanks Mcm and epic.

I’m on clay and its relatively level but have a design in mind with a large over hang on three sides for wood storage, tools n wot not. The non overhang side will still over hang about a foot but back on to hedge.

I like the idea of posts as it reduces cost and is a little more Eco.

How do you insulate the floor (or don’t you)?

How do you insulate the floor (or don’t you)?

In my studio I laid a false floor between the joists with OSB and filled the cavity with rockwool insulation, then laid boards on top. I spend more time in there than any other shed, so it was worthwhile.

I’ve made some more headway on the second pitched roof. I just need the sort out a repair to the weather vane and a little pedestal across the ridge to support a little base detail.

I’ve now stripped the entire west side as it was rotten. It will be easier to replace the entire side rather than faff around with fitting boards between boards.

The first picture is by Robin Barrie, a local photographer who happened by yesterday afternoon.

Equal feelings of admiration and inadequacey ! Keep the updates coming

It was a nice sunny afternoon, so I cracked on with cladding the west side of the roof. With a lick of paint it feels like it’s coming together.

Just read this through without noticing the start date of the thread, thinking it must be Autumn 2015.

Skillz

This is pretty much all that remained useable from the weather vane.

I set off this morning on a quest to find something I could fettle into a base. I returned with a….

The dustbin was a bit to large in its diameter. I cut out the base and the top, then the joint seam, then rerolled it around two stools which were all I could find of the correct diameter.

I then had to cut it down to fit so the vane spindle would connect with the fixed point on the roof. It needs some tweaking but with some judicious paint effects I think it will work.

Blimey – I hadn’t realised the scale of it until you put the bin on top!

I’ll wager passing stools of that diameter made your eyes water 😀

I’ve made some headway. A bit of faffage working out how to clad the pedestal that the weather vane sits on. I found a roll of lead, I think in the long run it was the best solution.

I’ve painted the dustbin a drab grey to kill some of it’s shine, I hope it will weather quickly.

The remainder of the tin should be here on Tuesday, there was a screw up with the order.

Fantastic. Great use of the bin. 🙂

I found a roll of lead

And I feel chuffed if I can find the right length screw in my garage when I need one, once again that sinking feeling of inadequacy and awe… it’s an mcm thread 🙂

Over the weekend we replaced some broken glass and repainted the front elevation in preparation for the arrival of the roofing tin tomorrow. Once its up it will make getting back up to the top a bit more tricky.

The promised delivery of corrugated tin never arrived. I cancelled that order and have tried another supplier.

Meantime I’ve set to rebuilding the spiral staircase. The wooden treads were rotten. I’ve welded some sheet steel to replace the wood and some heavy duty pipe to half the treads to make it safer and self supporting.

Brilliant. Will you cover the metal with something woody?

Will you cover the metal with something woody?

I don’t think so, I’m not going to put any guttering on the roof so the rain water will just shoot down onto the steps. I’ll try and paint them with some non slip paint though.

I painted some fascia boards last weekend, I feel rather unworthy. I’d love to pop over the water to see it all in the flesh as it were.

And here I was, feeling all “fix-it busydog” when I replaced a door weather strip this morning.
Really quite a project and I am truly envious of anyone that do things like that.

The Tin Man was finally forthcoming. One side done – three to go

Absolutely marvellous .

I made some decent headway yesterday. My brother came over and we got all but the last hip flashing up.

Just the stair to reassemble and the interior to repaint.

inspiring work mate.

I made a start on putting the staircase together.

Work in progress. Putting the rust into rustic. Last section of handrail needs welding to the treads, a little platform and brace to the door and it might just work.

Is the whole thing braced to something else or does it just sit on those 4 pillars? Looks very shoogly

It sits on about eight posts, so it’s pretty much self supporting. The final brace should eliminate the last of the shoogle.

leffeboy – Member
Is the whole thing braced to something else or does it just sit on those 4 pillars? Looks very shoogly

It’s a good system so long as the corners are braced. House from the 1890s like this one were common in Queensland when I first lived there. The underneath was left open. Brilliant to live in, and pretty well cyclone resistant until they got old and a bit rotten.

Loving that Epicyclo!

Leffeboy – I made up the brackets today, the shoogle has completely gone.

Don’t laugh at my welding please, the whole stair is a bit of a scrapheap challenge.

Superb as always. Thoroughly enjoy these delights in my Instagram feed.

Will make the effort to visit the house next year to see those glorious gardens!

This afternoon we gave the interior a first coat of paint and played at hooses.