Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
  • How best to make a 'bike shed' here?
  • deepreddave
    Free Member

    I’m wanting to make some bike storage here for 7 bikes, something reasonably secure, water proof,wth ventilation but without being Fort Knox.

    The blockwork on the right is now finished and rendered, the garden’s not so no pics yet :). The space is about 5m deep by 1m wide, the wall on the right is mine and runs the full 5m. The wall on the left is the neighbours and only 2.5m then it’s fence for the rest. I can go about 2.1m high so thinking about sinking a few posts on the left hand side and then battening onto my wall and having a roof slope right to left and front to back as I have a drain at the back. Gonna have to fit a floor which allows access to the drain if needed and a rear panel that comes off for access but that’s quite straightforward. I’m thinking water proof membrane on the sides too maybe. I’m looking at rolling 2 in at a time and hopfully fitting 3 above on the rh wall. Know that means pulling 5/6 out to get the rest but can’t see a simple workable alternative and this is my best storage option – has anyone got any better ideas/suggestions?

    It’ll be hard to access from the top and impossible to get bikes out from the back so I’m thinking I just need a decent wood felted roof and maybe a solid wood door with some lockable metal poles across or maybe a metal door with wood facing. Don’t wanna make a large steel cage but will lock bikes and consider removing parts/fitting paint bombs/offering tea and biscuits to slow any thieves down!

    Thanks

    chojin
    Free Member

    Wooden roof = easy to rip off. Scrotes recently opened my shed up like a tin can. If you go wood, reinforce it with metal brackets…

    deepreddave
    Free Member

    chojin – cheers will do something along those lines 😉

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    surroundedbyhills
    Free Member

    Hooks on the walls ½ handlebars’ width out and hang the bikes up, side on if you can, if you alternate/stagger them on either side you should get all 6 in.

    Sui
    Free Member

    i bet you don’t get to hang too many clothes up on the washing line!

    deepreddave
    Free Member

    surroundedbyhills – noted, hadn’t thought of checking diagonal fit etc but will be having a play before starting for real.

    sui – lol had forgot about that. I’m almost daft enough to build the storage without noticing!

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    view out that bay window the other side of the wall’s going to be a bit compomised 😉

    psling
    Free Member

    Looking at that space given that your wall is rendered and you’re building a timber wall inside your neighbours’ wall will you actually have enough width to stand alongside a mtb to hang it on your wall?

    My bet is that you’ll end up wheeling them in one by one and wheeling ’em out one by one.

    But, you may have room for a clothes line over them… 8)

    deepreddave
    Free Member

    wwaswas – true 🙁 but the view out the new trifold doors is all good.

    psling – that’s the plan! Not ideal but decent use of the space.

    Thanks all. I’ll crack on in a couple of weeks on a trial and error basis…. with resiting the clothes line. Don’t like to rush things.

    40mpg
    Full Member

    I’d ask your neighbour if you can fix a plate to their wall – will only need 2 expanding bolts. Unless you dress a flashing into a (routed out) mortar joint you’ll never get a watertight joint of the wall on the left to the roof (same on right).

    I’d live with this as a mastic joint to dressed up roofing felt would be sufficient for bike storage, but will need re-doing every couple of years. Its outdoor storage, not a living room!

    Perhaps just compacted gravel on the floor which will be far easier to lay around the manhole than a hard floor, and will drain any water/drips and can be raked over to hide mud off bikes.

    Re comment above, I don’t see that brackets will be stronger than a ply deck screwed directly into joists for security.

    Also slope the roof to the front, if necessary put a short length of gutter over the door running to a downpipe into a shingle soakaway – its a small area so won’t collect much water. If it slopes back, all the leaves and shizzle will collect there and block the outlet which will be a nightmare to access and will safe all the faffing trying to connect into the downpile, then trying to construct some sort of gutter which will also seal to the rear wall – nightmare!

    Perhaps hang the bikes from the roof on hooks as you can then duck under them, lift down the one you want and duck out?

    deepreddave
    Free Member

    40mpg – useful ideas there, thanks.

    deepreddave
    Free Member

    Thread update! I’ve finally put a 4m felt roofed section at c2m high in here with help from my partner’s father who’s way more handy than me. I’ve a front door and side/rear panels to put in next which’ll make it pretty much water tight 🙂

    My next issue is how to minimise the effects on the more valuable bikes of being outside – what tips does anyone have to keep them rust free etc?

    I’ve previously only kept bikes in a garage or cellar but have neither now so it’s a conventional shed or ideally this much more secure ‘bike shed’. Is it worth making some sort of plastic and fleece covering to keep the mositure off?

    hallz
    Free Member

    Just a thought… I work in construction (Salford area) and we have done some work on Metrolink Tram stops. As part of our works we had to take out some ‘bike lockers’ which are now in our yard. You know the type – the ones you see at stations with Bike Locker Users Club or something like that on them… Would one of these not be a more secure solution?

    deepreddave
    Free Member

    Interesting idea. Did ponder having an asgard type locker custom built but figured this was equally secure and definitely cheaper. Maybe there’s a sideline to be tried in recycling station lockers?

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