When we retired, Freda and I decided to put aside a sum of money each for a project. I made up my mind and spent mine straight away – 23HF14 being the result. Freda has waited, but finally, a couple of months ago she decided “I want a shepherd’s hut”. So, that is what she shall have!
Within a day or two, I had bought the basics from a chap in Yorkshire. He gave me an excellent deal, provided I made up my mind within 48 hours. I could then also have free delivery as he was coming to the Brecon Beacons on holiday and could bring it with him.
So, I ordered a chassis with oak axles and the basic frame of a 16’ x 7’6” shepherd’s hut. It worked out a lot cheaper for me to buy these than it would have been for me to build them from scratch. I also ordered the domed corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) roof at the same time. And, it arrived on an enormous trailer behind (of course) his Land Rover. Ideally, he would have followed the A40 until the final 7 miles of C class road, but, he followed his satnav and the shortest route. Not a great idea as it is along some very twisting and narrow lanes. Funnily enough, while navigating said lanes he met a chap with a low-loader delivering a tower crane to the HEP project currently underway in the valley – he too was following a satnav and in even greater predicament than the shepherd’s hut man!
But, it arrived, eventually, with the rueful comments that delivery would not have been free had he known where we live! Too late!
The first thing was to manoeuvre the hut chassis into place in the garden – using the Freelander. I’d have used the Lightweight, had it been running properly and had it had a better turning circle.
Once it was in place, I fitted a thick plywood floor, which had been waterproofed with bitumen, on which to build the frame.
With the frame in place I covered the outside walls with plywood and covered them and the roof with a breathable, waterproof membrane. We then fitted the CGI roof which wasn’t easy given that it was now some 12 feet off the ground and the individual bowed sheets of CGI were both awkward and heavy. Freda was up the ladder, I passed each sheet up to her, she held it still until I then climbed up an adjacent ladder and, between us, we wriggled the sheets over the roof and teck-bolted them down. That was a bit of a bind, as well as the teck-bolts wouldn’t self tap as they should have done so each needed a drilled pilot hole.
The next job was fitting electric wiring for a ring main and lighting circuit. I used a small garage consumer unit and caravan power inlet socket. We don’t intend to use the electricity, but, who knows what we may need in the future, so it is better to have the wiring and sockets in place now, than try and fit them later when all the cladding and insulation is in place. We have HPP lamps for lighting and a wood-burning stove to keep it warm.
With the electrics done I was free to fit an OSB floor. This was 4” proud of the original floor with the gap insulated with fleeces from local sheep.
- Fleeces for insulation 28 Aug 19.jpg (148.29 KiB) Viewed 7243 times
Yesterday, Freda and I went to Leominster to an architectural salvage yard where we found a matching pair of galvanised steel windows which are ideal and I spent today removing the glass and cleaning them up prior to re-fitting what panes I can plus more I shall have to buy in town to replace the broken ones.
- Windows 28 Aug 19.jpg (158.49 KiB) Viewed 7243 times
- Interior cladding in primer 28 Aug 19.jpg (128.8 KiB) Viewed 7243 times
- Bed lathes 28 Aug 19.jpg (138.89 KiB) Viewed 7243 times
More to follow, in due course, including photos of the hut itself.
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