Any interesting garden sheds out there???

[sparkles...]

I'm in California. We were having unusually warm days...like an early Spring. Today it's freezing...even a dusting of snow over the grade. So confused...

Anyway, when it was warm last week...I stood outside and wondered what project I should begin with, considering there are dozens. Looked at my over stuffed and extremely ugly garden shed and thought I would doll it up for my grands.

It was a specially made Iguana cage, that a person can walk into, door and all...shelves, shingled and nice, strong mesh sides. Years ago, our 16 year old Iguana passed on to greener pastures...she was my son's pet. I had thoroughly steam cleaned the cage and began storing garden items inside. It became one of those eyesores. The wood had faded and it was kinda scary looking.

So...off to the craft store. Oh sure, I could've painted it a nice blue and white, whatever...it would have looked nice. No...it is like something out of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Bright, candy colors. My grands should get a kick out of it. I'm enjoying it and having fun, although it has turned out to be a much bigger project than first anticipated.

I'll take pictures when I'm finished, which I won't know what to do with...but it's all good. I plan on repainting the whole interior white and growing wonderful potted Begonias inside. The little garden lizards love it and run in and out of it...which is a little ironic, since it was a lizard cage.

I'm feeding the tiny sparrows now and they bring their joyful play to the garden as I paint the shed. I've seen one hummingbird. It might still be too early. I have a new feeder, but no takers yet.

I am sure there are some of you that have awesome garden sheds...would love to see them! Four more weeks until Spring. I planted one seed today. I know, it's weird, but it was one of those 'snail vines' like Thomas Jefferson grew. There were only 5 seeds in the packet and I had a nice, cleaned out pot with an obelisk...so in it went. I absolutely love gardening. Am I good at it? Well, um...in my mind I'm amazing. In reality, not so much. We have to make our own fun these days. Hope everyone is well and avoided that flu. To warmer days and bright flowers!

 

[Becky]

That sounds fantastic @sparkles...! I'm looking forward to seeing some photos when you're finished. If you need some help posting images then check out our help guide: https://www.gardening-forums.com/help/how-to/

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Have you now transformed your ugly duckling into a beautiful swan Sparkles; it's surprising isn't it how one of these jobs quickly escalates into a much bigger job; a coat of paint though makes a tremendous difference and you're having fun.

The seeds you've planted should be making their presence known shortly and I bet you're watching for results daily; you're putting me to shame Sparkles because I'm hiding in my workshop out of our dire weather and can only dream of gardening.

As requested though here are a few details of not my garden shed but my new garden hut; it hasn't got windows. I made this a few months ago in our joke of a summer where it rained and hailed on me most days with a strong wind coming up the valley; one minute pouring down the next minute the wind drying the rain it drove me mad; the timber was the heaviest timber I've ever lifted and machining it proved a nightmare; I think it had been stored for many years at the bottom of a pond; water was oozing out of it; I didn't enjoy this project at all working amongst the slimy slugs and snails wrapped up like an Eskimo in mid summer; first job I had to do was to completely remove a big mature holly tree leaving a big hole and I had to rebuild the garden stone wall I had removed to get to the holly roots; I'm stubborn though and was out getting soakings every day; I won in the end though and we now have a nice garden hut; please note the rainbow after I had completed the project.

Wishing you the best of luck with yours Sparkles.

Kind regards, Colin.

New home for the tools.

Work under way on foundations.

New fence and foundations sorted.

Under construction.

A bit more progress

Rebuilding stone retaining wall.

New lock cover I designed and made.

Weather protection for the lock.

Time for a brew.

Midday in our summer it being the usual black hole. Neighbours cats on guard.

 

[Sean Regan]

There you go.

I built this in 1987 from soft wood and roofing ply.

This is a photo from last year. Still no rot.

It houses one of my other interests.

Here's a tour of our small garden.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

What a lovely shed Sean and tucked away neatly in a nice surrounding. Softwood will last many years if looked after; our window frames are the original softwood at over 50 years old and still like new; I replaced the double glazing units about three years ago so hopefully they will last the best part of another 50 years before needing replacing. A number of neighbours have plastic frames and lots of problems; I'm old fashioned and prefer timber over plastic.

Your video is interesting showing how well laid out and planted your garden is; it looks like it will be low maintenance; do you have problems with leaves and debris in your pond? Well done and thanks for sharing.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Sean Regan]

Thanks for the kind words.
Occasional coats of Dulux mahogany Woodsheen keeps it rot free.
I did replace the felt about eight years ago for a more durable polymer type.


The wood was actually mostly rough sawn as I hadn't much money in those days, which I planed and sanded down myself. The base is actually Victorian style skirting boards which are just skirts and do not touch the ground as the building sits on brick piers so there's an air passage underneath.

As there's was no skirt at the back, we had six squatters and their mother under there last year. But after they all left home, I made a sturdy screen to cover the gap.

They grew so fast and were quite pretty,

Like their mother, drinking at our little frog pond.

They didn't cause much damage. I did leave some food out for them but we never befriended them, but they were very bright and curious. Their mother used to pinch soft toys left by kids in other gardens and bring them in for them to play "chase" with, like this one. She was an excellent caring mum.

and I gave them a sturdy box for them to practice "pouncing.".

It was all an experience but not one we'd care to repeat. All the photos I took through the glass of our French windows, or kitchen window on "zoom."



The pool has a bottom drain which can be purged, so any leaves come up with the water into the pump sump, which after pumping to waste I remove the dregs and leaves with a wet n' dry vac. The dregs being fish poo is an ideal fertilzer for acid loving plants.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

You're most welcome Sean; full credit where due.

Thanks for adding the delightful fox pictures. A few years ago we had two fox cubs visiting us with an adult fox feeding from the cat biscuits we always leave out; we also leave peanuts for the three badgers. Bron and I love to see all the wildlife and birds.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Sean Regan]

Nice photos Colin.

They loved the meal worms we leave out for the birds.

Even with a wisteria bloom garnish.

The female ones,(smaller than the males) were happy to share.

The cubs ran "Fiona" as we called her, ragged, trying to care for all six. But they were always "immaculately groomed."

But after she successfully weaned them all and took them over the fence two at a time over three days in early June, returned at the end of October, looking fit and healthy, possibly to suss out her den, which was now blocked off.

This remains my favourite photo taken at dusk. Their early attempts at "pouncing" was the twelve inches or so off the tea-house verandah, but had difficulty getting up on it again.

 

[Sean Regan]

For our regular readers, this is about "Fiona" who gave birth and successfully reared six fox cubs under our tea-house, last year.
I built this over thirty years ago. it's on brick piers on top of paving stones. It has a "skirt" of Victorian style skirting boards around the base which are two inches above the paths. There's no skirt at the back, so I could get a good passage of air under it. We had hoped that maybe a hedgehog might make a home under it. But they never did. All was fine until last year when Fiona decided to make a den under there. It was easy enough for her to get in. Our garden is very secure with fences all the way round. so it was ideal for her.

This is where she got in.

When she and her family left home I concreted over this unseen area and made a sturdy frame covered in double thickness chicken wire to prevent any access and still allow good air circulation. Testimony to the durability of this building which was built from mostly reclaimed softwood.

She and a couple of the cubs made separate appearances in late summer. But that was it.
Fiona also put in a couple of appearances again in January of this year, but we hadn't seen her since.
I'm not sure if foxes breed every year.

Anyway, this morning I went down to the tea-house, just to "turn over" my vinyl jukeboxes, (use is the best form of preventitive maintenance). I heard a scrabbling behind the building, looked round the side and saw Fiona scrambling over the six foot back fence. I'd seen her often enough to recognise her.

I was faced with this. She'd been trying to get into her old den by scraping away the earth in the tiny gap between the path and the skirt. Her next trick would have been to chew away at the base of the skirt to improve access.

So I've effected a temporary measure to prevent her getting in. It's not really visible as there's only a tiny gap between the building and the side fence.
I found some Dexion and a length of tanalised 3 X 2 in the garage and screwed it to the base of the skirt still leaving a bit of a gap for any water to run off the path. i'll get some sand and cement at some time, remove the Dexion and wood and spread a thick screed of it level with the path to make it more secure.

We've done our bit for nature. We don't need more foxes.

 

[Gail_68]

Sean what a stunning capture and good of you mate for feeding them...we see them now and again travel from the canal.

Colin lovely clear shot

 

[DirtMechanic]

Since the thread popped back up here is one of my sheds.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Great shed in a beautiful setting Dirtmechanic; thanks for sharing.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Sean Regan]

This is our other shed, I took this photo earlier this year.
i built it onto the end of the garage. it's supported on brick piers. To keep the underside dry.
I made it from recycled roofing ply and 3" X 2." Plus three reclaimed windows. I'd just put that lighter coloured edging on it in a few places, to tidy it up. I've since given them another coat of Dulux Woodsheen, so it's all the same colour now.
I built it to house the several cages of our seven year-old daughter's expanding rabbit and guinea pig collection.
It's ben quite durable, as she celebrated her fiftieth birthday this year. The animals all died of old age before she left home, thirty years ago. That makes it forty-three year's old. Testimony to the lasting qualities of Dulux Woodsheen, another coat of which it gets, every few years.

It now houses all my gardening tools, but we still call it "The Rabbit Shed."

The two small blocks of wood either side of the window in the door are for two big cup hooks on which I can hang the dartboard cabinet, I use sometimes on summer evenings.
.

 

[Gail_68]

Love the different decorations

 

[Gail_68]

i built it onto the end of the garage

Sean it's not as bad as having 6 one metal, two made by hubby and three plastic heavy duty ones