So this week I have spent a large amount of time working on renovating our old goat shed which was literally rotting out at the base. I should have photographed it before we started pulling it all apart, but the first photo shows the condition of the materials the shed was made of – rusted out at the base, buckled in the middle, and the timber was completely rotten in some places.
The corrugated iron needed to be removed according to how it was attached originally. This was built well over 20 years ago when tech screws weren’t invented, so most of this had been attached with large nails specifically designed to hold corrugated iron in place on wooden beams. Therefore, detaching these from the wood required a fairly large pinch bar and a lot of effort!
The corrugated iron needed to be removed according to how it was attached originally. This was built well over 20 years ago when tech screws hadn’t been invented, so most of this had been attached with large nails specifically designed to hold corrugated iron in place on wooden beams. Therefore, detaching these from the wood required a fairly large pinch bar and a lot of effort! A hammer was never going to be enough to get this off!
Once the tin was removed, we replaced the beam at the bottom with a new 200x50mm treated pine sleeper. As this area does get quite damp (both from the outside weather and from goat urine) the sleeper does need to be treated to slow the rotting process and increase the wood longevity. This was attached at either end of the shed using 100mm tech screws, and also to the middle vertical beam to give it more support.
The last part was to cut the tin to size and attach it. You can see from the photo that we also used some Laserlite polycarbonate sheeting (that’s the clear stuff) to allow some light to enter the enclosed area from both the south as well as the north. Admittedly, the corrugated iron does look dirty – which it is! – as we are reusing some almost brand new Colorbond but it is structurally sound with no rust, buckles or tears. And lets be honest – the goats won’t care if it’s been reused! We used a metal cutting blade in the angle grinder to make the cutting process go a little faster – don’t forget to wear all the appropriate safety gear including goggles, ear muffs and gloves.
Remember that you need to use different tech screws for attaching Laserlite than you do for attaching the iron. Sometimes it helps to pre-drill the iron so that the screws are less likely to slip whilst trying to get them through the sheet. It’s also important to remember to always have the correct side of the sheeting facing out, or it won’t last as long.
