Retroanaconda Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 I was advised earlier in this thread that a wipe with light oil would keep the rust at bay in a resonably dry environment (which I am hoping the shed will be!). But I will cross that bridge when I come to it as it were. Thanks Michael, it may look tidy now but just wait until I have lugged all my s***e very useful spares up from Sussex - will be looking pretty full by then I suspect! I will have to relegate some stuff outside to live under a tarp, so that will be things like bits of 110 body panels that I am hoping, being aluminium, won't suffer too much as a result. I don't have the floor space to spare in the new workshop - I will be making full use of the height of the walls and even the roof trusses to keep all the tools/spare/bits I need to store indoors up off the floor and leave that free for important stuff like a car + working space round it... and of course heavy things like engines etc. Got a stuff-lugging trip planned for mid-late August so hope to get a lot of it cleared then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 ..... Oh, back on topic - workshop is looking mighty fine James, and a good deal tidier than mine. Give him a chance Mickey, he hasn't moved all his stuff up from Sussex yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 If you cover it in engineers blue, you'll turn into a Smurf the next time you get within 2 foot of the bench The darned stuff gets on everything - it used to be a favourite tool for many a prank in the tool room As for rust prevention on items left outside or in long term storage, we used to use a product called Ensis fluid. It was bluddy good stuff, which probably means it's been banned by the eco warriors by now ... Oh, back on topic - workshop is looking mighty fine James, and a good deal tidier than mine. dont know what blue youre using then ours dries pretty much instantly and stays on the bench pretty well haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 dont know what blue youre using then ours dries pretty much instantly and stays on the bench pretty well haha Mikey I guess you are referring to marking out blue, rather than what I know as engineers blue which is used for checking areas of contact, such as checking gear teeth mesh in a diff. Same kinda shade of blue, very different mess potential:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 my bad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 All is not well in the land of the workshop, a few issues still plague me: 1. Still need to finish cladding rear wall. 2. Also still need to fit rear fascia and gutters all round (dependent on #1). 3. Judging by the bird droppings I keep finding on things I need to get on with sealing the eaves up to stop things coming in! 4. Worryingly I also found what looked suspiciously like a rat dropping, so I'll be making see everywhere else is well sealed as well to keep those buggers out and all. ...and most concerning of all... 5. During heavy rain the concrete floor appears to have damp come up through it. I imagine that the slab, having been laid for dog kennels originally, does not have a damp proofing layer within it and this is the cause of my problem. I know condensation can cause damp patches on the floor but nothing else in there is collecting it (metal tool chests etc.) so I am ruling that out for now, unless anyone else can advise that I shouldn't? All I can propose for the floor situation is to give it a good clean off and coat it with something. I understand that most coatings will not last very long if the damp comes from underneath, but can anyone advise any products which stand the best chance? I was also thinking of cutting a top drain around the uphill edge of the building, so that ground water reaching it is diverted off round the side and down the hill rather than seeping down under the slab. Won't stop general ground dampness but anything to reduce the amount of water underneath there is probably worth a go. The gutter will help with this as well once fitted, as at current all the water shedding off the top half of the roof is ending up at the bottom of the uphill wall and going straight into the ground. The weather is hampering opportunities to get things done at the moment, so all I can do is plod on and hope for dry weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW8IZR Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 After the storms this weekend how many had their hearts in their mouths before opening this update !Tank the floor with visqueen and put a screed on top, just run the plastic 18" up the walls inside. Also the better you land drain outside the better it will be.HTH edit - spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 There have been a coupe of nights recently with strong winds where I have been periodically getting up and checking it's still there! Happily it is standing firm so far I don't really have an opportunity to screed the floor, primarily because it's on a slight slope but also because I would have thought that it would need to be a good few inches thick to stand up to vehicles/jacks/ramps etc. (50-75mm I have read) and this would create height issues. The proper solution is to dig up the slab and re-lay it with a D.P.M., but it's a bit late for that I fear! I will dig the drain in and then see how it does over winter, it isn't huge volumes of water coming up - just a slight dampness to the surface. My main concern is resultant condensation on parts etc. but with the building well ventilated I am hoping that will be controllable. I have found some epoxy-based products which claim to be able to deal with rising damp through old concrete floors - if the problem is persistent I will try one of those next spring once the dry weather comes again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 I reckon you'll notice a big difference once you fit the gutter and dig a drain around the slab to stop it sitting in water ..... oh and one thing I find with my workshop is that things tend to get damp when I'm not using it , so get out there more often! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW8IZR Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 in that case an epoxy screed is an effective but slightly costly solution. try the drains as a first step, also the timbers will be drying out, ventilation (controlled) may help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 There will be vents in the eaves filler pieces (soffits?), and I will probably introduce a couple of louvred vents down lower to encourage air movement through the building. Hopefully with these in place and sufficiently screened with mesh I can keep it free of condensation and damp without inviting every bug and critter in the county in to stay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 What is the ground water like James ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic-al Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 I didn't bother putting anything under the slab on mine, it's just on the hardcore and I don't get damp so I would recommend the surface drains. Some of that rubber matting on the surface and a dehumidifier might help with the comfort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 What is the ground water like James ? Not sure, will find out when I dig a drain in. I would be very surprised if there is a water table near the surface as I'm a fair way up the side of a hill. I didn't bother putting anything under the slab on mine, it's just on the hardcore and I don't get damp so I would recommend the surface drains. Some of that rubber matting on the surface and a dehumidifier might help with the comfort? It's most important when the slab is below ground level (as in house foundations) I think. My slab is mostly above ground level but I am imagining that because of the slope the water on the upper side finds it way underneath. Hence the drain. I tend to use pads for laying on as concrete is never very comfortable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 The weekend just gone saw me head down south with the trailer on again and pick up another load of stuff. Managed to get everything loaded, including the lean-to that I had built down the side of my garage down there. So dragged it back up yesterday and set about sorting everything out today. The key items with regard to the new shed itself were the shelving/racking units and the lighting/power infrastructure which I stripped out of the old building. Putting the racking in place along the back wall has allowed me to pretty much regain my floor space. I just need to move the engine and bulkhead to the side wall and then the building can be used for car work again. I am going to build some more shelves above the racking using 18mm ply and left over timber. I have tried to make use of the roof space for storage, the truss ties are rather strong (certainly strong enough for me to swing on them without anything deforming or moving) so I'm fairly happy to put stuff up there. I've got head linings, seats, interior trim and spare timber all slotted away nicely. The large body panels off the 110 are currently outside under a tarp, in the near future I will rig up a lean-to adjacent to the smaller shed which will serve to keep the worst of the rain off them. I saved five 5' light units from the old building, so they will go up in the roof here shortly, followed by a few pairs of double sockets on the walls (also 'reclaimed'). I will also add a blue 16 amp socket for the welder, and run all this into a small consumer unit on the wall. Then I will probably have to get someone who knows what they're doing to hook this into the house supply via some decent gauge SWA under the garden. If I owned the house it wouldn't be an issue but being rented it ought to be reet and proper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 Lights transplanted in, running off a plug on the extension lead at the moment: Building now usable after dark, just in time for the long nights of winter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic-al Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Good work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted November 16, 2014 Author Share Posted November 16, 2014 So today I got busy digging a drain across the top of the building: Hopefully this will help prevent any water accumulating at this point from sitting up against the edge of the slab and causing the dampness issue I mentioned previously in this thread. Having said that since I posted about the issue it hasn't reoccurred, despite some pretty heavy rain, so not sure what is going on there. Once the gutter goes on there will be very little ground water here anyway. As you may notice in the above photo I've also started cladding the back wall after sorting all the remaining cladding and cutting out the broken parts. Reckon I've got to buy about £70 worth to finish the wall so not too bad. I also got some castors fitted to the pallet which the engine is sitting on, allowing me to move it about. I've put it to the side, which along with shunting the bulkhead against the wall has now allows me to put the car in the building should I need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Looking like a really nice space James Very satisfying I would think ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 great restoration work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Making good progress mate. At least you'll have a bit more breathing room than me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted November 29, 2014 Author Share Posted November 29, 2014 Today I got a few more bits done. Finally managed to get the eaves closed off with some offcuts of broken cladding, this will stop the building being used as a bird roost at least. I also wired in a pair of double sockets. Like the lights these are just fed from a plug at the moment while I sort out with the estate getting an electrician to come and put in a supply from the house with consumer unit etc. I'll probably have another pair or two across the bench and then two pairs on the opposite wall to form the ring main. Then there'll be a 16A supply for the welder (plus another spare for a future compressor) and the lighting circuit. Hoping to get the remaining cladding next week now that I've been paid and I can finally get that back wall finished, which means the fascias and gutters can go on. Nearly there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 looking quite cosy in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Great progress !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Good progress James! Is the building 'sealed' now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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