The Man Shed Is Moving
There is no need to adjust your set.
Nor to wonder if a blogger of your acquaintance has been indulging a tad over enthusiastically in lockdown lunch time Pinot before tottering outside with the camera. Well she hasn’t. Not this week anyway. As if.
No, the only conclusion we can draw from the photograph above is that the Man Shed has developed a port side list. And not only does the shed lean from right to left it also tilts from front to back. It’s fair to say the structure wasn’t in prime condition when we inherited it upon purchasing the house but the downward slide has only been accelerating in the intervening years.
The shed would probably have fallen down years ago had it not been physically supported by the outhouse alongside it.
The notice on the cross beam, put up there by our predecessor, has never been more pertinent.
Over the last couple of years the precarious nature of the shed has been further undermined, literally, by the collapse of the floor. Rotting timbers have caused the workbench to sink into the void beneath. I don’t know how Mike continued to use it quite frankly. Certainly not without the extra bit of 4×2 anti gravity upstand attached to the back, saving us a fortune in screws, and quite possibly their drivers as well, rolling off into unknown depths never to be seen again.
We could ignore the problem no longer. And the time is right.
Next to the shed there’s a stone built outhouse originally used as dry storage for seasoned logs and latterly a general dumping ground for any building related detritus that might happen to find its way in there. With all building work currently on hold what better opportunity then to clear it all out and use the space for a more practical and sustainable purpose: a new (and decidedly more robust) home for the Man Shed.
It’s even received a new coat of paint.
That was the easy bit.
Because although He Who Paints may beg to disagree, nothing quite compares to the relocation of the workbench.
It’s heavier than it looks. Much, much heavier. And that’s without the additional obstacle provided by the steps, a 25 inch difference between the shed floor and the path. Off to the left of the path in the photo above, the vertiginous drop over the new terraces to the greenhouse level 12 feet below. Which while mostly out of shot here was forefront of mind in the moment let me tell you. One misplaced step and the almost inevitable journey south would be uncomfortable by anyone’s estimation. Especially if a full sized workbench followed you down.
Mike started by lifting each end of the workbench out of its accustomed hole until it sat centrally upon the shed floor. The Gardener, his conscripted assistant, was offered a choice. Did she want to be outside the shed guiding the workbench down the steps? Or lifting it from inside the shed taking her chances with the rotten floor? I chose the latter. The floor had acquired a novel springiness with the workbench no longer weighing down the rotten ends of the floorboards. I now know what it feels like to walk on air. Apart from the expectation that at any moment there might have been a sickening crunch and The Gardener disappear abruptly into a bottomless pit. At least I wouldn’t have been alone. A pair of mice had scuttled across the shed floor even as we’d been casing the task, from the outside looking in.
Inch by inch the workbench moved.
Hmmm..
Complete with rebuilt and bolstered legs, the workbench installed in its new home. Level. Solid.
Mike will be happy for days now, getting everything organised in there.
Nice that he found the doormat wasn’t it? A homely touch I thought.
I guess I’d better do my bit and weed the planter on the Singer stand.
Onwards.
I can’t see the camping stove and kettle! Love the workbench repair – my DH would have done the same. I would be very envious of his new space and want one for myself. With so many people wanting holiday accommodation at the moment I am sure you could have rented the old shed out – there was a similar one in Runswick Bay that was taken over and done up – it is quite tiny and everytime I pass it and peer in (as much as you can without it being too obvious) I always wonder where the toilet is. x
For a couple of years Mike had a phone extension in the old shed. I did wonder at the time whether coffee making facilities might soon follow. The phone ceased to work after a while, perhaps the signal from the base station wasn’t quite strong enough. The new shed is nearer..
I do love your posts. Back to normality and no mention of the plague. xx
I am as worried about the plague as everyone else. But I have come to the conclusion that as there is little I can do about it, other than continue to isolate, I must just try to have as normal a life as possible. Stay safe Jill.
nice new workspace. i would like that one myself
Me too. It would make a lovely potting shed..
That’s right, use up a shed till it drops. Preferably not on your head though.
My admiration for your husband and good luck with the move and all that it entails.
I’ve been concerned about the shed for some time. It was clearly sinking. Mike had to keep moving the catches on one side of the door so the bolt would still work!
I can’t help but think it would make a nice lady shed. Were you consulted about the possibility of a lady shed?
It would make a lovely lady shed. I could have gazed out over the garden while potting on and no, a consultation was conspicuous by its absence. But then again, I do have the greenhouse. Perhaps I have been greedy enough already.
What a story you told, and with such graphic imagery! Glad nothing untoward happened to you both, and glad that Mike has a nice new shed, and you can rest happy knowing that he is not going to fall through the floor!
The floor has several large holes in it now. Even the mice are starting to look anxious!
Having been recruited on many occasions to serve in similar roles as assistant to my beloved spouse when moving impossibly heavy and unwieldy objects, I sympathize. I’m glad you both made it through the experience unscathed. Will the former man shed be demolished? Perhaps the new man shed needs a nice outdoor seating area for rest breaks?
Ultimately it will be demolished. For a while it will be used to store the logs turfed out to make way for the new Man Shed. Logs which currently reside in a number of builders’ dumpy bags and obstruct my access to a large swathe of planted border!
So the old shed will be kindling, a new compost bin or a bonfire? I do love a good tidy and oscillate between chaos and manic tidying. I had three rows of dwarf French beans, now I have two and the Florence fennel has been eaten as well. I don’t think the same pest got both I suspect slugs and pigeons. I had my broad bean crop halved by mice, I could hear them at night if I sat outside with a drink. I support a diverse range of creatures.
Having only returned to veggie growing again this year I had forgotten all about the critter problems. Selective memory is a wonderful thing. Or not. My dwarf french beans are sitting doing nothing. Every time they venture a new leaf it gets bitten off. This evening I picked 12 slugs off nine very small broccoli plants. Even slug pellets don’t work anymore albeit I only use the ‘safer’ ones. I have the broccoli plants under a wire cage while I wait for a new spot to plant them. So I sprinkle pellets merrily underneath in the knowledge that other creatures won’t be able to get at them. Every morning they are all gone, every last one, yet the slugs show no sign of being harmed whatsoever.
How ironic – he needed a workbench to fix his workbench! Nice job though and a good rescue for an otherwise sturdy table. I think I would have chosen the upper lift position, although HRH isn’t fond of heights. Either way he wouldn’t have enjoyed. Well done all. Much better than a man shed! Now I wonder what will fill that gap?
And oh look, it’s raining again! Just in time to let everyone out!
I have designs on a posh log store to fill the gap but so far hints and tips on construction have been given a deaf ear. In the meantime the old Man Shed will have to serve as dry cover.
Do wish it would decide whether to rain or not. This mizzly stuff is the worst of all worlds. Miserable to be out in but not enough to do a job for me by watering the plants.
Oh indeed – but it did turn out nice pretty quickly here – ready for the rain for the next few days along with high winds. Yippee, can’t wait! NOT!
Doesn’t feel much like high summer does it. Never mind. Perhaps an excuse for me to get outside and shift a few more things while it’s still relatively cool.
Well, you two are an inspiration!…we are just thinking of working on our cabin, so we’ll take your example!
Oh good luck, I hope it doesn’t need too much work. But it will be lovely to have it all ready for Spring.
In the US there is/was a coffee commercial that used to say, “good to the last drop.” There are all sorts of ways to apply that line to your post. Good to know that one of them–a drop down the hill (which would not have been good)–did not materialize. Imagine the drop of the manshed is next in line. As you say, onwards!
I’m trying very hard to avoid injury this year, it’s not a great time for a visit to Accident and Emergency. It makes these challenging jobs even more fraught than usual. The terrain isn’t easygoing anywhere around here but the new terraces are particularly steep. They had to be that way to give us enough flat ground for the greenhouse.
Hey, you moved that, and your are still married! That counts as a win, doesn’t it? There was just a story on the news here about a man setting up furniture in a 19th century house for a friend–the poor guy fell though the floor into a 30 foot deep well no one knew about. He’s okay. Some Emergency responders craned him out. Just a touch of hypothermia and a scratch or two.
What will happen to the old shed? Deconstruction? I love the sign, though. Had to think about it for a second, before laughing.
That story makes my knees tremble. We think there is a well here, either underneath the dining room floor or close by. I think about it often when standing on top of the place it could be.
We’ll lose the shed eventually, it will function as a log store temporarily. I did wonder about the sign and how well it might translate, typical British humour!
My husband got a new manshed 4 years ago. His previous also fell down, floors seem to be an issue. He spent an inordinate amount of time putting everything in it just so and now spends half his life ‘tidying his shed’! He has a workbench that is very heavy too, I feel your pain as I too helped move it from one to the other. I hope the floor is stone too in the new one! x
A concrete floor in the new one but that’s almost as good. Good enough to see us out I hope because I’m not moving the workbench again.
There is a lot of shed tidying here too. Well, if it keeps them happy..!
My new man shed last year was a ‘garden shed’, time to expand your department Jessica!
I shall be allowed to keep my watering system bits in the new shed, I think. But that’ll be the limit of it though. He says it’s too small already. But then I can understand that because I think the same about the greenhouse. I suspect however big a manshed or a greenhouse, they are never big enough.
A Man Shed is a very necessary thing – and tidying it on wet days is a necessary occupation…but I am glad he has something more solid under his feet now. As you say, at least you have your lovely greenhouse – which of course will never need tidying, I am sure!
Why is it that tidying the greenhouse is such a pleasure, but tidying the house is not?
“To me, to you…” Have you ever thought of writing comedy sketches?! A very enjoyable read!!
Thank you for a lovely blog. I’ve caught up with past ‘episodes’ and enjoyed it so much. I’ll continue to enjoy I’m sure.
Thank you Sue!
That window is just crying out for a pair of curtains.
TV and a comfy chair?
My shed also has a rotting floor and I suspect mice or rats too, but unfortunately there is no lovely stone outhouse to move into. Mike’s man shed would make a perfect potting shed. I have deep envy whenever I watch Gardeners World and see Monty in his. Life is so unfair!
PS I am glad no one was injured during the move. 😁
Monty’s potting shed is up there with the best. Oh to have all that space and light and a place to retreat to in the rain!