petermillard
Established Member
Hey folks.
As some of you know, I usually make a living out of making MDF boxes cunningly disguised as fitted wardrobes, alcove units, bookcases and shelving, so this was a bit of a departure for me. A gardener pal had a customer who wanted a summerhouse built, but had exacting aesthetic requirements - in other words, she wanted a fancy shed and was happy to pay for it! We met last year but what with one thing and another, I didn't get started until this January - perfect timing for my largest outdoor project to date...
Anyway, off and on I've spent a happy few months turning this:-
into this:-
So, the top photo is of the cleared site at the bottom of the garden of this terraced house in West London. There was a small garden shed in the bottom right that was removed , and which you can see at the left of the pic. With the site cleared, I could get the base down:-
then the back and side walls up...
then the front framework in place...
The roof members were built in the workshop (slowly - my first roof) but slotted together very quickly onsite, then the whole thing clad in corrugated plastic sheet for temporary weatherproofing, which was much needed...
So now we wait for fair weather. And we wait. And wait some more... Eventually, we have a couple of days of not-too-bad weather forecast, so with the help of a pal we get the glass roof panels fitted. In the interim, the customer's asked for roof lights, just for ventilation, which I've duly incorporated...
Again, I'm weathered off for few weeks, but eventually we find a 'window' when I can get the doors and sidelights fitted, and at the end of a long, long day, we're all weatherproof:-
Deliberate mistake? Yep, the fluted capping piece on the LHS upright had the fluting running slightly out of true, so was removed and remade. I fitted it the next day or so, when the structure was essentially finished - or so I thought...
So, anyone spot the *other* deliberate mistake?? Oh, and as a parting shot, the customer mentioned that she was probably going to have the back wall mirrored(!) Sounds crazy, but actually is (literally) brilliant:-
And this was how it looked yesterday, after I'd fixed that *other* mistake. Anyone?? (hint - it's the roof lights: we live and learn...)
Looks great, customer's delighted, and summer's a-comin'!
Now obviously I've skipped a few photos in this post - there's a ton of Celotex under the floor and in the walls, and plenty of breathable membrane spread about; all the electrics were done by my sparky, so were fully certificated, and the glass panels fabbed by a FENSA-registed glazier. And as a non-habitable outbuilding of ~6 sq m (a fancy shed, remember) it falls outside the scope of building regs.
So job done. It's been very interesting - my biggest single project, but with lots of sub-contract work where I was effectively the customer, which was all a bit weird; I'm much more used to working on my own and taking care of everything myself. Anyway, back to MDF boxes - and splinter-free woodworking, lol
Cheers, and thanks for taking a look. Pete.
As some of you know, I usually make a living out of making MDF boxes cunningly disguised as fitted wardrobes, alcove units, bookcases and shelving, so this was a bit of a departure for me. A gardener pal had a customer who wanted a summerhouse built, but had exacting aesthetic requirements - in other words, she wanted a fancy shed and was happy to pay for it! We met last year but what with one thing and another, I didn't get started until this January - perfect timing for my largest outdoor project to date...
Anyway, off and on I've spent a happy few months turning this:-
into this:-
So, the top photo is of the cleared site at the bottom of the garden of this terraced house in West London. There was a small garden shed in the bottom right that was removed , and which you can see at the left of the pic. With the site cleared, I could get the base down:-
then the back and side walls up...
then the front framework in place...
The roof members were built in the workshop (slowly - my first roof) but slotted together very quickly onsite, then the whole thing clad in corrugated plastic sheet for temporary weatherproofing, which was much needed...
So now we wait for fair weather. And we wait. And wait some more... Eventually, we have a couple of days of not-too-bad weather forecast, so with the help of a pal we get the glass roof panels fitted. In the interim, the customer's asked for roof lights, just for ventilation, which I've duly incorporated...
Again, I'm weathered off for few weeks, but eventually we find a 'window' when I can get the doors and sidelights fitted, and at the end of a long, long day, we're all weatherproof:-
Deliberate mistake? Yep, the fluted capping piece on the LHS upright had the fluting running slightly out of true, so was removed and remade. I fitted it the next day or so, when the structure was essentially finished - or so I thought...
So, anyone spot the *other* deliberate mistake?? Oh, and as a parting shot, the customer mentioned that she was probably going to have the back wall mirrored(!) Sounds crazy, but actually is (literally) brilliant:-
And this was how it looked yesterday, after I'd fixed that *other* mistake. Anyone?? (hint - it's the roof lights: we live and learn...)
Looks great, customer's delighted, and summer's a-comin'!
Now obviously I've skipped a few photos in this post - there's a ton of Celotex under the floor and in the walls, and plenty of breathable membrane spread about; all the electrics were done by my sparky, so were fully certificated, and the glass panels fabbed by a FENSA-registed glazier. And as a non-habitable outbuilding of ~6 sq m (a fancy shed, remember) it falls outside the scope of building regs.
So job done. It's been very interesting - my biggest single project, but with lots of sub-contract work where I was effectively the customer, which was all a bit weird; I'm much more used to working on my own and taking care of everything myself. Anyway, back to MDF boxes - and splinter-free woodworking, lol
Cheers, and thanks for taking a look. Pete.
