Author Topic: Rotten shed  (Read 1791 times)

Rotten shed
« on: 30 April, 2019, 08:12:44 am »
I have a shed in my garden that's about 10 by 15 feet in size. Its about 50 years old I guess with a corrugated asbestos roof (not pitched but basically a flat roof on an angle). Its timber framed with ship-lap sides on a nice concrete bases (the original owner of this house was a local builder and built the house and shed for his own use). The interior walls arent boarded out.
Unfortunately the wood is now rotten in several places and I need to sort it out. One of the sole-plates which is 2x3 from memory in particular is well rotten due to a soil build up against the outside.
So how to tackle this ? Its  simple frame construction but I don't really want to dismantle the whole thing to fix it. I have a couple of across. I was thinking of perhaps using a multitool to run round the sole-plate and make sure it wasnt fixed to the concrete base then cut the sole-plate out with the same tool, crew a scaffold board across the uprights on the side in question and then use a car jack or similar to jack the whole shed up a couple of inches to get the sole-plate out an replace it. Next whilst using the across to support the roof cut out the rotten bits at the bottom of each upright and let in new bits along with some sister studs.

Anyone else done anything similar and if so how did you tackle it? This seems like a good excuse to get a Fein multi-tool at least :)
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Rotten shed
« Reply #1 on: 30 April, 2019, 10:40:10 am »
Sounds to me like a decent plan. Quite a large shed you will have to keep a careful eye on the roof timbers and covering if you are jacking. How many acrows are you going to employ?  What happens to the floor? You dont want the roof sheets (Big 6?) cracking or spalling if poss. Make sure your new timber is pessure treated. I have been looking at replacements myself recently. New decent quality sheds cost a fortune so well worth doing if you can.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Rotten shed
« Reply #2 on: 30 April, 2019, 10:46:16 am »
you could do worse thasn hiring a couple of toe jacks to do the heavy lifting.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Rotten shed
« Reply #3 on: 30 April, 2019, 11:17:15 am »
Sounds to me like a decent plan. Quite a large shed you will have to keep a careful eye on the roof timbers and covering if you are jacking. How many acrows are you going to employ?  What happens to the floor? You dont want the roof sheets (Big 6?) cracking or spalling if poss. Make sure your new timber is pessure treated. I have been looking at replacements myself recently. New decent quality sheds cost a fortune so well worth doing if you can.

I have two acrows, I don't think the shed is that heavy really so that should be enough. There is no floor, the walls rest directly (well hopefully on top of some rubber or plastic membrane) on the poured concrete slab base which is also the floor of the shed.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

andytheflyer

  • Andytheex-flyer.....
Re: Rotten shed
« Reply #4 on: 30 April, 2019, 12:35:10 pm »
Reasonable plan, but IME cutting out the rotten bits and then inserting new is a lot of work.  It's a faff. And you still end up with a doubt about other bits.

Why not: strip off the shiplap, support the roof with the two Acrows along one side and take out the entire wall.  Replace the framing with pressure treated softwood, and the sole plate, and then replace the shiplap.  Don't know where you are, but in the rural area I live in there are several agricultural timber suppliers locally where I get my garden fencing, trellis, planter construction timber at what seems to me to be very reasonable prices.  I'd look for similar suppliers where you are.

I suggest it'll be as quick to replace the wall framing, one wall at a time, as it will be to faff about patching.  It'll cost you more, but you'll end up with a solid shed that will last for ages and you can then forget about it.  And you'll definitely need a good multi-tool.  You know it makes sense.

Re: Rotten shed
« Reply #5 on: 30 April, 2019, 12:39:31 pm »
Yeh I keep thinking about doing whole walls. The shiplap needs replacing on at least two of them anyway and I do have these DG window panes I saved from when we had an extension done that woudl fit nicely in one wall if I was to reframe. Well I have to justify saving them for nine years somehow ...

I'm definitely going to dig around the whole shed and lay some paving and gravel so we dont get teh rot problem again. Mind you in another 50 years it will be a SEP anyway.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Rotten shed
« Reply #6 on: 30 April, 2019, 05:07:46 pm »
I assume the vertical studs are only rotten at the base ?

I would not attempt to jack up the roof - old asbestos sheeting is very brittle and likely to crack. So careful working with no pulling /racking of the existing - may be prudent to add a couple of diagonal timbers to lace the studs together and a couple of external 45deg props attached to the studs and fixed into the ground.
 I would support a length of the  roof (4-6 ft ?)  supporting any purlins/roof timbers or the sheets themselves with a large timber/ planks on the side you are repairing - acro's/ timber props with folding wedges etc. The load isnt very high it's just stopping movement and cracking of the roof sheeting
Then cut out the base of the studs to allow the section of soleplate to be removed / refitted. Then add cripple studs fixed either side of the existing stud with coach bolts.

Treated timber and retreat all cut ends.


Aunt Maud

  • Le Flâneur.
Re: Rotten shed
« Reply #7 on: 17 May, 2019, 04:36:54 pm »
I have a shed in my garden that's about 10 by 15 feet in size. Its about 50 years old I guess with a corrugated asbestos roof (not pitched but basically a flat roof on an angle). Its timber framed with ship-lap sides on a nice concrete bases (the original owner of this house was a local builder and built the house and shed for his own use). The interior walls arent boarded out.
Unfortunately the wood is now rotten in several places and I need to sort it out. One of the sole-plates which is 2x3 from memory in particular is well rotten due to a soil build up against the outside.
So how to tackle this ? Its  simple frame construction but I don't really want to dismantle the whole thing to fix it. I have a couple of across. I was thinking of perhaps using a multitool to run round the sole-plate and make sure it wasnt fixed to the concrete base then cut the sole-plate out with the same tool, crew a scaffold board across the uprights on the side in question and then use a car jack or similar to jack the whole shed up a couple of inches to get the sole-plate out an replace it. Next whilst using the across to support the roof cut out the rotten bits at the bottom of each upright and let in new bits along with some sister studs.

Anyone else done anything similar and if so how did you tackle it? This seems like a good excuse to get a Fein multi-tool at least :)

Sorry been away, but I do this on the house all the time when I repair the framing.

I use acro props and a timber spreader, works a tweet.

Doing....



.......Done



Re: Rotten shed
« Reply #8 on: 17 May, 2019, 06:21:39 pm »
I have a shed in my garden that's about 10 by 15 feet in size. Its about 50 years old I guess with a corrugated asbestos roof (not pitched but basically a flat roof on an angle). Its timber framed with ship-lap sides on a nice concrete bases (the original owner of this house was a local builder and built the house and shed for his own use). The interior walls arent boarded out.
Unfortunately the wood is now rotten in several places and I need to sort it out. One of the sole-plates which is 2x3 from memory in particular is well rotten due to a soil build up against the outside.
So how to tackle this ? Its  simple frame construction but I don't really want to dismantle the whole thing to fix it. I have a couple of across. I was thinking of perhaps using a multitool to run round the sole-plate and make sure it wasnt fixed to the concrete base then cut the sole-plate out with the same tool, crew a scaffold board across the uprights on the side in question and then use a car jack or similar to jack the whole shed up a couple of inches to get the sole-plate out an replace it. Next whilst using the across to support the roof cut out the rotten bits at the bottom of each upright and let in new bits along with some sister studs.

Anyone else done anything similar and if so how did you tackle it? This seems like a good excuse to get a Fein multi-tool at least :)

Sorry been away, but I do this on the house all the time when I repair the framing.

I use acro props and a timber spreader, works a tweet.

Doing....



.......Done



It'd be fair to say that you've never been in the market for something from Barret or Persimmon, wouldn't it?  ;)