Dunkelholz
New Member
Hi All, I'm going to be using this post as a blog/diary for me Brew shed reno. I hope this is okay and those who read enjoy the journey with me. There's things I need to iron out, and design and plan. I'm still not 100% sure on everything, so would be very welcome to opinions or suggestions. So here it is!
2 years ago, I purchased a 2 bed flat whilst I was going through a separation and general life things. Not something I wanted to be doing at 35, but here we were. I needed somewhere close to my former residence so I could have my Daughter, and still be close to be able to get to work. 2 years on, I'm in a much better place, My Ex and I are on great terms to give our Girl the best life we can(and I feel that's the most important part), and I've finally got round to being able to brew again. Something I missed doing as it was an outlet for stress.
The Flat came with a decent sized garden with 2 decks, one at the top of the garden and one at the bottom. At the bottom of the garden sat on the deck a rather sizeable shed. 3.5m wide by 6m in length. I found out it was built by one of the former tenants who used it to store upvc windows and tools in it. Here's a photo of it a few months after I took the keys.
Sadly, the former tenant afterwards had little care for the garden and I found out it was my neighbor who maintained the garden due to it being an eyesore to him. This however also meant the shed was left to the elements and was used to house rubbish amongst other things. The felt was missing from the roof, there was water ingress everywhere. Initially, It didn't look positive. I needed somewhere to store garden tools and thought I'd throw a tarp over the roof and come to terms dealing with it later in the year thinking I might need to tear it down. To my surprise, it dried out and I was able to get a real view of it through the summer, where I focused on re-enforcing areas that I could see would cause me a problem later down the line.
Through last year in 2024, I pretty much left the shed alone. I removed the shelving on the side, repurposed the timber and upvc cladding. The upvc came handy round the back of the shed which takes much of the southern wind and rain. I took up the decking and flipped it over as I wanted it smooth side up. I added a little bit of decking so I could fit a hot tub, the sun sets at the bottom left corner and is perfect with a beer at the end of the working day! I built a small bench inside to put an amp and speakers on, somewhere to also sit some things when working in there, and ultimately I used it as a little bit of a summer house. I thought at the end of the summer, I would look at replacing it. And for a short time, I did just that. Looking at cabins and sheds, even getting a few people in to quote me. And I left it at that until one morning in early January this year, I opened the curtains to this and I felt I needed to save it.
The thought of walking down a path to light a fire in a wood burner and then set up for the day. It seemed the right thing to do....and also the cheapest. The frame was in great condition, I was told that by one of the company's I had out to quote me for a purpose built shed. It just needed a new roof covering and cladding/waterproofing. so I started planning, and what my next steps would be and when I'd do things. And then storm eowyn hit throwing my plans out the window. The tarp which held strong through other winds in the previous months just didn't hold. And again, it was leaking water via the gaps in the OSB roofing. Here's a photo about 1 minute before my neighbors tarp came off his.
I put the tarp back on the shed the next day, and I amended my plans. The roof covering was going to wait till the summer, allowing me time to prep the ground and clad the walls. However, I needed to address this asap, so ordered Cladding, new boards and Roofing materials. I also order gravel for the foot of the deck that liked to flood with about 2 inches of water when it rained heavily. This is due to the slopes of the land and sadly my neighbors building his garden up when landscaping.
It looks smart I think and reminds me of Augustiner Keller. This was at the start of February, 1 tonne of gravel over soft ground....Not fun but was a good lunch hour spent.
I then wrapped in DPM, I know that's none breathable, but I have air gaps behind it and there's plenty of ventilation. Not to mention, its waterproof. I then battoned and cladded using rough sawn fence posts. I wanted a rustic cabin vibe and I feel I got that. I also additionally added external lights.
I then went about painting it black. I enjoy having flowers around the garden and I feel black lets them pop. Also, I live in Scotland, Black absorbs heat from the 3 minutes of sun we get! I've also began building a lean to shed on the side for Garden tools, toys and BBQ's(another hobby).
And that's pretty much where we are today. I've just finished running a new armored cable, which will be fully installed in April. So will new flooring and insulation. The Electrics I'll be re-installing over the next few months when I get a plan of what I want. New spots inside are going up soon so I can work in the evenings. Water is a problem to over come later on, but I have a small idea that I think would work from my last shed I brewed in.
The main decision I'm needing to make now is on whether or not I open plan the Brewery and Taproom area, or keep them separate. I do want to work out there during the summer, so would have a mobile set up to work. And I like the idea of not flooding the area with steam when brewing.
Anyhow, Thanks for the read and please comment any ideas or suggestions.
2 years ago, I purchased a 2 bed flat whilst I was going through a separation and general life things. Not something I wanted to be doing at 35, but here we were. I needed somewhere close to my former residence so I could have my Daughter, and still be close to be able to get to work. 2 years on, I'm in a much better place, My Ex and I are on great terms to give our Girl the best life we can(and I feel that's the most important part), and I've finally got round to being able to brew again. Something I missed doing as it was an outlet for stress.
The Flat came with a decent sized garden with 2 decks, one at the top of the garden and one at the bottom. At the bottom of the garden sat on the deck a rather sizeable shed. 3.5m wide by 6m in length. I found out it was built by one of the former tenants who used it to store upvc windows and tools in it. Here's a photo of it a few months after I took the keys.
Sadly, the former tenant afterwards had little care for the garden and I found out it was my neighbor who maintained the garden due to it being an eyesore to him. This however also meant the shed was left to the elements and was used to house rubbish amongst other things. The felt was missing from the roof, there was water ingress everywhere. Initially, It didn't look positive. I needed somewhere to store garden tools and thought I'd throw a tarp over the roof and come to terms dealing with it later in the year thinking I might need to tear it down. To my surprise, it dried out and I was able to get a real view of it through the summer, where I focused on re-enforcing areas that I could see would cause me a problem later down the line.
Through last year in 2024, I pretty much left the shed alone. I removed the shelving on the side, repurposed the timber and upvc cladding. The upvc came handy round the back of the shed which takes much of the southern wind and rain. I took up the decking and flipped it over as I wanted it smooth side up. I added a little bit of decking so I could fit a hot tub, the sun sets at the bottom left corner and is perfect with a beer at the end of the working day! I built a small bench inside to put an amp and speakers on, somewhere to also sit some things when working in there, and ultimately I used it as a little bit of a summer house. I thought at the end of the summer, I would look at replacing it. And for a short time, I did just that. Looking at cabins and sheds, even getting a few people in to quote me. And I left it at that until one morning in early January this year, I opened the curtains to this and I felt I needed to save it.
The thought of walking down a path to light a fire in a wood burner and then set up for the day. It seemed the right thing to do....and also the cheapest. The frame was in great condition, I was told that by one of the company's I had out to quote me for a purpose built shed. It just needed a new roof covering and cladding/waterproofing. so I started planning, and what my next steps would be and when I'd do things. And then storm eowyn hit throwing my plans out the window. The tarp which held strong through other winds in the previous months just didn't hold. And again, it was leaking water via the gaps in the OSB roofing. Here's a photo about 1 minute before my neighbors tarp came off his.
I put the tarp back on the shed the next day, and I amended my plans. The roof covering was going to wait till the summer, allowing me time to prep the ground and clad the walls. However, I needed to address this asap, so ordered Cladding, new boards and Roofing materials. I also order gravel for the foot of the deck that liked to flood with about 2 inches of water when it rained heavily. This is due to the slopes of the land and sadly my neighbors building his garden up when landscaping.
It looks smart I think and reminds me of Augustiner Keller. This was at the start of February, 1 tonne of gravel over soft ground....Not fun but was a good lunch hour spent.
I then wrapped in DPM, I know that's none breathable, but I have air gaps behind it and there's plenty of ventilation. Not to mention, its waterproof. I then battoned and cladded using rough sawn fence posts. I wanted a rustic cabin vibe and I feel I got that. I also additionally added external lights.
I then went about painting it black. I enjoy having flowers around the garden and I feel black lets them pop. Also, I live in Scotland, Black absorbs heat from the 3 minutes of sun we get! I've also began building a lean to shed on the side for Garden tools, toys and BBQ's(another hobby).
And that's pretty much where we are today. I've just finished running a new armored cable, which will be fully installed in April. So will new flooring and insulation. The Electrics I'll be re-installing over the next few months when I get a plan of what I want. New spots inside are going up soon so I can work in the evenings. Water is a problem to over come later on, but I have a small idea that I think would work from my last shed I brewed in.
The main decision I'm needing to make now is on whether or not I open plan the Brewery and Taproom area, or keep them separate. I do want to work out there during the summer, so would have a mobile set up to work. And I like the idea of not flooding the area with steam when brewing.
Anyhow, Thanks for the read and please comment any ideas or suggestions.
