Shepherds Hut

Shepherds Hut

Thanks to everyone for looking at and sharing my blog posts to date. After a busy year of work (not to mention some unprecedented global upheaval) someone has spotted my activities and engaged me in a new kind of project... 

I am constructing a shepherds Hut.

 It seems that the temptation to hide from the options of soft or hard boiled Brexit as waves of eggy Trumps roll in across the Atlantic, has made the alternative of sitting in a pre industrial shelter in the middle of a field  an attractive enough proposition to provide me with my latest endeavour in work!

The design is carefully and precisely worked out on the back of a napkin. Always the professional I mopped up the spilled beer and pork scratching crumbs from the table to ensure the highest level of precision.

 

Local metal sculptor Julian Childs has provided me with a very high quality steel chassis on traditional cast iron wheels.

Beautiful attention to detail includes scrolled beams and seperate fixings for floor bearers to avoid drilling into the chassis itself.  

 I dismantled  the chassis upon delivery to paint it and thoroughly grease all the friction surfaces

Painting the underside of the floor for longevity before turning over the sheets.

Cavity insulation under the floor will ensure toasty toes when sat in peaceful refuge from the bizarre developments in the world outside!

Unfortunately too cold for the leotard, my beautiful assistant casually models these solid oak double glazed windows. Thanks to lovely Gaynor in Much Wenlock for offering these on Gumtree... I think they will look good in their new home.

 In creating the solid but light superstructure I stick to screws rather than nails, and reacquaint myself with my old ally... Thixotropic PU woodglue. Cant escape those boatbuilding habits I'm afraid... Then again I'm aiming for quality and longevity rather than the bog standard "shed on wheels!"

More insulation and the hut begins to take shape.

  

The first milestone is achieved with covering the entire structure in a breathable waterproof membrane, and the fixing of the traditional "wriggly tin" roof.

Look out for the next post in the new year... progress to include the huts' fancy lining, woodburner, and twiddly bits!

Please like and share as lets face it... even my wittering has got to be better than reading the news!X

 

NB Barden

Barden is my current boat, and our Third in a Colecraft shell. This boat is a similar design to Isis a with couple of notable differences, namely a 9 foot open "hold" area at the front of the boat designed to be covered with sheets.

Oh no not again!!!

Spray foam and underfloor insulation ensure good heat retention without condensation, though Ive nothing against other forms of insulation such as rockwool, polystyrene or celotex having used all of them in the past.

Jumping a bit to the line out; grooves routed in the plywood cabin lining provide a pleasing effect that wont shrink!! Panels are recycled from the offcuts from each sheet.

The boatmans cabin will benifit from a 4'6" wide bed (may not mean much to you house dwellers but to a boatwife that means luxury with a capital L")

This reconditioned rayburn has already had a winters use with this gravity fed system. It provides all of the heating, hot water and 90% of the cooking for our family of four and costs on average about £2 a day to run
. Once the system is up and running it is totally maintenence free and requires no external power source.

This galley is 2' shorter than the Isis version at 8' but we still managed to squeeze everything in.

The colour scheme however is no longer in my hands!