Restoring/rescuing a 100+ year old shed. Am I nuts?

[sumi]

Sumi, once you add a roof, that should also help kill the roots just by blocking the sunlight and rain. Block the doorway, add a pig, and let him get that root for you!

I was thinking of that, but judging by the size and circumference of the trunk, that tree probably had roots halfway to Kilkenny. Once I've dug down around it I'm hoping like mad to find it narrower and easier to take down with a chain saw.

Gosh, my neighbours would BLESS me if I put a pig in there! Unfortunately I do have one close-ish neighbour on that side.

 

[sumi]

A dear friend of mine here works with timber, he builds wood houses, chalets, etc, buys and sells wood in-between as well. I'm going to ask him if he can get me some beams for the roof. And he might just be able to help me find some secondhand sheets for the roof itself as well…

I've known him since I moved here and looked at one of his houses he had up for rent. He's used to me and my crazy ideas lol

 

[frustratedearthmother]

He's used to me and my crazy ideas lol

I love it! And your crazy idea might just turn out totally awesome!

 

[milkmansdaughter]

I guess if you wanted to really restore it the way it might have been once, you could always add a thatched roof.

 

[Beekissed]

That stump might be able to be incorporated into the new design of whatever you will use the shed for. Could be the seat to a bench, a place for chickens to play on, etc.


I love the sturdy walls of that structure and also the history...who builds with that kind of stone nowadays? Would the landlord take money off your rent if you timbered that building out with a roof, doors, windows, etc? That would be cool if he would.

Would make a great coop/storage shed/pig barn, sheep shed, etc. Very exciting to uncover the past!

 

[sumi]

I guess if you wanted to really restore it the way it might have been once, you could always add a thatched roof.

That would be awesome, but way beyond my skills!

 

[sumi]

That stump might be able to be incorporated into the new design of whatever you will use the shed for. Could be the seat to a bench, a place for chickens to play on, etc.


I love the sturdy walls of that structure and also the history...who builds with that kind of stone nowadays? Would the landlord take money off your rent if you timbered that building out with a roof, doors, windows, etc? That would be cool if he would.

Would make a great coop/storage shed/pig barn, sheep shed, etc. Very exciting to uncover the past!

That is what I'm thinking too, but right now, the stump is nearly as tall as the walls. We have to get it down some, but it's massive. I'm hoping once I've dug down around it, to find a good spot to cut it and then… I don't know how we're going to get it out of the shed lol

I'm not going to ask my landlord for a rent discount for this, but I'll see if he offers. It would be nice. I think I'm also going to see if he has something I can use in there, like a door/window/roof sheets/something.

 

[Britesea]

hopefully he will offer a discount, instead of raising the rent because the property is more valuable (I have known landlords to pull this stunt)

 

[sumi]

hopefully he will offer a discount, instead of raising the rent because the property is more valuable (I have known landlords to pull this stunt)

I don't think he'd do that if it's me doing all the hard work fixing it up!

 

[sumi]

The stump got trimmed some more and then cut down some

I removed all the loose wood from the shed and some of the rubbish, which is turning into quite a challenge. There is a lot of fencing and chicken wire tangled into everything in there, along with some metal "things" which I haven't been able to identify, remains of the old roof and building rubble which did not come from the shed itself. Heavy work, lots of yanking, digging, yanking… I'm making progress though.

A lot of the branches we removed from the trunk along with some bigger pieces of wood we found in the shed itself, got cut into logs and I moved most of that down to the house yesterday as well.

Today is a misery out, with rain and wind, so I'm not going to venture out there.