Repairing the Chook Pen

The next phase was to repair the frame of the building.  Two corner posts and one horizontal wall joist had been severely damaged by white ants (termites) and must be replaced.  (All uprights were on metal stirrups but over the years debris had built up around the stirrups, providing a bridge for the white ants.)  Replacement of the NW post would be tricky because during the swap there would be nothing to support that corner of the roof.

Eaten Away SE Post

Closeup of SE Post

Damaged NW Post

I visited the local salvage yard on Clayton Road and got a lot of help in selecting two 3"x3" posts for the corners and a 2"x4" piece for the wall for $63.00.  I cut them to size next to the garage and carried them up to the building.

I fixed a 2"x1" batten vertically to support the corner.  Then I put up the pieces using 3/8" bolts and coach screws.  After that I added intermediate battens to support the roof to take over from the existing battens that were sagging after years of duty.  The intermediate battens were leftovers from the house restoration.  Finally that I scrubbed the timber, let it dry for a day, then slapped on a coat of Mission Brown water based paint.

Yesterday I visited Midalia Steel down the hill in Midvale with a photo of the building frame and sketches with dimensions, and got good assistance in selecting the "Colorbond" corrugated sheets for the roof and the walls.  Colorbond costs more than bright Zincalum but I wanted the finished shed to more or less match the house and look pleasant to Aaron and Anne,  my neighbors.  Thus the roof of the shed will be "Cottage Green" and the sides will be "Classic Cream".   The 56 meters of sheeting (weighing 190 kg/418 lb)  and 3 packs of self drilling screws, with delivery came to $861.25.  I can expect delivery either on Friday nor next Monday.

I will use the intervening time to scrape off a corner of the floor a thick layer of sticky sweet-smelling linseed oil that I had stored in that shed for over 30 years.  It appears that the concrete floor interacted with the metal container causing rust and a slight but steady seepage of between 10 and 20 liters of very valuable linseed oil.

Temporary Support of NW Corner

While scraping up the linseed oil goo I'll be trying to figure out how I'll put up the roof and wall sheeting on my own.  It's all doable, just a matter of breaking the task down to smaller and smaller parts

Sawing Posts and Joist

Finished Frame, Firm and Strong