Where do I start???

[princess pink]

Ok finally moved in to the new flat (big yay!) and there is a fairlydeent sized shed in the garden. I reckon about 1.7m x 2.8m. So nice size! Hubby wants to keep half for tools and paint etc so I will have the back half.

Now I don't quite know where to start. Saw something about insulation and all that but can some one give me a plan of what needs doing and stuff? It won't have electricity in yet But will in may time so for now I'll run an extension lead from house.

I kinda have to do this as cheaply as poss as moving house ain't cheap!!

[flowerjasper]

good luck!
i am lucky as my shed is brick , so insulation wasnt an issue,  so i really cant help there but if space  is an issue you will lose some insulating, i have an old electric heater which works for me in the winter,
i have an old cooker hood/extraction fan the light on which is useful, ( friends were getting rid of it) i have a stainless steel top to my bench,

sandy x

[Angie]

i've insulated 4 sheds now and have done the following

1) Fill between the uprights with some type of insulation depending on the depth of your upright wooden frame.
The most expensive would be celotex or polystyrine sheets and they are probably too deep for your shed uprights. If you use fibreglass insulation, it is easier to cut and cope with the sheets (from a local builders merchant) rather than the rolls that they sell in DIY stores, get the thickest that will compress into the gap and cut it slightly oversized so that it holds itself in place.
(Wear a mask and rubber gloves to do this and cut with a carving knife.)
2) If your shed is good quality and totally waterproof you will not need to do the next step:
Buy a length of thick polythene(damp proof course membrane) from builders merchant and staple aver walls and ceiling to reduce draught ans any rain getting to the platerboard inner layer.
3) Plaster board the inner walls with the thickest p/board you can afford, it comes in either 6'x3' or 8'x4' boards that can be scored with a stanley knife then snapped with your hands. Using plaster board nails, hammer board to uprights every 2' or so.

Normally you would put in cross pieces but for a small shed you can do without as long as you cut the board from mid upright to the next wooden upright middle.
You can then either plaster it or just tape the seams with platerboard tape or gummed brown tape and paint. Just remember to use platerboard fixings to attach anything to the wall or preferably screw  things into the uprights.

Best to run electrics on the surface in trunking with surface mounted boxes.
Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but I don't know how much knowledge you have on these things...good luck, it will be worth doing and a really cosy den and shouldn't take too long to heat up. Hope this helps.

[Redhotsal]

Great advice Angie!

[princess pink]

Amazing angie! Such great advice! I may pm you if I get stuck! Hope that's ok!

[Krysia@No98]

Shahlaa, have you got a budget?

Just thinking that there are certain expensive must haves like ventilation...

It might be worth making a plan of the must have things you can get now and then things that you need to get over the next few months.

B&Q are very good for cheep of cuts.

And the bargain section in Ikea is pretty good too.  I got the table top I work in from there for £36 as it was damaged.  I already had legs from a table I got years ago.

Also I get a length of plastic waste pipe when ever I am in wilkinsons so when I need more I have a few lengths already.

I have got other bits of furniture from work for a nominal amount. 

[Blue Box Studio]

Mine's 7' x 9', whatever that is in metric and timber framed workshop (so a glorified and overpriced shed).    I also have a 14' x 7' that I use for textiles and everything else I do.  Mine's insulated like Angie's but I used decent thickness MDF instead of plasterboard, and I've just painted that.  My electrics were professionally wired in - but that involved armoured cable, fuse boxes and lots of money but at least I know I'm safe.  Neither are next to the house so hanging cables wasn't an option and, as I use them when I am taking part in open studio events, I didn't want anyone electrocuted or worse.    In fairness if you go down the route of proper electrics, you can ask the leccie to give you instructions and labour for him, I did the first fix and he came back and wired it all up for me - I didn't see paying for him to drill through a bit of 3x3 to thread a cable through when I could do that, but then I have a good leccie who knows money is tight.  So mine goes from the house with armoured cable, into a consumer unit fuse box thingy, round the big workshop, along to the small workshop and plenty of plugs all round.    I'm not sure one extension lead would cope with running everything, especially if you have a kiln, but might be wrong.

[princess pink]

Ok so on my list so far is:

Insulation
Waterproofing membrane stuff
Worktop
Ventilation
Electricity
Shelving

For my birthday in may hubby says he'll pay for an electrician to wire it up properly. For now I cannot afford it otherwise so extension leads will do, although by thR time I get it insulated it will prob be my birthday!
I know I need ventilation but need electricity first to power it. I'd really prefer something quite quiet so any recommendations is good. Not a fan of putting a cooker hood in to be honest.

I don't have a budget per say, just need to do it as cheaply as possible as there isn't much spare cash about right now. I'm even considering not going to flame off...but we'll see.


Quick question, with the polythene membrane stuff, does it go over all Walls and ceiling or just along joins?

Thanks everyone!!!

[Studio Girl]

Hi Shahlaa
I got a shelving unit from Wicks it is wooden very good quality and you can fit loads of stuff on it
they do sell them in B&Q for the same price about 17 quid but they are very rough
my worktop is a very old solid pine door left over from a project covered in tiles walla it's great
Friends are a great source it's amazing what they come up with
Good luck hope it all works out

Margaret xx 

[Krysia@No98]

I have my ventilation from Progrow.  They are really helpful when you phone up and will tell you what extras you need if you are going to be joining pipes to walls and stuff.

The fan is quiet, well it's quieter then my hot head, but loud enough for me to head it when I come to switching things off so I don't forget it.

Something I did think of was a good lock for the door, I guess that you will have silver and stuff in there other then the glass, and you want to make sure it is covered by the house hold insurance - just in case

[Angie]

The plastic goes over all the walls and ceiling, staple it to the uprights with a staple gun and overlap any cut seams to stop damp getting through, it's not necessary if the wood is good quality and won't leak but it is a belt and braces job and will stop any possible problems  in the future as well as keeping the insulation in place and stop you breathing it in whilst you plasterboard. I got a B&Q 6'x4' just to store stuff in and had to do this as it is such poor quality whereas my studio didn't need it.
It will pay off in the long run especially if you are heating it and you won't have to redo it when the damp starts creeping in.

MDF is great and also stronger for fixing shelves to but more expensive. of course you can pm me if you want, good luck, pity to miss flame off though... don't forget to make the beads!