And then ... there was a shed

This time last week we were marveling at the fully framed and trussed shed skeleton, and how far things had come in just a few short weeks since getting the slab poured. This week, despite some rather ugly weather including a couple of days of near gale force winds, we no longer have a skeleton, but a fully clad shed. Alright, we are still missing roller doors, the internal lining and power. But it definitely feels like a shed now, only bigger!

From frame to shed in a week...

While not quite the size of a basketball court, at 20m by 12m it is significantly larger than any shed we have had before. More than enough room to store a range of tools and vehicles, with some left over. Of course, like any space in a house, it will no doubt end up being far easier to fill than we ever believed possible, but in the first instance we will continue to kid ourselves that it is massive and we won't even touch the sides. Ha!

For those that like the numbers, it has a 20m frontage, of which 4m is an open bay, but still under the roof. This equates to more than 5 normal garage widths. It is also 12m deep, which is double the length of a normal car space, so in theory we could fit at least 10 cars under the roof and still have room to move around. In reality, one of those spaces is already taken up with a small office/store room and a washroom (shower/toilet/handbasin) to clean up in before entering the main house after a hard days manual labour.

Down the track we may also build additional multipurpose spaces in here as well - think golf simulator/home cinema. But that is definitely a story for another day.

The back end of the open bay is to house our outdoor kitchen with multiple BBQs and a sink and storage - before anyone asks, multiple BBQs are needed because every one has a different purpose! A kamado smoker, a pellet smoker/grill and a traditional gas grill. The BBQ aficionados will know what I am talking about. This setup will allow us to prepare a wide range of BBQ style meals for our guests while keeping the smoke away from the main building, and keeping ourselves and our BBQs somewhat protected from the weather.

Now that we have a roof, the next step is to start to catch us some water. The property has no access to mains water, so all we use will need to come from above (or be trucked in). Water from the sky is free and relatively plentiful in these parts, as long as you can store it. Given the amount of roof space we have, and the average rainfall, we are looking at installing two 100,000 litre plus tanks. One off the main house and one off the shed. These will be installed in coming weeks, allowing us to start harvesting rainfall straight away. Water from both tanks will go through a 3 stage filtration process and UV treatment before entering either building so the tap water inside will be as pure as any you will find.

The house tank should provide sufficient supply for the guests needs and the shed tank will assist with irrigation for our orchard and gardens, while also providing a backup for the house tank in the event of dryer conditions, if needed.

In other developments on site, we continue to fine tune and finalise a range of decisions around the build. Our septic tank has been delivered (no mains water means no mains sewer either) and will be installed in coming weeks. We have also been working with our cabinet makers on optimising layouts for the laundry, kitchen and ensuites. Making sure it is functional and all appliances will fit neatly. And that it looks good, of course.

Now the shed is in place we will be able to start to store the bits and pieces we will need to furnish and decorate the house as we accumulate them. Although, we will be competing with the builders for the storage space.

And finally, as always, we hope you are enjoying these updates. If there is anything you would like us to cover, feel free to drop us a line at info@stripeyig.com.au. If you would like to be notified about any updates to the Stripey Pig blog, please join our mailing list on the main Blog page - and don't forget to tick the 'Yes, I agree to receive marketing emails' box to make sure you get your notifications.