At last . The shed is up.

Next thing is to get it secure and cozy.

I'll be fitting laminated glass in the windows. The side door will be fixed and panelled over, as will one of the double doors at the front. The other will be rebuilt, you could call it my Bulleid door :roll: :roll: , with 9mm plywood inside the planking, replace the batons and insulate it. Security locks will also be fitted and an alarm. Outwardly I want it still to look like a shed, so as not to attract attention.

I was fortunate with the weather last weekend, nice bright sunshine whilst putting it up. Clear weather again on Monday enabled me to treat the outside.

The basic shed had double doors at one end and a single door on the side. The side door and one of the end doors have been fixed in place and panelled over, leaving the larger of the two end ones for access. Work continues inside.I have laid in the power cable, and will get all the wiring done and checked before connecting, it also gives me an excuse to get out of there when night falls. Insulation is ordinary loft insuation behing plywood panels. Focus have a BOGOF on these rolls at the moment. The ceiling has thermal wrap, a bit like heavy duty bubble wrap but silver. I have used this in the loft before and cannot recommend it enough. Focus also have a 3 for 2 on this. I will also be using this on the floor under the boards. Also put up extra roof braces as I felt that one on a 20' length was insufficient, also handy for putting the lighting on.

Progress so far.

Work continues apace. Today I put the flooring down. Loft storage panels. Under this went a layer of the foam used under laminate flooring and a layer of Thermal Wrap (the stuff like heavy duty silver bubble wrap). Not cheap, but it claims to be equivilent to 50mm of foam insulation. I have used it before in my loft and found it very effective, I also have it on the ceiling of the shed. Focus have been doing a 3 for 2 on this stuff at ?‚??24.99 a roll. When I went back for some for the floor they only had 3 rolls left with the labels missing, so I was only charged ?‚??14.99 a roll and still got the 3 for 2. Bargain Still have to finish lining the back wall and then I will think about putting the power in. Question is, do I put the sockets high level, or under the baseboard height :?:

Today's task. Guttering. Probably one of the most important things, and one I probably should have done at the beginning. Most rain will hit the roof, so you don't want it dripping down and being blown against the side of the shed and possibly pool underneath. Anyway, it's done now and another ?‚??72 spent.

Talking of costs, it must be remembered that the shed itself can be less than half of the total cost if going down this route for your railway room. Obviously a smaller shed will work out less, but not neccassarily proportionally.

Costs so far:-

Concrete base - ?‚??286

Shed - ?‚??994

Gutters - ?‚??72

Insulation - ?‚??155

Panelling - ?‚??149

Floor - ?‚??86

Alarm - ?‚??40

Lock - ?‚??37

Light and power ?‚??100 - I was lucky in having another shed within 4' of this one and was able to extend the power from it. But you may need a qualified electrician.

Security glass - ?‚??94

Extra timber for doors and extra roof joists - ?‚??75 - actually bought far too much, but will use that on baseboards.

Screws and nails - ?‚??10

Wood treatment - ?‚??12

Other bits and bobs - ?‚??50

And last, but not least, my helpers. ?‚??170

That all comes to ?‚??2268. My budget was ?‚??2500. But was to include the cost of the framework to support the railway. So I still have?‚??232 left for that.

Maybe they should put me in charge of the Olympics