Having had our old shed destroyed by the snow we eventually got round to buying a new one. We went for a “Blu Coast” shed which according to the logo is “made in Italy”. Next time we will import a shed from England.
We opted for a “Blockhaus” shed which means it has bits sticking our at all four corners rather like a log cabin. So when the shed arrived our first surprise was that it had lots of bits. Being used to panel sheds we were expecting a base, four sides, and a roof. Instead we got lots of pieces of toungue and grove to fit together.
The next surprise was the floor. We were disappointed to discover that “Italian design and innovation” doesn’t apply to shed floors. The floor was composed of 5 long batons onto which you hammered 15 planks of wood. Instead of giving 15 planks of equal width the instruction manual said one had to cut 17mm of two of the planks of wood and these became the first and last planks of the base. When hammering the wood onto the planks it was also necessary to leave 14mm of wood at top and bottom of batons and 15mm on the two side batons.
When we finally got the base done and had slotted the tongue and groove planks together we were meant to put a wooden upright in each corner of the shed and one in the centre of the back wall. Unfortunately none of the uprights were straight. So while it was possible to screw the top of the upright into the shed wall the bottom remained floating in space.
When putting the hinges on the door the instructions were very clear – the hinges were to be screwed in at 97mm from the top and the bottom. Unfortunately this is also where Blu Coast had opted to put a series of nails to hold the door frame together.
However, despite all the problems and moments of “let’s stop for a cup of tea before we lose our tempers”, the shed as you can see was finished. My dad, who was a carpenter, would be proud of his son.
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