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`Outdoor storage -another approach

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alan frost15/08/2011 14:44:20
137 forum posts
3 photos
Most of us need extra temporary storage from time to time and I agree with all the points made in the recent posts on outdoor storage. I have another approach with I think advantages.
This is to rig a tarpaulin on posts , guyed and leaning outwards from the centre tensioned by water-filled 1 gallon containers. If my digital camera is charged up by the time I've typed this will add photie of my latest effort which took about an hour to rig.Hard standing is essential if dampness is to be avoided and if on concrete or slabs the posts can be fixed by a small hole drilled in the concrete (with a cut off nail in the end of the post as a spike) or a piece of right angle steel knocked in between the slab joints.
 
This has a few advantages over tarpaulin wrapping. Firstly the cover can be made of a height to suit and the stored items are assured of adequate ventilation. A bit of rain may be driven in but the same high winds that drove the rain will soon dry everything when it stops. Secondly you can see everything thats going on unlike wrapping where inevitably some moisture gets in , drying is slow, and rust could start unseen. Such shelters are amazingly strong being semi flexible and tensioned by the weights and a few years back when I needed a large qty. of sieved earth I rigged a 16 square yard shelter to give me dry earth suitable for rapid sieving in my sieving frame. It stood all summer with no damage at all to the tarpaulin and looked like an 18th century mining camp in America.
I have left until last the two main advantages. Firstly if you have the common blue tarpaulin and leave a bit of extra space you can sit under it when the light filtering through will give the impression of permanently blue skies , not unimportant in Scotland.
The second advantage is the result of a tip I got from Viz which read something like "Why not paint a blue rectangle on your lawn to give passing airline passengers the impression you own a swimming pool.". My idea achieves the same effect without ruining your grass. If you want you could paint a green border on the tarpaulin to give the impression of a guitar, piano or girl shaped swimming pool set in a lawn, although the good old-fashioned rectangle has always done for me.
Ah ,- Electrons have been sent by Scottish power to my camera battery. Will post photos in follow-up post as its a while since I've posted photies and don't want to risk this typing.
KMP15/08/2011 16:56:48
73 forum posts
2 photos
Alan, what a fantastic idea. I must say as a belt and braces man I like the idea of keeping the worst of the rain off the wrapping and you couldn't ask for better ventilation. We used to use this type of temporary shelter when the kids raced their rc cars and they provided surprisingly good protection. I await your photos with great interest, many thanks.
 
Regards
Keith
alan frost15/08/2011 17:16:43
137 forum posts
3 photos
Back again. The electrons supplied by Scottish power were well up to their usual standard. Just took me a bit of time to upload photies on this not very intuitive site. Photies should be loaded into album called outdoor shelter
Thing is with these shelters you have to adopt and be ingenious. For poles any lengths of timber will do (used branches for my sieving shelter ) just knock a nail in the end and cut off the head and if you want, one in the other end to go thro a tarpaulin eyelet. For the one pictured I just hammered a bit of dexion into the crack between adjacent concrete slabs , but on earth or gravel a nail will do and on concrete u can drill a small ,easily refilled hole in the concrete.
The one pictured was hastily knocked up because having bought a couple of diggers recently (Two ? Well as I said to my 4 year old grandson "You want one ,don't you ?) I needed a shelter until I build a permanent home. The cord running along the tarp edge (hard or impossible to see) is fixed by pushing a bight thro the eyelet and then just passing the free length of cord thro the bight, a very quick process if ,as always when lashing, you keep the free rope in a compact bundle to avoid having to pull the lot thro every time (watch a seaman or lorry driver ,if u can find one who still has to lash loads). Its also easy to make final adjustments.
 
It is better to have a bit more lean on the supports (I was constrained by space) and this time I've had to lean an old wheel and a digger bucket against the posts to keep the posts leaning out and tension on the canvas.You also need a centre support to keep a slope to the "roof" to stop water pooling on the roof.
 
This one took 3 cup hooks, some thinnish rope (easier to get thro the eyelets), a few screws to attach the posts to the dexion, a couple of bits of dexion, 2 or 3 nails ,and the tarpaulin. It went up in an hour on a gusty day. I gather it is already attracting envious comments from passing airline passengers who think I can afford a swimming pool.

Edited By alan frost on 15/08/2011 17:18:49

Stub Mandrel24/08/2011 21:58:16
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"I gather it is already attracting envious comments from passing airline passengers who think I can afford a swimming pool."

Are you sure it isn't a passing hercules that thinks your patio is a refugee camp lining up to drop supplies?



Neil

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