M'Arts Corner - Pallet Shed

It started out as a simple thing. Martin was coming down to Tassie to join us for Christmas. We had talked about a project to install a Porta-Roof to fill the gap between my shipping container sheds but the timing was not right to progress so the next best thing was to construct a shed to house Len (our TE20 Fergy tractor named after the previous owner), Rover (our Land Rover purchased for 2 cartons of beer), Husky the ride-on mower, the odd bale of hay and various other garden equipment.

The scope was simple, pick a space in a disused corner near where we will establish a new home for the firewood stack. Assemble pallets, add roof. I had the picture in my head. Martin sketched a rough outline and then the work started. Pallet shed construction is an evolving science. We started on Christmas Day morning stacking the firewood on pallets along the fence line to free up the space for the chosen shed site. We drove in a few star pickets as a starting point and slid a couple of pallets over them, joined the pallets with Martin's suggestion of 10mm threaded rod cut to appropriate lengths. Then it just sort of grew to fit the space.

It was day one or two when my next door neighbour Mark asked whether I would like a few trees for firewood - we agreed and the excavator dumped them over my fence. Martin spotted an opportunity to unleash his chain saw artistry and next minute he cast aside the main project and was busy cutting freehand timber slabs for a more decorative fascia. We then decided that bush poles would balance the look and increase the overall integrity of the structure.

We worked in the pouring rain and the beating sun around the social obligations of the Christmas period - staggering in exhausted each night. We carefully re-hydrated every night with the chosen drop of Green Ginger wine, Bundy Rum and Coke, or a Boags draft.

Friday 6th January - Job done!! Celebrated with an ice cold beer - and Martin was at the airport 0700 next morning for the flight home to Cairns.

Not much of a holiday but we both enjoyed the opportunity to catch up and share another project after a gap of about 25 years.