Shed/garage advice

doodah

doodah

doodah

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
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Location
London
We're looking at installing solar panels and a battery soon with the battery and inverter (possibly the gateway as well) going in the shed. The shed was inherited and probably could do with a little love. It has, what looks like, a stone/concrete base and breeze block walls. The floor is some cheap wood installed over the stone base.

One of these wooden panels has caved with me just standing on it so worried solar equipment that weighs more than me is likely going to be a problem. Plus there are cracks/holes in the walls - one of which looks like a poor attempt was made to plug up. Just wanted advice on my options as this looks like a DIY project. I was thinking of ripping all the wood floor (and the random fence around the freezer) out, clean the floor and put some PVC on top. I haven't noticed any water seaping into the shed so think we're good on that front. For the hole/cracks - can we just fill it with a relevant product? Thank you.






 
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A friend suggests normal fill job for the normal cracks. As for the big hole (with foam), to clean it all out and patch up with small bricks/mortar and then fill in.

As for the floor, looking down the epoxy route.
 
I'll carry on talking to myself :p. Asked for some quotes to redo the inside (plasterboard and skim on top) and fixes. One reckons £2k, another £4k. Not a chance.

Think we'll fix the hole and cracks ourselves and get our normal plasterer to do the rest.
 
Went to town yesterday stripping the wooden frame, shelves and floor.





There's a lot of holes and cracks to fix and fill - particularly from the raw plugs used to anchor the wooden frame/ramp. I've got Toupret interior and exterior filler, mortar repair for the fixes and filling. Then tanking slurry to give base/first meter of the walls a protective layer. And once that's all done - use the DIY epoxy kit to do the floor.
 
That ceiling looks well dodgy. You've got the opportunity to fix it now so take it. And are they asbestos tiles?
 
My wife's ears will be burning as I didn't want to tackle the roof. I thought they were plasterboard tiles, the same as the back wall - unsure what constitutes an asbestos tile. I think there's some insulation above - feels like the sheep's wool type stuff if I stick my fingers through one of the loose ones. And then it's a felt roof on the exterior. One of the solar installers did comment, the roof would probably go well before the panel's life time. We have our painter/decorator coming later this week so would go the professional route if the roof needs fixing.

 
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Quartz said:
That ceiling looks well dodgy. You've got the opportunity to fix it now so take it. And are they asbestos tiles?
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Looks very similar to ceiling panels we removed in an old workshop in our factory a few years back, it was asbestos so needed doing professionally.
 
Should I be worried? Put in some job requests/quotes in already on MyJobQuote. One guy was so strange, thought it was just a yes/no from me on the phone to go ahead. No price, conversation.

Assume if we were to replace the roof, the contents of the garage will need to be emptied? Will need to delay solar installation if so.
 
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First quote in, £2250 + VAT for removal and complete replacement of roof (steel with felt underneath).
 
There are places that you can send a small sample to for testing to confirm if it is asbestos and what type.

Edit, you can also buy a home testing kit.
 
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brendy said:
Looks very similar to ceiling panels we removed in an old workshop in our factory a few years back, it was asbestos so needed doing professionally.
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Thanks, any more details? I think it's those tiles and some type of insulation above. What form was it for the workshop?
alexakasloth said:
There are places that you can send a small sample to for testing to confirm if it is asbestos and what type.

Edit, you can also buy a home testing kit.
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Thanks. Looking at getting a home testing kit. I've now entered a rabbit hole and wondering if the insulation in our attic is asbestos....

 
doodah said:
Thanks, any more details? I think it's those tiles and some type of insulation above. What form was it for the workshop?

Thanks. Looking at getting a home testing kit. I've now entered a rabbit hole and wondering if the insulation in our attic is asbestos....

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Its the ceiling panels that look suspiciously like asbestos not the insulation, it might not be but if the shed was built in the 80's or early 90's its worth checking. We had similar looking panels in the workshop ceilings as well, it cost a fortune getting a proper disposal company in, they had full on hazmat suits, showers and plastic poly tunnels between the building and their trailers that took the stuff away.
 
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brendy said:
Its the ceiling panels that look suspiciously like asbestos not the insulation, it might not be but if the shed was built in the 80's or early 90's its worth checking. We had similar looking panels in the workshop ceilings as well, it cost a fortune getting a proper disposal company in, they had full on hazmat suits, showers and plastic poly tunnels between the building and their trailers that took the stuff away.
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Thank you. I assume (for me) this includes the panels at the back, they look exactly the same. And that bottom left one has a bit I can easily take off.

1000081523.jpg
 
Just so you're aware, it's a really, really bad idea to breathe broken up asbestos. It does look like it from the pictures. I wouldn't be in there without a mask on if you've been disturbing the place and knocking the panels etc.
 
mid_gen said:
Just so you're aware, it's a really, really bad idea to breathe broken up asbestos. It does look like it from the pictures. I wouldn't be in there without a mask on if you've been disturbing the place and knocking the panels etc.
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Thanks, fortunately the work I did at the weekend didn't involve disturbing the panels. That crack in the bottom left has been there the whole time. I have a testing kit with PPE coming tomorrow.

Edit - getting solar has proven far more problematic :p.
 
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Second company quoting £4,450 just to remove. Need to check credentials of the £2250 + VAT quote/company.
 
I'm in the wrong business. Another company reckon it will cost £7-8k just for removal*. And a bunch of local services have the same websites and stock photos.

*The company that quoted £2250 + VAT (roof replacement). So £10k to remove and replace the roof. That seems a lot/fishy.
 
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doodah said:
Thanks. Looking at getting a home testing kit. I've now entered a rabbit hole and wondering if the insulation in our attic is asbesto
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That just looks like mineral wool.

Be aware on cheap quotes of what they are doing with the waste. You don't want it dumped..
 
200sols said:
That just looks like mineral wool.

Be aware on cheap quotes of what they are doing with the waste. You don't want it dumped..
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Yeah already sensing the sharks. But £7-8k to remove and dispose the panels seems very high, maybe I'm wrong. Just had a roofer come in, whilst he says he's no expert - think it's just regular plasterboard (which is what I assumed it to be in the first place). Two more removal quotes just came in as well, between £2-3k, one of which also thought it wasn't AIB. Just sorting my testing kit now.
 
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