We have the use of an allotment with a stable block. Someone else is actually renting the land, he just wants a group of people with different interests to bring it to some use. With that in mind, we really don't want to spend a fortune doing it up to find we have to leave next year for some reason or another. There is another allotment this chap rents and he has managed to accrue a large number of useful bits 'n' bobs. He has really thick welded mesh, galvanised sheets of roofing, pallets, you name it! We would like to use as much as we can from all that is onsite.
This is what it looked like before we got started. We began on the first stable you see on the left as it was the one that required the least amount of work. It is 10ft x 12ft. The one on the far end is 12ft x 12ft, but full of old wood and piled high with horse manure. At the back, the gate leads to a tiny fenced-off area, that we plan on turning into a chicken coop. We'll put a hole in the cinder blocks to give access to the chooks in the far stable.
We cleaned out the first stable (it had lots of manure too). It dried pretty well. There are a few holes in the roof that will need siliconing, though. We have decided to leave the panels over the gaps at the back and see how it goes. The winds blows from that sde, so we'd rather have the ventilation on the front.
We're going to put mesh over these gaps and keep them as ventilation. They lead into the stable next door (which isn't on any of the photos).
My OH fixed the broken wall, but left it open. We're going to leave the gaps just under the roof unmeshed and see if we are plagued with sparrows. We removed the ply over the entrance.We fixed some mesh to the door frame and built the door up to meet is. It makes it a bit darker on the inside, but it's still light enough to see. The gap to the left of the door is partially blocked with a clear piece of plastic. The rest is meshed over. It lets daylight in still. If necessary, we can remove the plastic and rearrange the mesh. The mesh that goes across the door goes across behind the plastic too. It was a long sheet and we don't have the tools to cuts through it. We also fitted a new bolt on the door. With the door being that much taller, you can't actually see in.
Last, but not leats, we used two pallets, and lots of planks from pallets to build a dividing wall between the two stables. We also used three pieces of welded mesh. It's solid.
We'll be putting a board that's over 12" tall across the door, to keep the bedding in.
Next, we'd like to fix the perches. We have some huge trees branches that would be awesome. Any ideas on fixing them?
Any other ideas or suggestions would be welcome!
This is what it looked like before we got started. We began on the first stable you see on the left as it was the one that required the least amount of work. It is 10ft x 12ft. The one on the far end is 12ft x 12ft, but full of old wood and piled high with horse manure. At the back, the gate leads to a tiny fenced-off area, that we plan on turning into a chicken coop. We'll put a hole in the cinder blocks to give access to the chooks in the far stable.
We cleaned out the first stable (it had lots of manure too). It dried pretty well. There are a few holes in the roof that will need siliconing, though. We have decided to leave the panels over the gaps at the back and see how it goes. The winds blows from that sde, so we'd rather have the ventilation on the front.
We're going to put mesh over these gaps and keep them as ventilation. They lead into the stable next door (which isn't on any of the photos).
My OH fixed the broken wall, but left it open. We're going to leave the gaps just under the roof unmeshed and see if we are plagued with sparrows. We removed the ply over the entrance.We fixed some mesh to the door frame and built the door up to meet is. It makes it a bit darker on the inside, but it's still light enough to see. The gap to the left of the door is partially blocked with a clear piece of plastic. The rest is meshed over. It lets daylight in still. If necessary, we can remove the plastic and rearrange the mesh. The mesh that goes across the door goes across behind the plastic too. It was a long sheet and we don't have the tools to cuts through it. We also fitted a new bolt on the door. With the door being that much taller, you can't actually see in.
Last, but not leats, we used two pallets, and lots of planks from pallets to build a dividing wall between the two stables. We also used three pieces of welded mesh. It's solid.
We'll be putting a board that's over 12" tall across the door, to keep the bedding in.
Next, we'd like to fix the perches. We have some huge trees branches that would be awesome. Any ideas on fixing them?
Any other ideas or suggestions would be welcome!
