Shed FAQ : Battening down the hatches

This Guest post from the every handy Andy from Workshopshed – I was a bit slow on posting it… but its relevant now as it was when he sent it to me, also most sheddies are not as organised as Andy, so may only be getting round to it now 😉

Autumn is my favourite season, it’s not too hot and not too cold. The trees and bushes look fabulous with their brown and gold colouring and the air seems somehow fresher.
However, there are a couple of reasons that don’t like autumn, the shorter days and the increasingly poor weather.

As well as enjoying the season, Autumn is the time to batten down the hatches and prepare your shed for winter. Given the shorter days it’s not the time to be attempting big projects but for simple repairs and improvements.

To ensure that your shed will survive the worst of the weather you want to be checking the roof for leaks, replacing broken windows and ensuring that the door is not loose on it’s hinges. If your roof is felted then ensure there are no tears, or loose edges that could flap in the wind, these could easily rip if the wind strength increases. Some mastic and clout nails should easily fix that problem. A coat of paint or wood preservative will waterproof your walls against driving rain. Check the drains and gutters for leaves to ensure they won’t overflow from excess rain. Leaves can make paving greasy and slippy so you might want to use a pressure washer to clean your paths to avoid people falling over.

If you plan to work in your shed over the winter then now is the time to check that the heater and lights are still working, this will give you time to get them fixed before they are really needed. If you’ve a portable heater then you should check the fuel levels. You might also need to have a little clear out to ensure you’ve got space for things like garden furniture when it’s brought in to stop it blowing away.

When you’ve done your last grass cutting of the season, give your lawn mower a clean and wipe down the blades with an oiled rag before putting it in storage. The same goes for other garden tools like spades and shears. It’s easier to protect them now than to try and clean the rust off in the spring.

Autumn is also a popular time for thieves so you need to ensure your shed is locked up and a security light will help you get in as well as deterring criminals.