A covered storage area proves to be a good idea…

This month in a garden in Lower Earley, we built a bespoke timber storage area as part of a wider design & build. It fits snugly between the side of our client’s house and their neighbour’s fence.  The storage unit not only provides an attractive feature in the garden but makes practical use of an awkward space which tapers inward along the line of the dividing fence.

Resembling a standard shed on the outside, the unit has a quality tongue and groove gate as a door and shiplap timber for the sides to achieve a smooth outer surface.  It is 5.5 metres long and at the front 1.8 metres wide finishing at 1.2 metres at the back creating a triangular space inside.  It is enclosed at the front and the back, with the sides left open. This allows light in, with the neighbour’s fence providing adequate protection from the rain and wind. This setup also gives easy access to the fence for any necessary maintenance.

Instead of using the traditional felt for the roof we used a butyl liner which is used to line and waterproof ponds.  As the storage area is an awkward shape the butyl liner was an ideal choice as it can be cut to the exact size of the roof area, eliminating the presence of joins which would be needed if installing a felt roof. The butyl roof will provide our client with superior weatherproofing and it is guaranteed for 15 years.

To attach the butyl liner tight to the brickwork of the house we used a taping product known as flashband, a self-adhesive flashing strip which provides an instant waterproof seal once applied. This flashband seal will prevent water seeping down the wall of the house and into the storage area.

The roof was also constructed with a gentle slope away and guttering attached along its edge to ensure the efficient drainage of rain water.  The storage area is now ready for our client to use, an ideal place to store garden equipment and a good addition to any garden!