Back on the tool store

Much as I’d love to be doing the work needed on the Weedhopper, my priority must be to press on with my new garden tool store. The weather forecast is for a succession of dry days between now and the start of next week, so if I have a fair wind there’s no reason why I shouldn’t get to the point where even if I haven’t got the job finished, I’ll have a waterproof roof over a hard concrete base.

I have got a bit done since laying the concrete base insofar as I managed to get most of the wood for the framework cut to length and made a start on getting the framework itself erected. However, I soon realised that this time round I’ve got a problem that didn’t arise with the wood store and is a cause for some concern.

The concrete is taking much, much longer this time to cure, and the reason is obvious. The ground on which the base was laid was much wetter than previously, mainly because of the several days of almost continuous rain that we had while I was preparing the area. Even after it had stopped I couldn’t resume work because the ground was so muddy and just stuck to your boots like glue. I thought that when the surface became dry enough to work on, it would be OK to lay the concrete, but although more or less unavoidable, this was clearly not the best way to proceed.

The reason is that the moisture contained in the underlying soil is rising up into the already water-bearing concrete, and for the concrete to properly cure, all the water has to eventually dissipate. It’s also not helpful that it’s now autumn and not only is it cooler but also the air is more humid, meaning that the water will evaporate more slowly.

What is most worrying about all this is that while the concrete is slowly curing, it’s staying a bit like a half-baked cake – not hard enough even to support its own weight let alone that of anyone or anything on its surface. As a result, I’m already seeing some damage in the form of cracking while both the concrete and the ground supporting it are moving during the drying-out process.

I’m also finding that in parts, the concrete is nowhere near hard enough to take a fixing and just blows out when drilled. I’m just hoping that the end result won’t be so bad that the base will need repairs even before the tool store can be used.

But for the time being, I’m putting that prospect behind me and carefully pressing on. By the end of today, I’ve managed to get nearly all of the basic framework up, as the pics that I shot show.

The tool store is slightly greater in area than my wood store but is quite a bit higher. I now think that I’ve made it a bit higher than necessary, really, but it’s too late now to make any changes in that department. By tomorrow, all of the framework should be completed including, I hope, the corner struts that will pull it all properly into shape and give it some stiffness.

Once that’s done, I’ll be able to put some roof covering on. As well as meaning that there will then be no unnecessary weight on the concrete base while it’s drying out, it will also prevent any more water falling onto it and help the curing process. That’s when the job should start to turn the corner 😉