August 17, 2026

Summer of Maintenance & Repair: Garden Shed

 We didn't plan much project-wise for this summer. Food production and preservation are ongoing, of course, as are seasonal chores. Even though our infrastructure projects are pretty much finished, maintenance and repair are ongoing. This summer we decided to focus on upgrading appliances and working on things like fence maintenance and other repair projects

One such blog worthy project was the new driveway gate. Another one is repairing the garden shed foundation.

We got the shed our first year here, purchased with tax return money. Ten years later, we moved it to put up my clothesline. 

photo from June 2019

When he moved it then, Dan used pallets for the base. This worked well for awhile, but eventually the pallets began to break down. The floor became mushy and the building began to list.

photo from May 2024

This wasn't unexpected and we knew we'd have to replace it someday. Two years later was even worse. 

photo from July 2026

You can't see it in the above pic, but something dug out underneath it! We've had families of groundhogs and skunks live under there from time to time. Finally, this summer, Dan has been able to repair the foundation. 


After sliding the shed off the old foundation, Dan cleared away the pallets and then used cap blocks as footers to build the floor framing upon. The frame itself is outdoor treated 2x4s and one-inch OSB board.


To deter diggers from making new homes under the shed, Dan cut corrugated metal panels to use as skirting. They are buried about 6 inches underground. The exposed OSB (which makes a very nice step) is coated with roofing tar. Flashing protects the OSB edges from rain damage.

Here's how it looks now. . . 

The path on the right goes directly to the garden.

It's wonderful having a firm floor under it again. Once again it can become useful for storing garden and seasonal items. 

So nice to have another repair project done. 

16 comments:

Rosalea said...

It looks beautiful. An 'ounce of prevention...' always the best strategy.
It is so satisfying to complete a project like that, then enjoy using it in it's improved form.

Leigh said...

Rosalea, a good repair job is truly a joy!

daisy g said...

Such a smart solution! It looks great!

Leigh said...

Daisy, I agree! And I'm especially happy that it's lasted all these years. It isn't large, but it's a very handy storage space.

Ed said...

I've not been very successful with preventing small critters from living under small sheds like that. I hope you have better luck. When I built my greenhouse, I just bit the bullet and paid for concrete. I'm sure future occupants will be cussing me long after I'm gone and they are having to haul it off because they don't want something there.

Quinn said...

That's the kind of project that feels so satisfying, isn't it? And it's a bonus that you'll get to feel good about it every day, as it's on one of your usual "routes" :)

Leigh said...

Ed, concrete was one of the options Dan considered, but in the end he didn't want to pay for it. So here we are. Not sure we'll prevent new occupants from moving in, but it won't be because we didn't try!

Leigh said...

Quinn, extremely satisfying! The shed feels useful once again.

Michelle said...

Most of the time I think ongoing maintenance is more work and expense than the original project! We have so much of that to do here....

Leigh said...

Michelle, we're trying hard to keep the cost reasonable, but prices have really skyrocketed since we first did these projects. It's a challenge.

Laurie said...

Good job. It's so nice when we can tick things off the to do list. We've got a few projects in mind, once the weather cools.

Leigh said...

Laurie, thanks. Cooler weather will certainly help with motivation!

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Looks great Leigh! I am sure the cost of everything is arranging lots of thinking and plans.

Leigh said...

TB, cost is an important part of every analysis we do. Sometimes we get a little creative with our solutions, but they always seem to work well.

Dicky Bird said...

That looks nice! Our summer projects have been hard to complete, too dry here.

Leigh said...

Dicky Bird, ours has been too hot! Summer seems idea for projects if the weather cooperates. :)