Bike shed

Since it has been 40C and no one in their right mind is outdoors, I chose this week to finally build a bike shed. Bunnings had a ABSCO galvanised shed 1.51m x 0.78m for A$199. A bike will just fit into this space. I used two wall hangers for bikes mounted at opposing ends of the shed to squeeze in two bikes. The wall hangers need something other than the shed wall to hang off, I just used some wood which I ran floor to roof and fixed with long TEKS screws through the wood and into the shed frame. There is a fair bit of room at head height down the long rear wall of the shed, so I put a high shelf in there to hold bottles, helmets and the rest of the clutter.

The shed did not come with a mounting kit but showed every indication of wanting to visit the neighbours during the next gale. I had some old metal strapping which I riveted to the frame of each wall, bent the strapping at a right angle, drilled a hole, and used that hole to connect with the top of a Dynabolt drilled into the concrete driveway.

Two bikes was a tad ambitious: it's fiddly getting the bikes in and out. If you need a shed for two bikes paying the extra A$100 for a 1.5m x 1.5m shed would be a better choice for others. We've got six people living on a small block, so every sq.m counts and we'll live with the fiddliness. You would certainly want the 1.5 x 1.5 for a motor scooter.

Not sure I'd buy a ABSCO shed again. The instructions are nothing more than technical drawings, and despite my best efforts there was an amount of re-work during the final assembly when the meaning of previously ambiguous line drawings became apparent. The quality of the shed itself is good -- everything fits tightly, keeping the weather out. But the materials are thin and flimsy -- but this is the smallest shed in the cheapest range. Construction took about six hours across three days, but I'm sure other people on colder days could do it in half the time.

The door lock is a joke, since the hasp mounts with screws. The lock needs some rivets and two 20mm Security TEKS screws (you just know that when you get to the hardware store they are only going to be available in blister packs of 50). I simply decided not to bother with it, but to chain the bikes inside the shed. To give the bike locks something to run through I riveted two chest handles onto the shed wall. I reinforced the shed wall with some galv plate so a decent tug won't deform the wall and allow the rivets to pull through.