As I’ve said, I really love the look of the old garage I call the shed. It probably predates the house. It has an open space on one side, doubtless for one or more horses and a wagon, and an enclosed space on the other side that might have been storage and sleeping quarters. It is in remarkably good condition for its age, but it’s very old.
I have fantasized about restoring it, but the poured concrete foundation is crumbling, one wall is off the foundation completely, the roof has almost as many holes as intact bits of steel, and many of the beams are quite rotten. It seems a miracle that it’s still upright, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if it falls down in a good storm. I also wouldn’t be too surprised if it outlives me.
Word is that such structures were generally made of redwood that was cut and milled in California, then tied into rafts and floated across the Pacific Ocean. The high salt content that results makes the wood even more resistant to pests and rot, hence a 150 year old wood structure that’s still standing in spite of the tropical environment.
There was one section where the siding had completely rotted and fallen out, so one day last week The Hand pulled down the rotted boards, re-built the framing, and we got some common boards at the local hardware store and re-did that bit of siding.
While I’ve decided that I’m not going to make any effort to restore the shed, I probably will continue to do these kinds of repairs. Perhaps we’ll end up with the Shed of Theseus.
—2p