The old hut

[ErrolFlynn]

I have a hut as shown in the photos. No idea how old it is. How would you fix it?

Given its condition, I don’t want to spend heaps, but want to stop it from getting worse. I haven’t done anything to it as yet. I’ve been spending the occasional weekend in it. Surprisingly, it doesn’t leak water when it rains. Or if it does it’s so minimal to be unnoticeable. (Even though from certain angles, when on the inside I can see daylight through the ceiling.)

I’ve got some weatherboards that came from a place that was being renovated. I figured they might be good on the hut. Not enough for the whole thing. Maybe one end only. I was thinking of putting in some insulation (batts), plastic membrane over them, and then the old weatherboards. I'll have to buy some steel sheets to match what’s already on there. Is this a reasonable plan? What are your thoughts?

I know some of you might think bulldoze it and start again. No, that’s not going to happen. The hut doesn't have to look great. It just had to be functional.

Before buying the property I met the owners. It was sheer coincidence that I was walking on the property having a look around and I came across the hut. We had a chat. They seemed proud of it. Stamped on the floor to demonstrate how solid it was. And sure enough, the floor is fine now that I’ve had the place for a while. As you can see, the roof also looks okay. I think the roof is at the angle you see it because of the occasional snowfall. But there remains a lot of work to do: the walls.

I don’t know what kind of boards have been used. It’s not the chipboard that I know that swells up with the first hint of dampness. And I’m surprised that given that it’s exposed to the weather the boards are still in one piece. They must be waterproof. There's a closeup photo. It's on the outside. Gets rain and every other type of weather and still seems to be in surprisingly good condition. Some walls are better than others. All walls look perfect on the inside.

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[DJ’s Timber]

Oriented strand board - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriented_strand_board)

[ErrolFlynn]

Yes, that seems like it. Tough stuff.

[ForeverYoung]

the heritage red corro seems to fit the scene ok.
the green trimdeck style cladding has to go.
if you are redoing the walls think about windows and doors now.

you could use the weatherboards in the apex of the walls with corro below - if you keep the vertical corro look your flashing above it will have to big with it going up under the last weatherboard.

that water tank will fall over when full :) ?
I would put a verandah on that side, depending on aspect
or verandahs all round :)

and a pot belly.

and keep the termites out, they will love that pine roofing.

[ErrolFlynn]

Thanks for your comments.

I can see how weatherboards stop rain from entering vertically – the boards overlap. But what stops it from getting in at the edges? Do we have to rely on a sealer?

The red sheeting doesn’t look bad at all. Replacing the green may not happen. This is to be a budget-conscious job. Perhaps in the future.

That’s a reasonable idea about putting the weatherboards at the top. That could look good. Getting up there will be an issue in itself. A scaffold will be required. The first problem is getting the ground around it level. It must have been a dodgy experience getting that bit of ply up there using a ladder alone.

The water tank is certainly interesting. The previous owners had the property for 20 years. The tank would have been full quite a few times. It’s not touching the hut. I have to wonder what went through their minds when they put it there. I can understand that it would have been awkward getting it to the hut. Long drive. Steep in spots. They may have just dumped it where it is thinking we’ll fix it later, and later never came. If they didn’t want to lay any concrete as a base, just flattening off the ground with a pick and shovel would have been better.

Verandah. Yup, that would be nice to have, and with a couple of chairs on the deck under it, I’d happily settle into the role of Ma and Pa Kettle.

Pot belly. That might end up being the case. There’s a wood stove/oven in there. Possibly past its best based on the amount of rust on it. It does warm the place even if it is a bit smoky, and it’s nice having the oven, but it’ll do for now.

Termites. I presume there are caps on the stumps – old hut and still standing.

[ForeverYoung]

Thanks for your comments.

I can see how weatherboards stop rain from entering vertically – the boards overlap. But what stops it from getting in at the edges? Do we have to rely on a sealer?

flash behind the weatherboard vertical edge and put in a vertical bead that the boards butt into.

sort of like this:
https://wallceiling.com.au/cdn/shop/products/james-hardie-newport-9mm-primeline-weatherboard-4200x170mm-176848.jpg?v=1704111359&width=1445

[ErrolFlynn]

So, a strip of L-shaped tin (flashing) is running down the edge. I imagine that would have to be a fairly wide piece that runs behind the boards. Water will get on there. That would imply there would have to be a drain at the bottom. Or am I missing something?