This has been a very exciting week at the SACG. All but one of our rain barrels was full from last weekend's rain. Then, on Friday morning, our long awaited shed arrived. Finding the right shed has taken a couple of months. Pursuant to our lease, we cannot make any permanent improvements to the land and have been discouraged from getting a large or even normal-sized shed. I had pleaded on this site for volunteers to build our shed (because I envied Christ the King Church on Livingston Avenue which had a boy scout build its garden shed as part of his Eagle Scout project), but we had no volunteers. Then I started leaning towards a small resin shed (i.e., 2x4) because it would not decay in inclement weather. I even based the purchase of our garden cart on this smaller-sized shed (since a less expensive wheelbarrow would not fit). However, they were pretty expensive for their size and I read online customer reviews which questioned the reliability of the hinges and the roof. Finally, Bexley Barb suggested a pretty 4x4 Israeli-made resin shed from Sam's Club that seemed to fit our needs and budget until one calculated the sales tax and delivery charge. Frustrated, I asked our gardeners for leads and suggestions. Betty once again came to the rescue and found a shed – or rather a chicken coop – on Craig's list.
Jim Coffey of Triple Braided Farm Products in Lexington, Ohio (near Mansfield) makes chicken coops which can also serve as sheds. He agreed to construct a 4x4 wood shed especially for us which was in our budget (even considering the delivery fee). He even gave us a discount (without my asking). We asked for shelves instead of nesting boxes and did not want any windows. We also did not need a light. At some point, we may hook up gutters and rain barrels to the roof (which is why we won't be following the lead of Franklin Park Conservatory and growing sedum on our roof). We also opted against the crosses on the doors to save $20.
The shed arrived close to 10 a.m. on Friday and Charlie came to help me unload it. Of course, Dwain showed up shortly thereafter, removing any chance that I could get splinters in my tender hands. We placed the shed on a shallow cedar platform and then Charlie went right to work with his paint brush to apply the first coat of primer. The shed soaked up more paint than I had anticipated and I had to run back to the store to get more.
Dwain returned and bended down the roof edges so that the kids would not get hurt (too much) if they bump into it.
I wasted no time in filling the shed with our new supplies and, as you will learn later, it is a blessing that our shed is bigger than 3x5. The door is not very tall, so everyone will need to duck when they enter the shed.
Now we have to decide what color to paint it. Because Charlie has convinced me that we should also paint the galvanized metal roof, we could go with two tones and aren't limited to colors that coordinate with the existing roof.
Funding for our shed came from the Scotts Miracle-Gro Fund at The Columbus Foundation.
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