The Shed Project - lots of photos! :D

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Sprogmama

Sprogmama

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So I have turned into a bit of a guinea pig addict and after initially intending to have 2, I now find myself with 6 girls and another on the way later this week.

Initially I was going to make a C&C cage for the cooler months, but with this many piggies it's no longer practical as I can't give them a suitable amount of space indoors. Thus I decided to give them their own shed.

I ordered a cheap 7x5 overlap shed off the internet, but almost immediately worried about how weatherproof and sturdy it would be. So I cancelled the order and went for a pricier 7x7 shiplap one instead. It arrived last Wednesday and hubby and I have spent every day since making it perfect for our piggies.

Anyway, enough of all the boring text, onto the pigtures!

First, here is the original setup - a 6x2 hutch with attached 6x3 run:

hutch-run.jpg


Here is the new patio, which my hubby laid down. It's squeezed in nicely between our oil tank and a rather ancient shed. Considering neither of us are DIYers, we consider this quite an achievement lol!

patio.jpg


After all the shed parts have been painted - this took me a day and a half:

painted.jpg


First two walls are up and hubby's home-made stand for the hutch is in. We had to put this and the hutch in before the shed was assembled, otherwise it wouldn't go through the door! The floor is lined with correx, a much cheaper solution for us than vinyl.

hutch-shed.jpg


Here is the finished shed with run attached. There are still some finishing touches to be done, such as tidying the roof felt and installing the solar-powered light. We have added an internal mesh door and a "piggy flap" so they can go in/out of the run as they please.

shed-complete.jpg


It's piggy move-in day! Here's the interior all decked out and ready with the girls having a good explore. The ramp up to the hutch is not done yet, but everything they need is on the ground floor:

shed.jpg


Another shot of the interior from the doorway:

shed-interior.jpg


Here is the ramp in progress. Hubby made mini-tunnels out of willow edging, we still have to make a wall for the upper platform. This is only temporary, I have two ramp tunnels on order from Cosy Cavies.

ramp.jpg


The last week has been a long hard slog, but I've really enjoyed myself and am so pleased with the result. It's lovely seeing the piggies wheeking and popcorning around and spot-cleaning is a breeze.

I've been very inspired by some of the lovely sheds other members have posted pigtures of, so thank you for helping me make a wonderful home for my girls.
 
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Claire W said:
It looks fab and puts my shed to shame! x
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awww... I highly doubt that! I remember seeing pics of your shed, it was one of the ones that gave me lots of ideas for mine. :)
 
This is like a piggy paradise and is just purely amazing ! x)

I'm so jealous drool
 
Thank you. :) I've ordered a sign for the door that will say "Piggy Palace" lol, Piggy Paradise was one of the options on my shortlist! :))
 
WOWIE that looks amazing and insperational x)
 
Thank you. :) Most of my ideas for it were from members' setups on here, so it's lovely to know that it's inspiring for others too. :)
 
I can't wait for my house to get finished so I can finish my shed. I now have enough polystyrene to completely insulate the shed, so the piggies and bunnies will be warm as toast this winter. ;)
 
It looks amazing - I love the pig flap!
My shed is quite similar to yours and I love it - the sight of a little procession of piggies dashing down the ramp to get their breakfast never fails to make me smile! :))
 
how awesome! The OH will be doing me a piggy shed when I move and was on about putting a piggy flap in for them :))
 
primrose said:
It looks amazing - I love the pig flap!
My shed is quite similar to yours and I love it - the sight of a little procession of piggies dashing down the ramp to get their breakfast never fails to make me smile! :))
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Ah yes, I have your shed pigture thread bookmarked, you certainly inspired me with the ramp and the elevated hutch. Very pleased to hear your piggies are using them too!
 
Claire W said:
How did you do the mesh frame for the door? I need something like that for mine next summer :)
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We made a simple frame out of 4 spare wood batons from an old cotbed, then stapled some aviary mesh from the local DIY shop onto it. We had to buy the mesh on a roll as there weren't any individual pieces big enough, a bit annoying as it was £30 and we didn't need to use most of it. Added 3 hinges so that it opens inwards securely and a hook to hold it closed and that's it. The most tedious part was measuring up and painting the batons to match the shed. :)

The fixed part below the door is made from two wire trays that I nicked off my bird cage stands lol. It's very sturdy and can't be bitten through. I was going to put a regular mesh panel there instead, just like the door but fixed, but we didn't have any mesh at the time and it was a priority to prevent the piggies escaping whenever we opened the door.
 
Oh this has really got me smiling, it is absolutely fabulous! A massive well done to you and your hubby! What a fantastic place for your girls to live in, lucky lucky piggies! Pictures like this need to be plastered over those horrid pet shops selling ridiculous cages!

x) love it!
 
Guinea pigs <3 said:
Oh this has really got me smiling, it is absolutely fabulous! A massive well done to you and your hubby! What a fantastic place for your girls to live in, lucky lucky piggies! Pictures like this need to be plastered over those horrid pet shops selling ridiculous cages!

x) love it!
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What a lovely comment, thank you! :red

It would be absolutely lovely if people considered sheds for their piggies more often. I know finances and space limitations are barriers for many, but it's so wonderful seeing them with all that room. And nothing beats cleaning them out when the weather is nasty without getting wet or cold! It's actually quite relaxing sitting in with them with the rain beating down on the roof. :))
 
Sprogmama said:
What a lovely comment, thank you! :red

It would be absolutely lovely if people considered sheds for their piggies more often. I know finances and space limitations are barriers for many, but it's so wonderful seeing them with all that room. And nothing beats cleaning them out when the weather is nasty without getting wet or cold! It's actually quite relaxing sitting in with them with the rain beating down on the roof. :))
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Aww, that sounds like heaven :)) mine live in my front room so we don't have to worry about the weather too much ;)
 
Minor update, I have attached a small second floor to the old run and put the ramp in there. Just makes it a bit more exciting for the girls.

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Wow, that shed is amazing, I'm sure Duke and Prince will be telling me that they want one too. :)
 
Thank you, looks like I'm going to be responsible for spoiled piggies wanting housing upgrades lol! :))
 
Wow that's amazing! What lucky piggies you have! The shed looks fabulous! Is there any such thing as 'shed-napping'?!
You did a really good job there, I'd love to be able to give the pigs something like that! One day... one day! :))
 
You can try and shed-nap, but it might be a bit difficult to do so without being spotted. Not to mention there's no way it would go down our side passage without being disassembled :))

I really hope the landlord doesn't decide he wants his house back any time soon lol, I'm not relishing the thought of taking it apart and putting it back together again!
 
That's amazing :) I'm really looking forward to doing one for my pigs in a few years as we're planning on getting a bigger house. I bet they absolutely love all that space!
 
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