- Feb 6, 2023
- 3 min read

Lean-to

Since the construction of the new reception began, we have had no place to store our equipment: trailers, skips, pallet trucks, containers, etc. We have therefore decided to build a brand new lean-to next to the chicken pen.

Step 1: apply for a building permit, there is no question of not being in order with the administration 🏛️. To do this, we have to do a lot of paperwork and especially the 3D plans. Fortunately, they will also allow us to calculate the stresses on the structure 📝 which is used to define the sections (dimensions) and the quantities of wood to be ordered.

Step 2: clear the area of stored stuff, remove the concrete that was used to reinforce the wall, strip the earth to make the ground almost flat and dig 4 holes ⛏️ for the pillar foundations.

Step 3: after pouring the foundations, we have to use the high pressure cleaner 🚿 to remove the moss that has grown on the wall. Then we start its consolidation by filling the biggest holes with stones, then the gaps with mortar, before making a plaster that will make it waterproof and resistant, but the climatic hazards 🌧️🌨️ oblige us to work sometimes late 🌙. As it rains a lot and the earth is freshly turned over, we wade in the mud... 🐖 So we decide to go to the quarry to get some gravel that we will spread as we go along.

Step 4: Now that we have the wood order, we can start the construction. First the metal plates are laid on the ground and then the posts are temporarily mounted on them. Then we have to cut 🪚 lay and fix the planks on the wall to make this part horizontal.

Once done, we can define the roof slope 📐 and therefore trace the exact position ✏️ of the ridge beam (the one at the top of the roof) on the posts.

Step 5: the posts are dismantled in order to cut them back 🪓 and notch them to fit the ridge beams. After installing the posts, the ridge beams can be slid into place using the "crane" 🏗️ that was made for the sanitary building site. Then struts are fixed to ensure the strength of the whole. Now that the structure is built, it remains to lay the framework, i.e. the rafters and battens that will hold the roof.

Step 6: finally it's time to finish the lean-to by laying the roofing sheets 🪜. If you are observant 🧐 (and we know there are some of you!) you will have noticed that on the plans they are tiles and not sheets... Initially we planned to buy tiles, but in 2 or 3 years we will do some more re-roofing and we will be able to recover tiles in good condition. It's ecological ♻️ since instead of buying a new product 💸 we will be able to reuse tiles destined for the bin!

But in the meantime we need a solution to cover this roof 🤔 so we chose to reuse the dismantled sheets on the shack, but we have to make some adjustments as not all the sheets have the same wave shape... Only the fascia board, at the top, at the end of the rafters is left to finish this job.

We can finally put our equipment away under cover, just in time for the snow ❄️!