Fixing a shed

[lewic]

I've inherited a lovely shed on my allotment, its about 9 x 6' and has large windows along the side. Apparantly the previous occupant built it himself, but never finished it so its in need of TLC.

Have some photos here http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/58644899

The main frame of the shed seems sound, but it has never had felt on the roof so it leaks around the panels and is going mouldy in one corner, and one corner of the floor has a small hole in (possibly made by a rat). The willow and apple trees in a neighbouring garden hang on top of the roof and there is a compost heap of old leaves on it. Have tried to brush this off but I'm too much of a wuss to climb on the roof and do the job properly - the ground is very uneven so its hard to get a ladder stable.

At the back of the shed, the bottom of the panels are damp and starting to look a bit mouldy . It looks like the base of the shed has been built on bricks with a gap underneath. I'm not sure if there is concrete under this or not.

Have some timber treatment spray, but am wondering what I can do to stop any structural rot.  Would it be best to put more wood on top of the old before putting felt on the roof? (Until the trees are cut in october it will be hard to get to the roof to put felt on, so I was going to throw a tarp over the top temporarily).

Is there anything anyone would recommend for the floor? Are sheds built with gaps underneath to keep them dry, or should I try to pump some cement under it?

Have bodged some of the gaps in the window and put some new glass in, but am not a DIY expert and am scared of heights which doesnt help..

[lewic]

[ACE]

As adopted allotment sheds go, it ain't half bad. I would run couple of rolls of roofing felt over the top, then wait until it drys out a bit. Then get a couple of broken down pallets and replace anything that is too far gone or dangerous. I would also expect that some of the surrounding growth is holding it up, so be careful and selective on what you remove.

If you are on a really tight budget do a bit of skip diving as an old roll of vynlelay or builders polysheet doubles up as roofing felt. leave the shed on bricks if the floor is stong enough, but try and slide a bit of lino/roofing felt between them to stop the damp rising.