Recycling old doors

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Meanqueen
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Recycling old doors

Post by Meanqueen »

I used to build dens in our garden when I was a young girl, and guess what, I'm still doing it now. There is a corner at the bottom of my garden which has the sun for the longest time, I had a home made greenhouse there, no longer required so I have taken it down. In it's place I am building a Summer House, a kind of shelter to sit in on a sunny day.

I don't want to spend any money on it so I am using reclaimed materials. I can get pallets and doors free, and now I have a bigger car I can transport them.

I got two really big heavy pallets, they wouldn't fit in my car but luckily they weren't too far away so two big blokes carried them for me. The plan is to stand pallets on their sides and attach the doors to them using screws and brackets. It doesn't have to look pretty as the structure won't be seen from the road, only my next door neighbour will see the back of it and he doesn't care what it looks like.

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I picked up two doors from a double glazing company, and found the white one in a skip. I haven't attached that one yet as it is in good nick and I'm not sure where I will put it.

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Yesterday I picked up four more doors from the same company, they said I can take what I need, and added the red and the brown one. There was a five inch gap and luckily I found a piece of timber in my stash in the garage to fit it exactly. As you can see they are not all the same height, but beggars can't be choosers so I will have to add wood to the tops to level it out.

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I have some spare paving slabs for the floor, but I haven't worked out the roof yet. I may have to buy some corrugated plastic sheets for that. There is a raised bed in the way so my next step is to remove that. I can add the compost to the adjoining two beds.

This will keep me busy for a while.
Toodle pip
Ilona
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Meanqueen
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Re: Recycling old doors

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An update on progress. I've been skiving off for a few days so it's a bit slow going on the summer house. More doors fitted and I've gone round another corner with a pallet. I could do with finding another pallet so I will keep a look out for one. It was a bit windy yesterday so I wasn't sure if it would be safe to add to it before the structure is solid. More screws to hold it together, now it is solid and won't get blown over. I painted the white doors and the glass, but I used the wrong paint. The emulsion dripped off the bottom a bit in the rain overnight. I will ask around for some free gloss paint.

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The weather is changeable so it's do a bit outside when the sun is out, and come in and do some sewing when it rains.
Toodle pip,
Ilona

PS picture posted using Manda's instructions.
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lancashire lass
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by lancashire lass »

)t' coming along nicely Ilona
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Spreckly
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by Spreckly »

Resourceful as always Ilona. Looking forward to seeing more piccies. Hope you get some free roofing material also. )t'
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Meanqueen
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by Meanqueen »

State of play at the moment.

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Wood added, last door in place, some of it has been painted. Now I need to source some 8ft lengths of timber for the roof supports, still not sure what I'm going to use for the roof, I would like it to be see through to let the sun in. Off out now for a scout around, see what I can find.
Ilona
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Mo
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by Mo »

Hmmm I wonder. How many doors would I need?
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Spreckly
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by Spreckly »

How is it going Ilona?
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Meanqueen
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Re: Recycling old doors

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Hi. I wanted some long pieces of wood for the roof supports, and found some old sofit boards. I removed all the nails, cut them to eight feet lengths, and painted them. I already had a couple of the blue tarps so put those on as a temporary cover until I could find something more substantial. Most of the doors are painted now inside, except for a couple of white patio doors which are mainly glass, I might not paint them as they are in good condition.

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Today I found five pieces of polycarbonate at a conservatory company. They asked for a donation for the charity they are fundraising for. Managed to get them in my car with a big overhang out the back. I've washed them, they were filthy, been in a yard for ages. They are 9 feet long and 3 feet wide. I'll use three of them for the roof. That will keep me busy over the weekend.

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Ilona
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Spreckly
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by Spreckly »

It's coming along, Ilona! What a find the polycarbonate is. Looking forward to seeing the finished article.
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Meanqueen
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by Meanqueen »

Hi. The new second hand roof is on.

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Three panels making a nine feet square. Two screws and washers at each end of the three panels. The joins are sealed with duct tape. I couldn't reach the middle top, so I found a man with a big ladder and long arms. :-D It's been chucking it down this morning, no leaks. There is a big overhang at the front, and shorter overhangs on the other three sides.
Ilona
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Spreckly
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by Spreckly »

Looking good Ilona. Let us hope we get fine weather for you to enjoy it once it is complete.
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by Totally Scrambled »

Can you remember which door is the way in/out or do you have to try each one? :-D
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Meanqueen
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Re: Recycling old doors

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Ha ha. There are ten fixed doors with a gap for going in and out. I made a removable blind out of heavy duty plastic material to fit the gap. I think it was some kind of roofing plastic, found in a skip. It has a broom pole top and bottom, to be rolled up when it's removed. Coat hooks at the top, with a bungee elastic to stop it flapping.

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Silly Photobucket has turned a landscape picture into portrait format.

Ilona
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Spreckly
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by Spreckly »

Ilona - are you going to furnish your summerhouse?
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lancashire lass
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Re: Recycling old doors

Post by lancashire lass »

I missed the roofing bit post - what a find. It all looks really good )t'
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