Shed of the year 2024, Sponsored by 
It's for horseshoe bats.
Bat barn.Specifically designed for horseshoe bats for their summer roost.Addresses issue of disappearing habitat.Made by two people, between December 2020 and April 2021, all hand tools except chainsaw to cut sil plate timbers in half and drill to pre drill boards, traditional carpentry used for whole construction. Tools: framing chisels: 2inch, 1.5inch, 2x1inch, half inch; hand brace, self drilling augar bits, axes, handmade mallets, hand saws, bow saws, electric chainsaw, extension leads, drill bits, hammers, measurers, water level pipe, ear defenders and plugs, safety glasses, gloves.Based on medieval post and rail building using mortice and tenon lap joints in base plate, rough wind braces, m&t at top of posts, birds mouth rafter joint into birds mouth tenon in main beams. Tongue and fork m&t at apex.No machinery used for build, lifted with three people, constructed using scaff and ladders and ropes and hefting and heaving.Wood part sourced from woods, clumps of oaks that could afford sustainable thinning. Beams, rafters and cladding from Witney mills locally who only use British grown sustainable timber.Rose head nails, British made by the Crown nail company and supplied with the most wonderful service by Heritage Store.Carbon, three deliveries of wood from the brilliant CorrickTransport in Hereford, they can move anything. Delivery of tools from ebay. Some new saws and drill bits from building merchants.Food, mostly vegetables, cheese, eggs, fish, homemade bread and buns.Injuries: banged heads, knees, hands, fingers, splinters, the worst back ache ever.. couldn't walk for a week!Resources:Sobon and Schroeder: Timber Frame Construction.Benson and Gruber: Building the Timber Frame House.Ben law book and film.Lots of YouTube channels, thank you so much. Bat info for design from Bat Conservation Trust and Churches and Bats project.Finishing, we ran out of boards so need to but four more on roof, gables cornices, a little more bracing and some chopped up bike tyres for the apex of the roof. Then a few branches in the loft for the bats to hang on like it's an ancient woodland. Also, the final job, lime mortar under the sil beams now the building is settled.
