Shedz and Tredz
So, I know, road running is the best thing for any kind of race training, but when you’re a dad of two small children, getting out on the road can be tricky to do consistently. Driving to the gym is similarly a problem of course and then there’s 40 minutes plus added to the journey, not to mention the expense of a gym membership.
So, clearly I need my own treadmill.
Okay, I don’t, but I want one, so let’s pretend the above is a reality and my reasons are justified. Given the only place this can go is the garage, this means some de-clutter. Given the shed outside is falling to pieces, this means probably an idea to buy a new shed.
Erm… this post may be mostly about sheds, but I’ll get back to the running a bit towards the end.
The cost of getting a treadmill has slightly increased now. I’m thinking a bigger shed and it will cost me maybe £500, but hey ho. It’ll be worth it. Read on to see how that panned out…
First thing’s first; I need a shed base. I’d like to use posts and sink them but this feels like a lot of hard work, so I decide to go with a plastic base I can clip together and fill with pea gravel. Sounds like an easy solution. Except my garden is not flat.
Here’s what I had beneath the old shed.
Not flat, not big enough. I did think of extending it but decided to go with the flat base — I wish I had seen sense!
It took a couple of days to mark out and remove the earth to define the shape of the base, as so.
It then took about 2 more days and another entire weekend, working into the night to get the base dug out and level…
… and then a couple of evenings to lay out the plastic base and fill it with pea gravel.
I cannot describe in words how satisfying it was to tip in and rake out that pea gravel.
I won’t discuss moving about 100 bags of earth either — those fence posts would have been much simpler!
Thankfully the shed was delivered and built be other people. Here’s the finished article.
I need to tidy around the drop to the shed and the steps and around it, but it’s looking good and the base is nice and flat and sound. Job done, only 3 broken backs and the fingers on one hand a causality, oh and the wallet.
So, how did my £500 budget do. Well, the base cost me £180 + the gravel at about £70 delivered + the weed membrane (that goes beneath the gravel, Josh!) which was £20, so that’s £270 and I don’t have a shed yet! I was looking at 12x8 sheds and had seen some for £690 (gulp) which I’d need to build and had a chipboard floor and roof. In the end and in a moment of weakness I ended up paying £939 (gulp x 2), but for full T&G, pressure treated and T&G floor and roof — it’s a thing of beauty! Oh we won’t talk about the £150 of shelving I bought for the shed and garage. Okay I have now mentioned that, so I best include it.
But… this was all about buying a treadmill right? And btw, you’re not meant to store them in the garage as it can get too cold in there, but hey ho. So what did the treadmill cost? Well that was almost the cheapest bit at ~£800 and is also a thing of beauty!
So the upshot then: the cost of installing a treadmill in a room in your house where a treadmill shouldn't be installed is about £2159.
Thankfully, it’s getting used a lot, and helping loads with the training for the Marathon.
Don’t forget to chip in your bit to support me, which you can do by heading over here. And don’t forget the gift aid either (Krzysztof!!!!!) as every little helps!
Thank you!
