Building My Own Cycling Shed for 2018 - Part 1

Good morning everyone! Its been a long time since I have posted anything on this blog. I'v just been super busy with work and fitness.

You should all know by now that I'm a huge fitness junkie. I love sweating and being able to run for miles without losing breath. Its super healthy and helps in everyday activities such as moving houses and scrubbing the stairs.

I have been always been cycling since I was a small boy when my father taught me at our local park. I dont think iv ever went a week without cycling! Even when I go on holiday, I always find myself renting a bike and cycling along the beautiful coast lines and beaches.

I have tried to use my car much less this year and made it a rule in my home that if your destination is 2 miles or less, then your choices are to walk to cycle to wherever your going, unless its absolutely pouring with rain. For distances longer than 2 miles in the city, I tend to find the nearest free parking and cycle to wherever I'm going. A friend of mine recently introduced me a bike renting scheme in the city called Next Bike where you can grab a bike at the nearest approved station and return it to any other station. Its reasonably priced too, and for members, you get the first 30 minutes ride free everytime you use a bike. I have used it a handful of times when I don't have my bike in my car and it has been a great. 

Anyway, I have a new DIY project for 2018- I'm going to building my own indoor bike in my own back garden shed. For those who follow this blog, to help fund this project I'm using all the money I saved from installing my solar panels from last year. You can read all about it in my previous post. Hopefully the total cost wont be more than £2000, which is my budget.

Here is how big I want it to be:

It will be small but keep in mind, I only need a few things in it. Namely an indoor bike or a turbo trainer or both (still debating this), a towel rack, small storage box (to store my tools, telescopic ladder and other bits and bobs) and a TV mounted to a wall for my entertainment (I don't want to stare at a wall for 2 hours while cycling). So overall it should be fairly minimalistic, similar to something like this:

My TV will be wall mounted, probably in the 50 inch range so it can be as immersive as possible. Indoor cycling of any kind can get boring pretty fast unless you have something to keep your mind off it. If you need something to keep yourself busy, I suggest you take a look at HDCyclings's YouTube channel, he uploads regular POV rides that you can follow along to, its really good stuff.

So, I have most of the ground foundations done already from my last project so that should keep costs to a minimal. The only thing I really need to think about is: What tv I should get (I was thinking a hisense to keep the costs down) and also if I should have a fully enclosed shed or one with windows. Please comment your thoughts below.

Thanks for reading and keep a look out for part 2!

Installing my own Solar Panels to save even more money on my energy bills

Hello again everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful 2016. I’ve been busy all year so I haven’t been active as much in my blog. I have been saving up for solar panels for my house to make my home even more eco-friendly for 2017 but hiring a company to set everything up costs a fair amount of money.

Before reading this post, I suggest you take a quick read of this money saving expert post as it contains some great information for people thinking about getting solar panels installed on their home.

Installing solar panels can be a great investment for your home. You can save hundreds of pounds on your energy bill and if you have any electricity left over, you can sell it right back to the energy company. After seeing the great Elon Musk reveal his new amazing roof solar panels (see video below), I have been motivated to install my own. They wont look as good as the ones Elon is promoting but they will do the job for now.

How I will install my solar panels

Solar panels are generally expensive, and hiring an engineer to install the panels can add up to the total cost fairly quickly. Instead I’ll be setting up everything myself (with the assistance of my friend, John who installs these as part of his job). I have most of the tools at home and pretty much only need to buy the panels itself. The type of panels I’ll be setting up are called photovoltaic solar panels- which basically provide energy to power your everyday electrical items such as your fridge, TV, computer and chargers. The other type called solar thermal panels, provide energy to heat up your heaters and water. They are both tempting and you should really think about it carefully before making a choice as both have their own pros and cons.

You may have also heard of companies that give out free solar panels and fittings, the most popular being ‘A Shade Greener’ but the process of applying for it is long and tedious and at times gets rejected like in my instance. It wouldn’t hurt to try applying yourself. Here is their website: https://www.ashadegreener.co.uk/

Making sure your house is fit for solar

My house is already in a prime position for solar energy as it is facing south which catches the most sun, and obviously will generate and save me the most electricity. Don’t panic if your home isn’t south facing. You can still generate a fair amount of energy with homes facing other directions but south facing homes are the most efficient.

I phoned a friend of mine and asked him about planning permission since her works with my local council and installs solar panels himself and said that you don’t need any planning permission for solar panels unless you have a flat roof home. Not sure why this is the case but there must be a good reason to it. Please don’t use this as concrete advice as every council around the country may have different planning permission types.

Getting everything ready

First things first, the actual solar panels. After researching and trying to find the best solar panels for the price, I found a couple of trustworthy websites. I bought my solar panels from here: http://www.bimblesolar.com/ . Unlike other companies, Bimble Solar sell used panels. I managed to get  5 used ones for a reduced price. They have been used before but are still it tip top shape and with the massive discount you get as well as a nice warranty to keep your mind at ease. I think it’s worth it for the price. There are literally hundreds of different types of panels, so if you’re not sure what you’re doing or buying don’t be afraid to ask the sellers for help.

Most heavy tools that are needed for installing the solar panels I already have in my shed but for small things such as protective coating and scaffolding tools, you can get at your local B&Q or ScrewFix.

Obviously you will be installing these panels on your home roof, so you’re going to need a way to get up there. If you’re hiring someone to install them for you, you don’t need to worry about this. However if your like myself and want to install them on your own, then you will need a good set of ladders. I bought myself a telescopic ladder which does the job fine. The 3.8 meter one is more than enough for most of my DIY projects including this one, since my roof is quite low as I live in a bungalow type house. If you don’t have one, take a read through this post: http://www.techturtle.co.uk/best-telescopic-ladder/ to determine the best size and type of telescopic ladder to get.  All the ladders mentioned in the post meet EN131 and CE ladder safety laws, so you can also use them safely for your business. Remember, telescopic ladders can be used at any height up to the maximum height. So for the 3.8 meter one I have, you can lock it at half-length for smaller house projects or lock it at the full 3.8 meters for roofing projects. They are a pretty useful tool to have and can be stored very easily.

Solar panels have come a long way in terms of reliability and are generally very problem-less. However if one of your panels does fail to work It is generally an easy and cheap fix, do don’t be afraid to get second hand panels- just make sure your get the right type! If you don’t know anyone that can help you install or fix your panels, take a look around Gumtree for a freelancer that can do the job for you. Although I suggest you get at least half a dozen quotes so you can get a general idea of how much it’ll cost.

Good luck and if you need any help setting up yours, leave a comment and I’ll try my best to answer it.