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  #1  
Old 17th March 2021, 08:29 PM
SlawekD SlawekD is offline
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Default Building darkroom in a shed

Hi Guys,

I'll be moving soon to the new place where I will have to build new darkroom. At present I converted one of bedrooms, but in a new place I think I won't sacrifice bedroom favouring shed in the garden. It won't be the same comfy place as it is now, but my better half pushes me to do so haha

Does anyone has any advises? Maybe instead of building it, it'd be better to buy garden office and convert it?
For sure I'd like to add temperature isolation material in the walls to make more home-like room rather than a shed.

Slawek
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  #2  
Old 17th March 2021, 09:28 PM
Nat Polton Nat Polton is offline
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoTXYHH8h94

A link to a quick tour of a garden shed darkroom.
You might get an idea or two from it.

My shed is a workshop, and when I go in there in the cold damp winter days, condensation forms on all the cold metalwork.

Keeping the frost and damp at bay in winter would be a serious undertaking.

Cheers.
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  #3  
Old 17th March 2021, 09:37 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is offline
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I have a shed darkroom. It is lined, and has a ceiling. I bought an electric panel heater which stays on throughout the winter. That kills the condensation problem. I also store my bicycles in the same room, and the low level heating prevents surface rust caused by condensation. When using the room in winter, I use an additional heater to make it comfortable. Unfortunately, I am also moving soon, so will have to find a new space. The shed has served me well for 20+ years.
Alex.


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  #4  
Old 17th March 2021, 10:10 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is online now
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One of our founder members called Dave Miller set up a shed in his garden and I am sure that he put an article here on FADU about what he did

If I recall correctly it was a little more professional that that of the Shoot Like A Boss but no doubt was more expensive

Ideally the water and electrics would be carried via pipes underground as the lad in Shoot Like A Boss does have problems with frozen water occasionally and an electric lead on the grass is OK but probably not ideal

Having said all of that I should add that by myself I could not have done any better than Shoot like A Boss

It comes down to how much you can afford to spend but even a darkroom that is a dedicated one is better than none or a dismantle every night darkroom

Mike
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  #5  
Old 17th March 2021, 10:54 PM
John King John King is offline
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Default Man Shed

Insulation, insulation and yet more insulation. Floor, walls and then if it has a pent roof, fit a ceiling and insulate that as well. Double skin the walls and floor and fill the void (Min 50mm) with fibre insulation with the roof void at least 12" thick. Any fool can be cold!

I go along with underground water supply and that should not need insulation except the pipes that come out of the ground. For safety (and possibly Building Regs) electricity cable should be armoured and if you can be bothered further armour it by placing it in conduit.

Even if the power supply comes from a domestic earthed source, I would still fit earth connections to the water pipes. Strictly speaking this should be installed by a qualified electrician. He will certify it and there will be no problems when/if you come to sell the house.

Drainage, that needs some thinking about and may involve breaking into a surface water drain, but that may involve Building Regs. Take advice!

Ventilation. There are light tight ventilators available which will make summer work quite reasonable and winter needs heaters to be comfortable.

Also think about security. A simple padlock may not be enough to sway even a casual thief. Good reinforcement of the frame and possibly a double skinned PVC door with multipoint bolts. A movement activated spotlight is also a good deterrent coupled with possibly a battery operated alarm. Screwfix have a number.

A superb idea but needs careful consideration and a lot of thought.

Last edited by John King; 17th March 2021 at 11:00 PM.
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  #6  
Old 18th March 2021, 07:47 AM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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I have a shed darkroom although two walls are from an old farm wall/building and the other two breeze block, but it could just as easily be a wooden shed.

As John says insulation is the key I lined the walls aand floor with thick polythene sheeting then ibattoned the walls and isnsulated with sheets of expanded polystyrene in between and also laid polystyrene shhets on the floor, then laid floring grade chip board tongue and groove sheetson top. The ceiling is full of loft insulation and finally walls and ceiling were finished with plaster board. Then I laid vynyl flooring. I also insulated the dooor.



The result is a darkroom that's far better than using a bedroom, it's heated but only needs a panel heater on a low setting even when it's freezing outside. Insulating the floor is important.

One issue with buying a shed or garden office is ceiling height. in my case I have a floor standing De Vere 5108 so need something like 8 foot, but I have a pitched roof so removed part of a ceiling joist to accomadate it.



Last year I renovated a wooden shed alongside the darkroom, from that experience I'd suggest bilding your own bespoke darkroom shed. My ex next door neighbour built himself a superb ranch style shed at a very reasonable cost.

The downside to a commercial garden shed is most aren't very sturdy, the timber for a frame is relatively inexpensive, the ship-lap tongue and grove covering I bought from a builders merchant is way better than used for most sheds and is easy to work with. What I'm saying is purpose built may be easier tthan converting a garden office and certainly cheaper.

Ian
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Old 18th March 2021, 09:05 AM
SlawekD SlawekD is offline
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Thanks for all responses! Indeed I'm worried about humidity condensation as I don't want my enlarger to be rusted.
I started doing some calculations, and definitely insulation is most important for me to keep condensation away.
I'l try to take measurements this Sat. to properly asses size I need.

I think height is limited to 2.5m by law.

Ahh it is hard for me to move out from the current place as it is so comfortable....
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Old 18th March 2021, 10:41 AM
John King John King is offline
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Default Outside

The outside of the shed should be looked at carefully too. What I did with a small summerhouse I built many, many years ago was to double treat it with wood preservative, by that I mean 2 coats on the outside and one on the inside of the outer wood.

Then cover the whole building with artificial tiles/slates which are usually made with some sort of flexible plastic. Start at the bottom of the walls and work upwards so that they overlap by 33%. They are fixed in place by galvanised 'clouts' just as if you are covering a roof with 'roofing felt'. That way the wood treatment will far outlast what it 'says on the tin'. Think at least 20 years! It will make it look far more presentable to neighbours than a plain windowless wooden shed.
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Old 18th March 2021, 10:02 PM
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Bob Bob is offline
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If the new house has a garage, that might make a better option - much more solid and easier to work with I'd have thought (of course, all that is beside the point if it does not have one or, heavens forbid, you actually want to keep a car in it or something crazy like that ).

We are coming into the right weather for such a project, so good luck!
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Old 19th March 2021, 08:15 AM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SlawekD View Post
Thanks for all responses! Indeed I'm worried about humidity condensation as I don't want my enlarger to be rusted.
I started doing some calculations, and definitely insulation is most important for me to keep condensation away.
I'l try to take measurements this Sat. to properly asses size I need.

I think height is limited to 2.5m by law.

Ahh it is hard for me to move out from the current place as it is so comfortable....

The 2.5 metres height is if the shed or summer house is 2 metres or less from the property boundary, that's to the eaves with a pitch roof and also aflat roof.

So there's not really a height issue as the top of a pitched roof is enough to hose a tall enlarger like my De Vere 5108.

The other restriction is no larger then 15 sq metres which is roughly the outside dimensions of my own darkroom allowing for the breeze blacks and old stone walls that's roughly 12ftx13ft inside and my evees are roughly 7ft.

Ian
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