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We picked up this lovely old cubby cafe on the side of the road. It needs a bit of work to fix it up, including the frame. I would love any tips from this brains trust!
Hello @Charley2
What an excellent find! My best advice is to treat it like a regular house inspection.
- Door frame and door - Is it still structurally sound? Does it need extra support or rebuild? Are any nails or screws sticking out.
- Window frame and window cover - Same inspection steps as the door and frame.
- Walls - How many panels need to be replaced? Are the wall frames still in one piece and do you need to add more support to the wall structure?
- Roof - Same inspection steps as the walls.
My best advice is to keep the structure safe for use. Tripple check that all the nails and screws used are of the proper height and are not sticking out of the structure. Use silicone on your roof to make sure that the inside is totally dry, although I'm sure you'll hear from the tenants if there is a leak inside the property. Make sure that all the walls and structures are joined securely and capable of being used in rough day-to-day play. My other suggestion is to paint the timber surface to extend its service life (perhaps in the Bluey theme if they are big fans).
Let me call on our experienced members @Nailbag, @AlanM52, @TedBear, @JoeAzza, @Remarka6le and @diy_hausdesigns for their recommendations.
I also suggest having a look at this list - Top 10 most popular cubby house projects
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Hi @Charley2,
You were passing by and just happen to have the trailer hitched up 🙂
Looking at this photo I can see the main issue that needs to be addressed first.
At first I thought the cubby is not square and she is leaning to the left.
But wait... let's have a closer look I think it's the left wall leaning out at the top.
The boards (looks like tongue & groove) are aligned at the top but the further we move down the greater the misalignment of the boards on the left.
The boards on the right look pretty square.
That's why the bottom left boards have popped out.
(I would have expected the top boards to pop out but maybe the bottom boards were cut shorter)
Another sign here.
Where the door has dropped but actually forcibly pushed over.
If that's the case how do we pull the top of the left wall back square?
Can you remove the middle timber cover strip.
And take another photo.
Can you also take inside photos of the top of that left wall, maybe it's pulled away from the rafters?
Cheers
Great score @Charley2! Well done carrying it home too.
I wouldn't worry about the spiders. You've probably got rid of most of them, and a spray with spider spray will keep them away for up to six months. Ensure you get it up in all the little holes.
To add my two cents to the discussion, I'd recommend you pick up some Feast Watson 1L Woodprep and a stiff-bristle broom; you'll be amazed at how well the timber turns out, almost like it's brand new. Pay the extra to get the Feastwatson version, as it has an additional ingredient that makes it work especially well. I've always been really pleased with how well it works.
Once the timber has been restored, you can coat it with an exterior oil to help preserve it.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
