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The old timber shed at the end of the garden
Glasnevin's semi-detached houses, most of them built between the 1930s and the 1950s, tend to have long back gardens, and at the bottom of many of them is a timber shed that has been there for decades. Some were put up by the first owners. Others replaced an older one in the 1980s or 1990s and haven't been touched since.
Timber sheds age from the bottom up. Rain splashes off the ground onto the lowest boards, the floor sits on damp bearers, and the roof felt cracks and lets water in. Eventually the floor goes soft, the door won't close, and the whole shed starts to lean. By then, it's usually full.
We do two jobs with sheds like these: we empty them, and when they've had their day, we take them down and take them away.
Worth saving, or time to go?
Not every old shed needs to come down. From your photos, we'll tell you honestly what we think. As a rough guide:
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Roof felt torn, but the timber is dry and firm | The shed can probably be re-felted and kept |
| A few rotten boards at the base only | Often repairable, if the frame is sound |
| The floor gives when you step on it | The bearers or joists have rotted; removal is usually the answer |
| The shed leans, or the door frame is out of square | The frame has gone; time to take it down |
| Green, soft panels and daylight through the walls | Removal |
If you're keeping the shed, a contents-only shed clear-out empties it and leaves it swept. If not, we'll clear and remove it in one visit.
Taking a rotten shed down safely
A shed with a soft floor and a sagging roof needs more care than a sound one, because parts of it can't take weight. Here's how we handle it:
- Contents out first. We work from the doorway inward, lifting rather than stepping onto weak boards.
- Power off. If there's electricity to the shed, an electrician must disconnect it before we start.
- Glass out. Windows are removed whole where possible, so they don't shatter onto the floor.
- Roof off. Felt and roof boards come off from the top, with nobody standing on the roof.
- Walls down. Panels are unscrewed or taken apart and carried out in sections.
- Floor up and site cleared. The floor comes up, and we rake through the area for nails, screws and broken glass.
Down the side passage
Most Glasnevin semis have a side passage between the house and the boundary, and that's our route from the garden to the van. It's ideal for a shed removal because nothing has to come through the house.
The passage is often the bit that needs work first. Bins, a ladder, old pots and overgrowth can make it hard to get through, which is what the before and after photos at the top of this page show. We clear a path, then carry the contents, panels and floor sections out to the van on the road or driveway.
If your house has no side access, everything comes through the house instead, with covers on the floors from the back door to the front.
Want an old shed in Glasnevin cleared or taken down? Send a photo inside the shed, one of the whole shed from outside and one of the side passage on WhatsApp. We'll reply with a fixed price, usually the same day.
What happens to the shed and everything in it
Everything is sorted as it leaves the garden. Tools, bikes and garden furniture in good condition are saved for reuse where possible. Metal, including hinges, brackets and old tools, goes for recycling. Rotten timber, felt and the rest go to licensed waste facilities. We're fully insured on site, and everything leaves under our permit as an authorised waste carrier, NWCPO-25-13287-01.
A few things we can't take. That means petrol in mowers or cans, paint, solvents, oils, weedkiller and other chemicals, and gas cylinders. Take them to a civic amenity site or a hazardous waste collection, and we'll clear the rest. If the shed or a nearby outbuilding has a corrugated cement roof that may contain asbestos, we won't break it up, and a specialist contractor needs to handle it.
Price and the rest of the garden
We'll fix the price from your photos before you commit to anything. It turns on how much is inside, whether we're removing the shed as well, its size and condition, and how easy the route is to the van. A clear side passage makes for a quicker job than a long carry through the house.
If there's green waste around the shed, see garden clearance. For a side garage that needs emptying too, see garage clear-outs in Glasnevin. Whole houses in the area are covered on our Drumcondra and Glasnevin house clearance page, with Phibsborough and Cabra on the Cabra page, and the main shed clearance page and shed clearance guide explain more about clearing and removing sheds.
