Building a Shed

photo credit: Ben Sutherland

The shed is the king of the garden buildings.

Your bolt hole, your garden office or a great storage area. It doesn’t matter what you use it for, once you have a shed, it will become  one of your favorite places.

Sheds are common in most countries in the developed world, but vary in size, complexity and the materials they are made out from. However they perform a common function in providing a location for all all those domestic activities (gardening, car repair, hobbies, quiet sanctuary etc) that cant be accommodated inside the main house.

Another common feature of the domestic shed is that task of building a shed is one that can be accomplished by most people with average levels of DIY or woodworking abilities. One of the key aims of this website is to provide a range of information to help you if you are thinking of building your own shed. SO, read on for an overview of the shed building process.

Two Approaches

There are two main ways to approach building your new shed.

1. Flat Pack Kit build – Most people who build a new shed will do so by assembling an ‘off the peg’ flat pack kit shed that are sold my most garden centers and stores.
2. Bespoke Build – The more adventurous route is to find or draw up your own plans and build it yourself with materials from your local store.

Whilst a flat pack shed is better than no shed, the best and most creative sheds are the bespoke built sheds.

Pre-design planning

Your first consideration should be to decide upon the size and location of the shed you want to build. In doing this there will be three main considerations;

1. Space available to locate your shed
2. What activities you want to undertake in the shed
3. How much money you want to spend upon material

In addition you might to consider if there are any local building or planning regulations you need to adhere too. Generally sheds not require specific notices or approvals, but some do. For this reason I advise that if you are in any doubt that you check with your relevant authority before spending too much time and money on your project.

Once you have thought about the above matters I suggest that you get hold of a pencil and some paper and start to sketch some ideas of what

photo credit: hoshi7

your ideal shed would look like. Think about the space you need to accommodate the activities you want to undertake in your shed, and also think about how you would like it to look from the outside.

These sketches don’t have to be great architectural works of art. Even the roughest sketches will really help you fix in your mind the sort of shed you want. It will also help later when you start to work up your plans in more detail, or need to discuss your ideas with your lumber merchant or friends and family.

If you are still struggling to get your ideas down on paper then look around for some inspiration. Maybe visit your local garden store to view other sheds, or buy a copy of a book of shed template plans.

 

Basic shed building considerations

I was always told that if you wanted to build a building to last then the two most important things you need were a firm foundation and a good roof. Get these two factors right and your building will put up with most weather conditions that are thrown at it.

For this reason make sure that you will be able to provide a firm level foundation of sufficient size in the location you have chosen for your shed. Also a pitched roof is better than a flat roof in keeping rain out over the years. This obviously leads to a taller building, hence make sure this won’t be a problem in the location your are thinking about.

A second vital point to consider is ease of use. Will you be able to access the entrance to the shed satisfactorily on foot and with any vehicles you plan to store in the shed? Also if you envisage having to make regular deliveries of materials etc to the shed (for example; if you were planning to use the shed for woodworking or other crafts), make sure that those deliveries can be made and the finished products removed comfortably.

Finally consider noise and disturbance that the activities in your shed may have on the rest of your family and on your neighbors.

Creating a list of Materials

Once you are settled upon the location and basic design of your shed the next step is to complete the design to a level of detail that will allow you to prepare an accurate list of materials you will need to purchase.  The plan you draw doesn’t need to be drawn to scale, but it does need to be tidied up from you original sketch and . Provided you know the dimensions of the shed you want to build and have a clear sketch your local lumber store should be able to help you to measure up and draw up a list of materials. Alternatively if you have purchased a pack of shed plans, they will come with a full list of materials you need. Obviously this makes things much easier and gives you the comfort that you are not over purchasing materials from your store.

Shed Construction – 7 steps

Sheds are generally fairly simple structures, and the construction process is fairly straightforward. The steps below relate to a standard single floor shed, follow this sequence and your building process should be straightforward. The approach may differ if you are planning advanced features of two or more floors.

1. Level the ground and prepare your foundation – Your foundation should be on solid ground and can be either wood beams placed on level pads, or you can create a concrete slab.
2. Side walls – Put these together flat on the ground and then raise into position.
3. Construct the roof – Again, assemble the roof trusses on the ground, before lifting them into position.
4. End walls – Build on the ground and lift into place.
5. Roof covering – You can use boards, shingles, sheeting etc; to cover the trusses and make your shed water tight.
6. Trim and Tidy up – Use trim along the edge of the roof and corners of your shed to make it look smart.
7. Treat or Paint the roof – To make it look great and prolong its life.
8. Grab a beer and admire your handiwork!

 

photo credit: Martin Cathrae