Details make difference in shed project
Dear Tim: I need to know how to build a shed. As I looked for leaf-raking tools in the debris field formally known as my garage, I realized I need a storage shed. I went out and looked at different outdoor storage sheds at dealers and home centers, but I want to build my own. Are wood sheds the way to go?
– Brian F., Lancaster, Pa.
Dear Brian: It is going to be very difficult in this short column to teach you how to build a shed. Hundreds of steps are involved, and some of the most important are in simply planning your storage shed. For example, you may want to talk with your wife and build both a combination storage shed and garden shed at the same time. I did this two years ago, and it has turned out to be a huge success with my wife.
One of the first steps in your shed project should be a visit to your local government officials. You need to know how zoning laws deal with sheds, as well as to familiarize yourself with local building codes. For example, where I live the building department is not concerned with sheds that are under a certain square footage. You may discover you do not need a building permit.
Once you have learned what you need to do to build the shed in compliance with all laws, then decide whether the shed will have a wood floor or a concrete slab. I have built sheds both ways, and I feel one with a wood floor works well if you build it using the right materials. If you want your storage shed to be problem-free for years, you need to make sure it has a great foundation that will not move. I prefer working with wood because it is affordable and easy to cut, move and erect.
Structures built in climates where the ground freezes must be protected from frost heave. When soil freezes, the water in the soil expands. This can lift the soil dramatically, causing all sorts of structural stresses for structures built without frost-protected foundations.
There are different ways to build a frost-protected foundation, including full-length poured concrete footers that extend below the frost depth or round concrete pads that support treated-lumber posts. I like using the wood post method, as it resembles building a traditional wood deck. For a simple outdoor shed, you may only have to dig four 16-inch diameter holes for the entire foundation.
The wood-floor system should be made with treated lumber that will resist wood rot and any attack by wood-destroying insects. I also use treated-lumber plywood for the floor of my storage sheds. This way any water that drips from tractors, tools or other things will not cause any damage to the shed flooring structure.
When you frame your shed walls, use ordinary framing lumber but always use a treated lumber bottom plate. In case water does get into the shed, this treated lumber bottom wall plate helps resist wood rot. Be sure to use plywood or oriented strand board at all of the corners of the shed. This makes the walls very strong so they resist racking forces caused by roof load and wind.
You can buy prefabricated roof trusses for the roof structure, but cutting simple roof rafters is not that hard. If your budget is tight, you will probably discover that framing the roof without trusses is the better alternative. You will simply have to learn how to cut simple rafters.
Be sure you cover the exterior walls and roof with overlapping asphalt felt paper before you apply siding or shingles. The felt paper will prevent any wood rot in case a leak develops over time.
When you decide on doors to get into and out of your storage shed, give a hard look at smaller overhead garage doors. Everyone who sees the 6-foot-wide metal overhead garage door in my garden shed marvels at it. It provides ample room to get my garden tractor in and out, is lightweight and easy to open and close, and is attractive. It only took me 90 minutes to install this gorgeous overhead shed door.