Most houses simply don’t have enough storage area, especially for stuff like tools and building materials. If you are a home handyman you will have a fair collection of tools and a range of left over building materials from the last few jobs. Besides, it pays to keep a selection of bits and pieces on hand to save running down to the hardware for every little job. What we need is a functional built storage come work area just for us. First of all, make sure we have the approval of the local authorities to start building and determine where we are going to put our new workshop. Be aware of the regulations regarding set backs from the back and side boundaries.
Work out the sheet sizes of whatever we are going use for outside lining when we set out for the concrete floor which will probably be 8′x4′ and design the size to suit. Box out the outside of the shed with 2″x4″ and peg securely into place making sure it is all level. You can utilize the garden hose with a piece of clear pipe in each end and filled with water to give accurate levels. Inside this boxing dig a trench in the ground right round the outside about 1′ deep and 2′ wide. Use the dirt inside if you need to fill any holes to get the area an even 4″ deep.
Lay some sheet reinforcement and tie the joins together and you are ready for concrete. Letâs decide what to do with your roof first. Make one side a bit shorter so we can just lay rafters across and have a skillion roof is the fastest way. We will need to make our two end walls on an angle and cut each stud separately as it will go from 8′ high one end to say, 7’6″ the other.
Select the plates from your lumber usually 2″x4″ or 1 1/2″x3″ and lay them round the outside edge. Once you have cut them right round do the same again with another plate on top of the first one and roughly the same length. Then you can set out your stud spacings on these plates. Start at the corner and put a mark every 2′. Put one exactly where the 4′ sheet will join. Mark the studs for your door and any window as well and square the marks down over the two plates so you have two plates that exactly match. Then each pair of plates roll over on to their edge and move apart and lay the studs in between on each mark. You will have all the studs cut to length before you start. Then you just nail the studs together through the two plates and you have a wall.
Go round and do the same with all the pairs of plates and you have a frame standing. The plates at the top are held together by a metal fastener and on the bottom just nailed together. Use a long tape to measure from corner to corner and push and pull until that wall is exactly square and tack a diagonal brace at about 45 degrees to hold it square. If that is the steel brace you will need to run your power saw across each stud at the mark at the depth of the brace. Only tack this at this stage in case we need to adjust slightly later on. Stand this frame now and hold upright with a temporary brace out to a peg in the lawn.
Go round and add extra studs to the corners, plumb and straighten the walls and nail off the bracing. Then add your rafters. Just lay these across your frame and they will need to be at least 2′x4′ or bigger depending on the width of your shed. A good guide is half the span and add 2 so if you have a 12 wide shed half that which is 6 and add 2 which makes it 8 so you will need an 2′x8′ rafter for that span. That will be strong enough later to hang stuff off in your shed. These rafters only need to be 3′ apart and just nail them to the top plate. If you want an over hang on either side or both allow this in the length of your rafter. On top of the rafter you will need roof battens to fasten your iron to. These will need to be about 30″ apart and fastened securely. Some diagonal metal roof bracing strips from corner to corner so you have a cross shape on your roof is a good idea here. And that is Saturday done and you are ready for a beer. You have done well.
At the end of the week, we will attach our lining to the outside. Get it long enough to cut up around your rafters and butt under the iron so as to give you a fully enclosed shed. Screw the iron down on the roof. Install any doors or windows and you are done for. Weekend two and your shed is finished. Not too hard and not too long.