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Anyone with a green thumb, energetic kids or a big yard needs more storage space. Kit sheds are one solution-they're cheap and functional. But you can do a lot better.We designed this attached 7-1/2 x 13-ft. cedar shed to meet all your storage needs. It has a wide, no-sag sliding door on one end for big stuff like the lawn mower, and a separate section on the opposite end with lots of shelves for the small stuff, like pots and gardening supplies. The inexpensive barn sash windows allow plenty of light and ventilation. A lattice-walled overhang makes a nice outdoor potting area or a place to store your barbecue grill, and the rustic cedar exterior blends in with just about any house style. At $2,600 for materials, this garden shed costs more than the typical kit version, but it's well worth the extra money.
Click image to enlarge.
NO-MATH FRAMING
SPACIOUS STORAGE
LOTS OF SHELVES
Even though we’ve engineered this shed to keep complicated figuring and cutting to a minimum, still a big construction project that will take you at least five or six weekends to complete. If you've built a deck or similar structure, you'll have no trouble putting in the foundation and building the walls. To help you through the trickier roof-framing stage, we'll show you how to make a rafter pattern without using any complex math. You may have to modify our plans slightly to fit your house, but all the basic building techniques we show will be the same.
Fig. A Framing Details
Click image to enlarge.
Fig. B Foundation Plan
Click image to enlarge.
No Special Tools Needed
You probably already own most of the basic carpentry tools
you'llneed to build this shed. Besides hand tools like a hammer, tape
measure, square, utility knife, chalk line, sharp chisel, handsaw and a few
screwdrivers, you'llneed a 4-ft. level, a line level (Photo 2) and a power drill, plus the bits
listed in the story.
A circular saw will work for most of the cutting, but the windowsill and drip cap (Fig. C) require bevel cuts that would be easier to make with a table saw. If you don’t own a table saw, ask a woodworker or a full-service lumberyard to cut these pieces for you. A power miter box is another optional tool that would add speed and accuracy to your cutting, especially for finish work. You can rent a power miter box for about $40 a day, but for a project this big, I'd recommend buying one (about $150).
Scope Out the Perfect Location
With its simple roof style, this shed can go just about
anywhere. Look for a spot on the back of your house where windows and doors
aren’t in the way. Behind or to the side of the garage is a good
location. We tied our shed roof into the garage roof, but you can also butt the
shed roof against a wall, as long as you install metal flashing under the
siding and over the shingles where the roof and wall
intersect.
In addition, consider:
Ground level. The ideal site is flat and sloping slightly away from the house. If the ground slopes steeply, either toward or away from the house, your job will be a lot harder. You'llhave to excavate and build retaining walls or bring in fill. In any case, regrade around the shed to ensure good drainage and provide a ramp for your lawn mower and wheelbarrow.
Fig. C Finish Details
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Fig. D Sliding Door Details
Click image to enlarge.
Roof pitch and headroom. This is the trickiest stage of planning. Our garage has 9-ft. tall walls and a shallow pitched roof. This combination allowed us to continue the roof in a straight line and still have enough headroom at the outside shed wall for standard-height windows and doors. But your house/garage might be different. To ensure adequate outer wall height, stretch a string along the roof and brace a 2x4 temporarily at the location of the outside wall to figure out how much headroom you'llhave (basically the same procedure shown in Photo 9 for making the rafter template). Measure from the string representing the roof down to what will be the top of the 6x6 foundation beam. If this distance isn’t 90-3/4 in., you'll have to modify the wall height or change the roof slope of our shed plan.
You'll Have to Get a Building Permit
Call your local building inspections department to find
out if your shed location is OK and what's required to get a building
permit. Most cities will accept a plan drawn to scale on 1/4-in. graph paper if
it includes all the structural details.
Every region has a few unique building requirements. In cold Northern climates like ours, deep footings are required to prevent frost heaving. In areas with high winds or earthquakes, you'll need special metal framing anchors to tie everything together. Ask your building inspector what's required in your area.
Use the Best Cedar 4x4s You Can Find
Most of the materials for this shed are available at home
centers and lumberyards. We spent $2,200 for lumber, windows, doors and
roofing, and $400 more for the pea gravel base and concrete pavers. Here are a
few pointers for your shopping trip:
-
Pick straight, dry cedar 4x4s. Bowed or twisted lumber will cause trouble when it comes time to install the windows and door. Check at both lumberyards and home centers.
-
Make sure the 6x6s are .60 treated, not the less durable .40 that’s sometimes used for landscaping timbers. You'll probably have to order them.
-
Barn sashes are sold at some home centers and farm-supply retailers. If you need help finding them in your area, call Lindsay Windows at (507) 625-4278. If you're willing to modify the plan dimensions, consider using old storm windows in place of the barn sashes. Contractors specializing in window replacements often throw these away.
-
Search for an interesting old entry door at salvage yards or architectural antiques dealers, or buy a new one like ours for about $150.
Begin With a Square and Level Foundation
To quickly double-check the dimensions on your plan, mark
the post locations on the 2x4 bottom plates and cut the plates to length
(Photo 1). Use the dimensions from these plates
to set up the batter boards and strings (Photos 2 and
3). 'best to align the strings with what will be the
outside edge of the 6x6 foundation beam. (Remember to deduct 1 in. from the
total length of the front wall and 1/2 in. from each side wall so the walls
will overhang the beams by 1/2 in. as shown in
Fig. C.) We aligned our strings with the inside
edge of the 6x6 because the concrete patio was in the way of setting up batter
boards. Take your time getting these strings perfectly level and
square.
Piers and Beams Make a Strong, Simple Foundation
Our shed is held up by 6x6 treated beams bolted to 42-in.
deep concrete piers, which are appropriate for the frost depth in our area.
Your building inspector will tell you how deep to go in your region. We rested
the end of the 6x6s on notches cut into the garage foundation. If you
can’t do this, add piers at these locations. About a week before you plan
to dig, call the utility companies to locate buried wires or pipes. Use 8-in.
dia. cardboard forming tubes for the piers. They allow you to easily establish
accurate pier height (Photo 4). Figure one 60-lb.
bag of concrete mix for every 1-ft. length of 8-in. dia. tube. After pouring
the concrete, position the anchor bolts 2-3/4 in. from the string so
they’ll end up in the center of the 6x6 beam.
TIP: Before the concrete hardens, double-check that all the footings are level with each other using a long, straight board with a 4-ft. level on top.
Then let the concrete harden overnight. Before you start on the 6x6 beams, dig out enough soil to allow space for 3 in. of gravel under the beams and 5 in. under the concrete patio block floor for good drainage.
Next, you'll cut the 6x6 beams to length and bolt them down (Photos 6 and 7). Mark the beam locations on the footings (Photo 5) and cut the 6x6s to align with these marks. Remember to add the amount that will rest on the garage foundation onto the shorter end beams (Photo 7). Paint wood preservative onto the cut ends of the beams before you bolt them down, and countersink the nuts and washers so the walls will slide on easily.
Skip the Complex Rafter Calculations
Mock up a wall and rafter to make exact patterns rather
than using math (Photos 9 and 10). After
you've marked where the rafter crosses the 4x4 top plate (Photo 10), subtract 5 in. (1-1/2 in. for the 2x4
bottom plate and 3-1/2 in. for the 4x4 top plate) from the high side to arrive
at the length of the 4x4 wall posts (Photo 10).
Cut all the posts off square at this length. Then assemble the walls and brace
them plumb and square (Photos 13 and 14). To tie the
side walls to the house, we cut out a slot in the siding and slid the 4x4 wall
post against the sheathing. Then, since there were no studs in the existing
wall at these locations, we added some from inside the garage to provide solid
wood for attaching the walls. After nailing the walls in place, use a handsaw
to cut out the bottom plates that run across the door
openings.
|
ITEM |
QTY. |
|
|
FOUNDATION |
||
|
1x3x 8' No. 3 pine (batter boards and stakes). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
5 |
|
|
8" dia. x 4' concrete forming tube .............................. |
5 |
|
|
60-lb. bags of concrete mix (adjust for depth). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
20 |
|
|
Concrete pier blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
2 |
|
|
1/2"x 12" anchor bolts with nuts and washers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
5 |
|
|
6 x 6 x 8' .60 treated lumber (beam) ............................. |
2 |
|
|
6 x 6 x 14' .60 treated lumber (outside beam) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 |
|
|
WALLS, ROOF AND FLOOR |
||
|
2 x 4 x 8' treated lumber (bottom plates) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
2 |
|
|
2 x 4 x 14' treated lumber (bottom plate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 |
|
|
4 x 4 x 8' cedar (posts and top plates) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
20 |
|
|
4 x 4 x 10' cedar (top plate; splice over post) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 |
|
|
2 x 2 x 8'No. 2 pine (siding nailers). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
22 |
|
|
1 x 4 x 8' cedar (drip cap and door frame) ........................ |
7 |
|
|
2 x 4 x 8' cedar (sills and spacers) ............................... |
4 |
|
|
1x2 x 8' cedar (stops) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
22 |
|
|
1 x 6 tongue-and-groove cedar siding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
370 linear ft. |
|
|
2 x 6 x 10'dimensional lumber (rafters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
8 |
|
|
2x6 x 14' dimensional lumber (rafters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
4 |
|
|
1x6x 12' dimensional lumber (subfascia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 |
|
|
1x6x6' dimensional lumber (subfascia) ........................ |
1 |
|
|
2x4x10' dimensional lumber (braces and misc.) ................ |
8 |
|
|
12"x 96"3/8"AC plywood (soffit). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
5 |
|
|
4' x 8' sheet 3/8" AC plywood (soffit) ........................... |
1 |
|
|
1x6 (fascia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
48 linear ft. |
|
|
1x3 (shingle molding) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
48 linear ft. |
|
|
4' x 8' sheets 3/4" CDX plywood (roof sheathing) ................ |
5 |
|
|
No. 30 roofing paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 roll |
|
|
Shingles (roofing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
200 sq. ft. |
|
|
4'x 8'cedar lattice panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
2 |
|
|
22" x 42" barn sash .......................................... |
6 |
|
|
32" x 80" exterior door ....................................... |
1 |
|
|
Gravel fill ........................................ |
2 to 3 cu.yds. |
|
|
Concrete pavers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 105 sq. ft. |
|
|
HARDWARE |
||
|
1-1/4"galvanized drywall screws. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 lb. |
|
|
3/8'x 10"lag screws with washers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
4 |
|
|
3/8" x 4" lag screws with washers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
5 |
|
|
6" pole barn nails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
36 |
|
|
16" galvanized box nails .................................. |
2 lbs. |
|
|
6d galvanized siding nails ................................. |
3 lbs. |
|
|
4d galvanized box nails .................................... |
1 lb. |
|
|
8d galvanized finish nails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 lb. |
|
|
8d box nails or sinkers (for roof plywood) ................... |
5lbs. |
|
|
1"galvanized roofing nails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
10 lbs. |
|
|
3"x 3"storm door hinges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
12 |
|
|
4"x 4"butt hinges .......................................... |
3 |
|
|
Storm and screen window adjusters ........................... |
6 |
|
|
4' heavy-duty pocket door hardware ........................... |
2 |
|
|
Barn door latch .............................................. |
1 |
|
|
2x4 open bar holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 |
|
|
INTERIOR WALL |
||
|
2x4x 8' dimensional lumber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
2 |
|
|
2x6 x 8' dimensional lumber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
5 |
|
|
2x6 x 10' dimensional lumber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1 |
|
|
4'x 8'x 1/2" plywood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
1-1/2 |
|
|
6' metal shelf standards with shelf clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
8 |
|
|
POTTING BENCH |
||
|
2x4 x 8' cedar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
2 |
|
|
2x6 x 8' cedar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
4 |
|
Cut out a rafter pattern (Photo 11) and set it up on the walls to check the fit. This long rafter will need two “bird’s-mouth"cuts, one to fit over the 4x4 top plate of the long front wall and one for the short 4x4 beam that holds up the lattice-covered overhanging section. Adjust the fit as needed and use the pattern to mark the remaining long rafters. Make a second pattern for the shorter rafters.
Sight along the top of the front wall to make sure it's straight before you secure the rafters. Then nail down the roof plywood (Photo 17) and install the soffit plywood and fascia boards (Photo 18). Match the soffit and fascia details to those on your house.
When you cover the roof with roofing paper (Photo 19), tuck the new paper under the existing shingles and paper. Plan the shingle installation and chalk the lines so the old and new shingles line up (Photo 19). Fasten the shingles with 1-in. galvanized roofing nails according to the instructions on the wrapper. When you get to the top, carefully lift the old shingles and remove the first row of roofing nails with a flat pry bar to allow the new shingles to slide underneath.
We Made the Exterior Simple but Attractive
Next, fill in the triangular sections above the wall on
each end. Then close in the shed by filling the spaces between the posts
(Photo 21). With our shed design, you don’t
have to install door and window jambs, but you do have to cut angles on the
3/4-in. x 2-3/4 in. drip cap that fits below the siding, and on the 2x4
windowsill. Use a table saw for these cuts and to rip a 2x4 down to 2-5/8 in.
for the pieces above the windows (Fig. C).
Photos 21–23 show how to install the
siding and windows. We mounted Wright Products Corp. No. V405 storm window
adjusters 10 in. above the sill to hold the sash open and lock them
shut.
CAUTION: The glass in the barn sash next to the entry door must be replaced with safety glass. Take one barn sash to a glass shop or full-service hardware store and ask to have the glass replaced with tempered safety glass, Plexiglas or 1/4-in. laminated safety glass, or order the glass and replace it yourself.
Patio Pavers Make a Great Floor
We laid 18-in. square concrete patio pavers over a level
bed of pea gravel. Cut the pavers along the walls and at the doors with a
dry-cut diamond blade mounted in a circular saw. We also used the pavers to
build a ramp into the yard from the sliding door.
Build a No-Sag Barn Door
Install the doors after the floor.
Photos 24 and 25 show how to hang the entry
door. Construct the sliding door by driving 1-1/4 in. galvanized or stainless
steel screws through the backside of the 1x6 tongue-and-groove boards into a
1x4 cedar frame.
Fig. D and
Photo 26 show this detail and how to install the
heavy-duty pocket door hardware and three-wheel rollers (Johnson Hardware 1500
Series Pocket Door Hardware Set) that suspend the door. Mount a 2x4 open bar
holder bracket to the 6x6 to keep the bottom of the door from swinging out. We
installed a barn door latch on the outside to secure the
door.
Customize the Shed for Your Own Hobbies
To provide a separate planting area inside the shed, we
built a wall of 2x6s spaced 30 in. apart and covered on the back with 1/2-in.
plywood. Metal shelf standards and clips support 2x6 shelves for pots and
planting supplies. We created a
narrow, hollow space next to the windows to allow access to the window
latch.
Use the lattice-walled overhang to store a gas grill or to hold a potting bench like ours. Or use it as a vine-covered sitting area. Cut the cedar lattice panels to fit between the 4x4s and secure them with 1x2s nailed on each side. Make the bench top by screwing a 2x4 ledge to the 4x4 posts and cutting 2x6 cedar boards to rest on top.
Protect Your Shed With Top-Quality Finishes
To retain the natural look of your cedar shed, apply two
or three coats of a top-quality clear exterior finish. Paint the door and
exterior trim with alkyd primer and two coats of top-quality exterior latex
paint.
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