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My shed is slowly falling down, owing to a combination of age, multiple break-ins, and rot.
Rather than replace with another cheap prefab shed, I'm toying with the idea of building a more substantial shed/warehouse structure.
I'm considering a concrete slab foundation, timber frame, wood cladding (vertical larch or maybe cedar shingles) and an angled single-pitch felted roof. Maybe power ran from the main house too. Not thinking too big - don't want to fall foul of building regs requirements - but large enough for a workbench and bike storage. Main need is secure bike storage, so proper door and locks.
Has anyone done anything similar?
Has anyone done anything similar?
not yet, but i'm seriuosly considering building a summerhouse/home office and have a few great links to really nice, some off the wall, stuff. probably more garden house than you are thinking, but i can dig out the links and email/post them a bit later today (i'm trying to get some work done at the mo) if thats any use. they may provide some inspiration.
incidently, what is the max size you can shove up as a wooden structure without requiring planning permission etc? i thought it was very very big.
Yup, did it a few years ago at a previous house. If I remember rightly I dug down to the subsoil (not far where we were) to get a firm base then shuttered to make about a 9" slab. Complete pain as I had to mix the concrete in a wheelbarrow and barrow round to the shed. Hire yourself a concrete mixer. I set the 8 main uprights into the concrete and built the rest of the cladding and roof off that
email/post them a bit later today
Gav, I am interested.
I am planning this as a project for the summer.
I am looking at installing power, STP data cabling and a TV aerial. Looking to make a semi secure home office setup and having a separate section for the normal shed etc.
Gavin, would you post the links here please? I'd be interested to see them as well. Thanks, Adam
Yes, I did it a few years back.Don't necessarily need a full concrete base. I put mine on a series of pillars made from bricks, morter and a top layer of concrete to level it. I made the base off the pillars and me and a mate lifted it on. This helped dodge any attempt of the planners to claim it was a permanent building as it could be moved. We had the whole structure up in a weekend and the worst bit was digging the cable trench.
for all you dreamers and schemers (like me) here's a couple, i've got another goodie bookmarked on the wife's laptop. will post in a minute...
check out the 'similar buildings' link, my fave is 7 down on the right.
http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm
everyone must've seen this one...
and found this one today whilst looking at surfboards, love the main featured one...
http://www.jontyhenshall.co.uk/view.php?type=buildings&id=2
his boards look cool too!
here's another, loads on the site but i particularly like this one. check out the interior shots, stove and floorboards especially...
http://www.blueforest.com/tree-house-gallery/gallery.php?id=16&s=1&f=1&a=23
[url= http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/wood_burning_stoves/Steel-workshop-stove.html ]Shed wood burning stoves[/url]
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built on a concrete base approx 8" deep.
i came up with this idea on my own and am willing to share it as i think it is almost genius:
water rots wood. any wood resting on or buried in the concrete will eventually rot meaning you may have to take the shed down, sort out the base and re-erect it. so....
on the concrete base mark out where the joists will sit, normally 400mm centres, running from front to back (the shortest distance). from front to back mark out approx at 500/600mm.
[img] 
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where these markings meet drill down (set depth on drill) to approx 5/6" using a 15mm bit.
using cement glue - get tihs in silicone gun type tubes, same stuff rock climbers use to fix ringy things into rock - set 15mm bolts taking care that they are as vertical as possible.
once set you can lay out the joists. use a nut with a decent size washer, drill out the joists to correspond with the bolts and lay over. get the first joist level and from there you can then set the height for all using a 4ft level.
i hope the diagram above makes sense.
make the frames for the walls on the ground and lift into place. brace off until all walls are up. from there it really is a piece of wee.
the shed above cost approx £1K inc. insulation in floor, walls and roof, carpet and the plasterboard inside. the two sides facing the garage and the fence are clad in plastic to save on maintenence. the four window frames on the right are self made. i stole the PVC window off a building site i was working on. the door i got for 80p from B&Q due to a cock-up by the girl at the till: reduced from £240 to £120 to £80 due to a blue mark. girl typed in 80 and didn't put the .00 after it. luckily i paid by card. the blue mark sanded out easily enough.
Built one at my old house. I put down a concrete base and then built a dwarf wall one concrete block high around the edge. I also put a damp proof membrane below the concrete and along the top of the dwarf wall. I then built a framework from 3x2 and faced it in 15mm shiplap to 2 sides. It was built into a corner against existing walls so the back and one side I prefabricated using 3x2 and exterior ply. For security I didn't put in windows but used clear roofing sheets for a two foot strip along the front of the roof which gave a really good light for working without turning it into a greenhouse.
Oh and then I moved!
You can check out what you can do without planning permission here:
[url= http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115315233153.html ]planning portal[/url]
yep did it a few years ago and it was fun and quite easy
where are you based? Can give you a few pointers if you want
1st plan
2nd plan
3rd have the right tools
measure twice cut once
enjoy
water rots wood. any wood resting on or buried in the concrete will eventually rot meaning you may have to take the shed down, sort out the base and re-erect it. so....
Oh no better not tell all those millions of people round the world that live on houses built on wooden piles! They might have to replace there houses in what 150 years or so time! ,0)
maybe, but on our old shed the base rotted through in about 8 years, rendering it useless.
http://www.logcabinbuildings.co.uk/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=catshow&ref=34mm&count=10&offset=10
looking at office for garden, this place seems reasonable, will haggle for cash and free delivery
also bit of info about building regs etc on there
not seen them as yet but working up there next week so will visit the showroom
Cheers all, certainly food for thought.
It'd have to be a pretty small structure, as we don't have a large garden.
I haven't yet got past the idle speculation stage yet!
do a search for "Tommy Walsh Ultimate Workshop"
He built one in his garden lots of good tips and hints
Oh shed! According to the planning portal my plan is a double no... no to my plan for a deck out front and a big NO because my house is listed. : (
Listed status adds a whole new dimension. BLoke at work wanted to put a (admittedly, large) wooden, temporary shed in the front garden of his listed property. Planners won't let him do it as the wood structure is no tin keepign withthe stone building.... and won't let him put up a stone structure as this won't be a temporary structure <rolls eyes!!>
On further inspection, it's not just his house that is listed, but a very large of his village, which is basically as far as he can see from his front door in any direction.
Gave up on the plan on the end, as once he'd asked the question the plannign officer got quite itnerested - the implication beign he worul be back periodically to check such a structure hadn't 'magically appeared overnight' 😉
<cough> Sorry for the spelling ^^^, it's been a long afternoon.... </cough>
if you want to go with a raised platform, i highly reccomend looking up a company called "spyra base"
they have "screw in" bases, that have a threaded platform, about 3" square that screws into the base.
the base screws into the ground, and the threaded platform can be spun to raise or lower it, then locked with a locking nut.
they are designed for both temporary and permenant structures (sheds)
it took me and my old man about 15 minutes to build and install a perfectly level, secure and stable base for a shed using 6 of them.
a bigger structure just uses more spyras.
Ahh, just saw this supercool structure and thought I would post it up:
http://gizmodo.com/5266490/portable-french-log-cabin-would-not-have-pleased-honest-abe
http://www.dezeen.com/2009/05/22/flake-house-by-olgga-architects/
If you've got £1.20 to spare this is worth a punt. I've got a copy, never used it in anger, but it's quite good at covering damp proofing issues and other stuff that seperate a shed from a workshop.
[url] http://www.amazon.co.uk/Workshop-Construction-Practice-Jim-Forrest/dp/185486131X [/url]