[Closed] shed wars

Get one made to your liking by a joiner/carpenter, solid concrete base first then find a chippy, with that sort of cash!!!! I made my own mancave using concrete fence posts and the concrete plinths up to the top, sealed up then insulated inside with a upvc clad on the inside, basic timber felted pitch roof and a nice solid timber door, bit overkill but my livelyhood (tools) live in there.

For the love of Shed don't go to B&Q, awful sheds. Even there 'show' sheds are knackered.

Like bigphil says, get a chippy in and take pride in your sanctuary

For a 6 x 4 shed, the base will cost £1000 alone I'm afraid

I got one built with no windows and a flat (pent) roof to maximise height (to hang bikes). It is basically 8 foot x 10 foot box

6m x 4m is just a bit shy of mine (8m x 4m).

Here's where I'm at so far:

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8473/8083388554_8a8ab6217b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8473/8083388554_8a8ab6217b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/8083388554/ ]Half a day's work[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/brf/ ]brf[/url], on Flickr

A good base would be £2k+ in concrete, or you could lay slabs on sand yourself, but it still cost a few hundred in materials. For reference, my base cost me £4k, but I went down the full Building Control route, so 90cm footings and 15cm slab on hardcore.

Brickie starts Tuesday...

For a 6 x 4 shed, the base will cost £1000 alone I'm afraid

i'm building a shed, not a bunker.

anyone used ecobase?

Or scour the loot for free bricks or hardcore, hire a whacker and just have a crush and run as a base, better than just grass, dig out first obv, and jesus how much u lot pay for redimix!!!! Iv just finished filling a pit that took 12cube n.it cost me 400!!!!! Wowzas!!!! I do have a good rappor with the local cement/grabber/stone merch though, tbh the best way is a custom jobbie, the shite prebuilt ones aint worth a ****.

Brickie starts Tuesday...

That ain't no shed.

Are you at all handy with a saw and a hammer ?

Look online for plans

Find a local saw mill.

Youll be surprised what you can build.

1k for someone else to do it wont get you much , i was lookng at that for an 8x 10 foot shed pre built to assemble on site for something that wouldnt fall down if i farted inside.

I built it with wood twice as thick and strong and better treated for 300, but i had borrowed a chop saw , table saw and 2 a pair of nail guns - took 2 days to finish up with a single pitch timber roof.

Footflaps , your base is stupid though , your building control guy is off his head.

6m x 4m is just a bit shy of mine (8m x 4m).

doesnt have to be the full plot. i reckon 12x10ft would be enough.

Are you at all handy with a saw and a hammer ?

handy enough but with a year old son, time is precious...

Footflaps , your base is stupid though , your building control guy is off his head.

I don't disagree, but it will be standing for a good few generations...

Someone is obviously bored.

I made my own mancave using concrete fence posts and the concrete plinths up to the top,

did you need planning permission for that? sounds permanent

Could do what i did, the concrete plinth/post route cost me all in 500ish, but i did it myself and my labourer had a couple o "sick" days : ) but i have my own sthil saw, posthole bore etc but if you have good mates that could lend u theirs or u ask a favour n supply sausage butties n brews n a crate at the end of the job im sure theyd help, as i have done so in the past for my pals, mates rates n all that, now i have cheaper insurance and a free gym membership for my help on their houses for free. Flavour for a flavour!!!!

I'm interested in this too. We're looking to move house and all the best ones have plenty of room but no garage so I assumed I could build a garage sized timber shed. I was assuming concrete floor, concrete fence posts set in concrete for the supports, timber walls insulated on the inside. A grand or two would be fine as a budget but I didn't realise how much a concrete base would be.

Is that just cost of concrete or the full cost of laying? I was assuming I could do all the grunt work myself, digging the hole and putting the edges on and then just buy some wet concrete to fill it in, is it not that simple?

Or no base at all. This chap seems to have built a great wooden shed.

[url] http://www.shedblog.co.uk/sf-forum/shedbuild/studio-shed-build-blog/ [/url]

Our favourite house (that we'd struggle to afford), has a large paved area with a summer house on it. I could pull that down and built just a wooden shed on top of that.

Shop around or ask builder mates to order it for u, as average joe bloggs ringing a concrete place instantly pays top whack, its hard!!! U have half an hour from when the mixer arrives to when it leaves, in that time u must make sure its in situ ie in all nooks and crannies, then try to level as much as poss, there is a minimum order for the mixers, and its done per cubic metre, then needs to be tamped and allowed to "go off" before polising with a power float or easy float, the last pit i did in large terms was at a large bodyshop darn sarf, i had to hire a 3tonne dumper just to unload the mix into quick enough as the mixer couldent get into the bodyshop, however you can get it "piped" in but be prepared for a wallett busting increase, save money and hire/borrow a good mixer and get some help, a good strong 3-1 mix with small chippings and a day of sweat.

I need to come build you lot some sheds! A grand for a shed base! I'd be pulling up in a range rover with my shovel in the back at those rates!!

I put up a used sectional concrete garage in my garden as a shed.
Did the 6" x 9' x 16' deep concrete base myself, cost around £270 IIRC.
Used a broken up patio and as hardcore under the concrete.

Above poster on the same planet as me lmfao, we should join up n charge em 1k lol : ) some people definatley get their arses felt for building work unfortunatley.

I don't mind doing a load of hard work, quite happy in fact.

6x4 meters is pretty big, a concrete base would be best, even if your not expecting pyramid type lifespan.

I built one with a similar ground area to that, do you really want one that big that still looks shed like?

I didn't, mine cost 3k all in with me doing the base, 2.4m x 8.2m.

Could have shaved about £800 off that, but as te 8.2 side faces the house I used 2 double glazed windows & french doors, better security & looks, instead of usual rubbish shed ones.

A local shed builder/saw mill should see you right and means you can spec it to suit your needs.

I've a 10x12' wooden shed and it's plenty big enough. Double doors and reinforced floor (had a motorbike when I ordered it) with a couple of windows came to about £700 tens years ago. A quick look about and it seems the prices aren't too far off that now. It now houses 6 bikes, all bike/garden stuff, work bench, tumble dryer, washing machine, boiler, fridge freezer and much assorted junk. When tidy there's enough room to move about and do man-stuff.

did you need planning permission for that? sounds permanent

Probably not, I didn't for my 8m x 4m x 4m tall workshop, although I went down the Planning route just to cover myself in case of any hassle down the line. The cost was negligible in the whole scheme.

Above poster on the same planet as me lmfao, we should join up n charge em 1k lol : ) some people definatley get their arses felt for building work unfortunatley.

Interestingly, buying all the stuff myself and DIYing a fair bit, plus project managing tradespeople, the whole thing is coming in at well under half the quotes I had from local builders, so God knows what their mark ups are....

Theres quite a lot of rules regarding sheds, some of them nearly every shed in the land does not conform too.

Supposed to be 1m from the boudary for a start, nearly every shed i know is within about 1ft of the boundary!!

For reference, my base cost me £4k

😯

[img] https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UkVYzv6JFyY/TGjpvRzfpZI/AAAAAAAAGmc/ZzLK-U0MwMA/s576/CIMG0364.JPG [/img][img] https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xjdsY8liu-A/TGEDcS2R3VI/AAAAAAAAGjw/YmIVsiTz374/s800/CIMG0318.JP G" target="_blank">https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UkVYzv6JFyY/TGjpvRzfpZI/AAAAAAAAGmc/ZzLK-U0MwMA/s576/CIMG0364.JPG [/img][img] https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xjdsY8liu-A/TGEDcS2R3VI/AAAAAAAAGjw/YmIVsiTz374/s800/CIMG0318.JP G"/> [/img]

It depends on local planning/building regs but for me any structure can be built away from property for storage, i demolished my old timber shed and in its place the "bunker" went up but as its bin painted and has a felt roof neighbours think its timber, but my neighbours are fantastic as i do all their building work for next to nowt, its true some builders have to make a living but some take the piss i learned lots of jobs at reasonable prices and repeat custom is paramount, not feel your arse huge jobs make 5k profit then scarper, i know a plasterer that charges per day and hes very very good on the other hand theres a wanna be plasterer fresh from these 4day courses charging twice what my time served qualified approved contractor is charging, the best way is to get as many quotes as possible, use your friends builders who have done work for them and you can see what theyve paid for dont just ring up ads in papers use reccomended lads and that way u cnt go wrong, or do what you feel comfy with then when ur stuck ring said tradesman as the bulk of the work is allways in the prep : )

For reference, my base cost me £4k

Packer, it's basically a house foundation...

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8298/7986386745_2704d04742.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8298/7986386745_2704d04742.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/7986386745/ ]Pumping concrete 60m[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/brf/ ]brf[/url], on Flickr

Jesus thats the best shed base iv sin n i thought mine was overkill !!!!! At least youve done it right pal!!

Why though ? unless you're going to put a house on it ?

Wow. I guess that is what you call a "shed for life" !

I did this at the beginning of the year and I have to say £1K isn't going to go anywhere.

I had a mate who does this sort of thing clear my old plot and hand lay a new 5 X 4m concrete base.

Material and a week of his time was approx £900.
£300 on two skips - you'll be amazed as to how much 5hite you can end up shifting and waste disposal is bludy expensive now.

I got a custom 4.8 X 3.6m shed from [url= http://www.passmores.co.uk/ ]Passmores[/url] who were excellent and 1/2 the price of the cheapest local firm (£2.1K). Definitely recommend them, if for no other reason than two blokes erected this beasty in under 3 hours in the rain.

I have spent another £2K or so on further landscaping and what seemed like 5 sq miles of MDF and celotex insulation boards for the shed interior.

I did consider DIY the full build but if you're anything like me, you'll need to [b]quadruple[/b] any time estimate you may have come up with.

This reminds me, I really must sort out my build snaps

The diy piles that the guy on the shed blog thing were cool, that has set my inner shonkmeister thinking about my shed proj.

Why though ? unless you're going to put a house on it ?

I went down the Building Control route and that was what was required. It's a brick built building with dual pitched roof - basically no different to a bungalow in construction.

£300 on two skips - you'll be amazed as to how much 5hite you can end up shifting and waste disposal is bludy expensive now.

Yep, tell me about it - I filled four 8 yard skips to the brim (and beyond) clearing out the plot - spent £600 on skips alone...

What's it's end purpose fella ?

To be a 'shed' or more than a shed ?

footflaps

Yep, tell me about it - I filled four 8 yard skips to the brim (and beyond) clearing out the plot - spent £600 on skips alone...

Lol Yeah I thought I could clear a load of crap out of the loft when the first one arrived. Fat chance.

Oh and don't under estimate the amount of physical effort this sort of thing needs.

We have a 50m run downhill to the bottom of the garden and had to barrow EVERYTHING to and fro. Pushing rubbish and soil up to those skips was 'fun' but not nearly as much hand barrowing 6 tonnes of gabion stone to build a retaining wall 🙁

I went down the Building Control route and that was what was required. It's a brick built building with dual pitched roof - basically no different to a bungalow in construction.

Surely that's a garage, not a shed?

Surely that's a garage, not a shed?

Similar yes, only there's no road access and I don't have a car......

Similar yes, only there's no road access and I don't have a car......

Alright, not a garage. But not a shed, either. A workshop.

Lol! THIS IS A THREAD ABOUT SHEDS GODDAMIT! 😀

I'm thinking about upgrading my cheap shedmaster shed to a more robust structure - I have a 12" base about 7" hardcore and 5" concrete with a load of that wire mesh stuff in (and massive bike anchor), that's 17x14' - I was told it was overbuilt at the time it was made.

Can I retrofit a damp proof course? I was thinking about an insulated section shed, there is place over here that appears to build good ones and I'd like to run power to the shed for a chest freezer and store my homebrew (at the moment it's no good in summer as it's not insulated).

Would the bike anchor be a problem point? Or anything else I'll have to budget in?

If the shed base is proud of the surrounding ground you could just lay DPC over it and put the new shed on top? I doubt you'll get a lot of damp through 5" of concrete unless you're really waterlogged....

I'm going to have to go and check now that I have been reading up on the subject.

It's a standalone base that looks like it's almost flush with ground (about 1" proud) as on 2 sides it's surrounded by gravel paths and on the other 2 sides (next to the fences), there is nothing but a 5" drop or so to the hardcore/ground.

I'm hoping that there is a dpc between the concrete and hardcore - but I don't recall seeing it and I missed that bit of the construction.

I'm on clay and I have reeds growing in my lawn, further down the estate they regularly flood so i guess I am that waterlogged.

But back in the real world 😉 If you have some flat land that is currently say, grassed....

Could you dig down say a foot, tip a load of hardcore in, place some large concrete slabs on top of that and have a solid enough base for building a large wooden shed on like trail rat's (probably a bit bigger than that)?

What base did you put down there trail rat?

I would have thought so Samuri, a quick google shows very large sheds built on piers rather than on solid bases, I guess you are going to get better air flow.

See about a quarter of the way down this page

http://www.squidoo.com/wood-shed-plans-step-by-step-success

Samuri - that's what I'm doing.
I'm building 4 inches off the hardcore using concrete fence posts as runners.
Dimensions are 4.8m x 3.5m with a corner cut off quite a long way.

I was advised by a joiner friend that it'd be fine. It's clay beneath the hardcore and had a shed on it before which never moved.

The hardcore was already there. We used 6 x £14 posts and 4 medium density blocks (ground falls away a few inches at the narrow end). Total cost £90.

I'll probably put some DPM strip everwhere a joist touches the concrete post.

With a bit more budget, I might have gone for 9 of these, but they come in at roughly £30 each:
http://www.swiftfoundations.co.uk/swift_mini_plinth.php

If your going to spend 2k + on a concrete base for a shed why not save your cash,

level the ground and get a 20 ft container put in

all sorts of fittings are available for them and more secure than a timber shed

1k is a lot to play with if you do that sort of thing for a living, remember its 60-70% of your total bill is labour cost average joe can go bnq n get a "trade" card when bnq charge 60odd quid for some golden gravel deliverd in a tonne bag, whilst i go to the salvage yard and get two bags deliverd for that, bark chippings cost a bomb, i go to my local farm, FREE!!!! Iv even bagged some and sold it to customers who wanted it, builders etc price so highly because what you dont see is the travel to get to price the job, fuel to the merchants, the hours of paperwork at home estimating and ringing said merchants and then collecting the gear, i allways have a 10% buffer zone in my jobs for muck ups, ie i didnt order enough sealant on a job, most would bullshit and say errrr i need more money for more materials from the client, which is unprofessional, if buffer zone isnt used it gets refunded back to customer, which is probably why im never out of work and employ two lads full time.

Samuri

I scraped backthe gravel

Put down some sand

Laid 9 or 10 slabs

Base iirc was 8x2 treated.

Land lord bought it off me when i left as he was impressed with it - every other shed he put up had blown down.

i believe a shed a shed is classed a as temporary structure therefore no need for planning permission. think some of the prices being quoted on here make me feel like starting my own business.

Planning definitely does apply to sheds. There are certain criteria to meet to make it 'Permitted Development'
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/outbuildings/miniguide

"Could you dig down say a foot, tip a load of hardcore in, place some large concrete slabs on top of that and have a solid enough base for building a large wooden shed on like trail rat's (probably a bit bigger than that)?"

Back in the days of life in black and white instead of colour before Portacabins were on the go our site huts were always just founded on 3 x 2 slabs and I don't recall any problems.

At least not until my boss wanted half a dozen for his own shed when we were clearing a site and, due to his loss of licence, I had to drive the Morris Minor Traveller with that lot in the back. A bit like steering a boat with the nose in the air.

http://pinterest.com/jocelynlr/cabin-shed-porn/

No actual porn

If it's shed wars, good luck tracking this guy down:

[img] [/img]

On the subject of planning, I understand there is a 2.5m height limit before consent is required.

There's also a limit on how close you can be to neighbour boundaries which IIRC is 2m

m1kea, pretty sure the boundary thing is 1m, but yes 2.5m high..

Every shed in the land falls foul of the boundary one though.

Mine is OK with 1 of those regulations....... Just, & depending how you measure it. 😉

You can build right up to the boundary (although obviously don't dump all the rainwater off their side, etc). But then the 2.5m height rule comes into play.
15sqm floor limit.
If further away than 2m from boundary, you can build eves at 2.5m and 4m overall height on a dual-pitch roof.

It's all in that Planning Portal link a few posts up.

If you're in a conservation area though, you're screwed.

You could just put in some simple concrete 'piles' and then DPC on top. I had to do this with my workshop, as the walls are built straight on the earth and there was 'leakage' with water seeping off the road (which is higher on one wall). Like this, but outside:

[IMG] [/IMG]

And £1k doesn't go far, once spending starts... Electrics aren't cheap either.