"John" wrote in message
...
Our potting shed will need replacing this year and if SWMBO gets her way
we'll be getting a summerhouse as well. I want good quality and am
considering building them myself. I've found shed/summerhouse plans for
sale (£15) at :

http://www.gardenbuildings.freeserve.co.uk/

Just wondered if anyone has used plans from this guy? Any good?

BTW - no connection whatsoever with the site.

TIA.
--
Regards,

John.



take a look at


http://www.readersheds.co.uk/readersheds/share.cfm


people love their shed and send photos of them.

build your own - copy the plans from those at the garden centre and use wood
preserver on the floor

good luck and many happy hours with your shed.


YorkieDave

Peter Parry pushed briefly to the front of the
queue on Fri, 07 Mar 2003 22:49:25 +0000, and nailed this to the shed
door:

^ On Fri, 7 Mar 2003 21:35:00 +0000, John wrote:
^
^ Our potting shed will need replacing this year and if SWMBO gets her way
^ we'll be getting a summerhouse as well. I want good quality and am
^ considering building them myself. I've found shed/summerhouse plans for
^ sale (£15) at :
^
^ Plans? For a shed? Terminally sad creature you are. If you need
^ plans for a shed you will find uk.rec.sheds much more educational.

Fat lot you appear to know. If you need plans for a shed, uk.rec.sheds
is possibly the most inappropriate place in the known universe.

(urs added to froup list, for a laugh)

^ Sheds are not planned - they evolve (mainly from primordial slime and
^ some left over sheets of plywood).

On the other hand, a fairly accurate summary of the art of
shed-molishing according to urs, on the infrequent occasions that it
ever has anything to say on the subject.

Andy

--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk

"Personally, I would rather share the road
with a good driver with 80mg/l
than some of the clowns I see every day cold sober"
Martin Dixon, uk.rec.sheddizen

Tony Morgan pushed briefly to the front of
the queue on Sat, 8 Mar 2003 03:04:42 +0000, and nailed this to the
shed door:

^ In message , Dennis
^ writes
^
^ "Peter Parry" wrote in message
^ .. .
^ On Fri, 7 Mar 2003 21:35:00 +0000, John wrote:
^
^ Sheds are not planned - they evolve (mainly from primordial slime and
^ some left over sheets of plywood).
^
^ Yours might matey, I prefer a bit of forethought unless you want a shed
^ worthy
^ of the local council estate.
^
^ Forethought certainly, but buying *plans* ?
^ It's hardly rocket science - just four walls with cutouts/frames for
^ door(s) and window(s), and two roof panels (and you don't have to have
^ two of those).

Good theory. Ever put it into practice?

Andy

--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk

"Personally, I would rather share the road
with a good driver with 80mg/l
than some of the clowns I see every day cold sober"
Martin Dixon, uk.rec.sheddizen

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

snipped...

Because of this, I can't advise on buying sheds,

AFAIR the question on plans for the building of sheds, implies the
building of a shed - not buying one :-)

but I can say that not skimping on the foundations, preservative and
roofing will make a major difference to the life of a shed. Note that
a foundation's main purpose is to keep the ground wet away from the
shed, and so need only be a single layer of paving slabs and some 4"x2"
heavily treated bearers (yes, tanalised or equally toxic).

Totally agree. However I wonder if the plans that John asked about
included plans for the foundations.

I think that most of the posts in this thread suggest that plans for the
building of a shed are not required in order to reach a satisfactory
conclusion.

Sheds can range from nailed-together bits of left-overs, through the
usual wooden-framed waveney lapped exterior with ply felt covered roof
(as seen in most DIY/garden centres, through to those with ply/board
exteriors with insulation and inner lining (a sort of second home to
spend those long winter nights in).

To try and be constructive, my advice to John is to:

1. Decide on how big you want your shed (usually determined by
where you intend to put it and what you want to use it for).

2. Get a pad of square-ruled paper and draw out the walls to
the size you require. Draw in verticals at about 18" distance
between them.

3. Superimpose where you want your windows and door.

4. Find room to lay out the outside frame of the largest wall
and using 4'x2' timber construct the outside of the wall
frame.

5. Use 2'x2' verticals at the positions on your plan (approx 18"
apart). Cutting them all to the same length at the same
time prevents errors.

6. Repeat (4) and (5) for the opposite wall(s) making up on
top of the facing wall frame so they are exactly the same
size.

7. Put a fillet or small diagonal brace (using any left-over
off-cuts of either 4"x2" or 2"x2") in the corners to brace
and keep at right-angles while assembling.

8. Cut the verticals where you want your windows/door
and fit 4"x2" across top and bottom of each window
and across the top of the door. Fit an extra vertical
piece of 4"x2" against the 2"x2" verticals for door
hinge strengthening (glue with weatherproof glue
as well as screwing).

9. Construct the door (and window) frame using the
related opening, using 2"x2" (window) and 4"x2" (door)
. Staple some cardboard squares into the frame to distance
the door/window for clearance. Fit fillets in the corners
to brace (temporary ones for the windows). Brace
the door frame with a horizontal 4"x2" about midway up,
and with a diagonal between top and middle and between
middle and bottom horizontal.

10. Using an end-wall as a template, construct your roof
trusses with 4"x2". I'd suggest for 6' long shed just end
trusses, 8' to 12' long three trusses (2 ends and a middle
one). Allow 6" overhang at each side of the trusses with
about 30 degrees slope. Put a small notch in each
side to engage in the top of the end wall. Put a fillet
in at the correct angle at the ridge (on the inside of the
truss), and a horizontal brace where you've cut the
notches at the overhang. If you construct your trusses
against the end-wall frames you'll get a perfect fit.

10. Pre-drill the side frames and the roof trusses to take
screws when assembling (see 13 below). At this stage
you can (if you wish) assemble the end roof trusses to
the end-wall frames using weather-proof glue and screws.

11. On your foundations, lay one end wall-frame and chalk/pencil
the inside of the end (at each end) - this is to show you
when to place your side wall frames when assembling.

12. Erect your side walls to your chalk/pencil lines (in (10)
above). Use bracing to hold vertical. Providing that your
foundations are level you shouldn't need to use a spirit
level. It's a good idea at this stage to seal the bottoms
of the sides (and later the ends) to the foundations with
weather-proof mastic.

13. Erect your end walls to your side walls, using no-nails or
similar and screws in pre-drilled holes (see (10) above).

14. Board your walls according to what you've decided
(horizontal waveney lap fence panelling,
horizontal tongue-and-groove floor panelling, or exterior-
grand plywood). It's a good idea to apply preservative
while or before fitting waveney or tongue-and-groove
so that the bits that can't be seen are protected)

15. Fit intermediate roof trusses (if required depending on
the length of your shed), ridge post (4"x2"), notching
into the roof trusses, and (length-wise) battens - the
number according to the width of your shed.

16. Board your roof (either tongue-and-groove floor-boarding
laid horizontally or ply). Leave 6" overhang front and back,
and when laid screw a 2"x2" batten to the underside.

17. Lay 2 layers of bitumen roof-felting (you can make do with
one layer for small sheds) turning over the edges and
nailing to the battens. Overlap felting so that the rain runs
over the strip below. Use bitumen sealer at joins.
Secure with 0.5"x2" battens around the edge.

18. Get window frame(s) glazed and fit windows and door.
Fit door and window furniture. You can windproof the door
using battens and window-seal on the inside.

If you want a suspended floor, at stage (7) above, construct a floor
frame of
suitably sized timber (4"x2" or greater) and glue/screw 3/4" play on
top.
Make this at least 2" longer and wider than your shed ends/sides. Larger
sheds will require the frame to be more extensive to support. When
assembling, screw the bottoms of the sides/ends onto the floor.

The window(s) can be glazed using an inside 3/8" square bead glued and
pinned with half-round beading to hold the glass in.

You can, of course, do more (insulation and lining of the walls) but the
basic framework described here will permit you to do this at any time.

From the above suggestions and your own "plan", John, you can put
together a pretty accurate cutting list/costing for all the timber and
other items.

Sorry if this has been overly long, but it's very straightforward and
shouldn't take more than a day to complete once your foundations are in
place.

--
Tony Morgan

On 8 Mar 2003 02:44:45 -0800, (mike) wrote:



BTW, I think Peter's post was meant to be read with a wry smile.

I'm going to put labels on in the future for the humour impaired.
The first sentence was meant to be jocular, I'm now beginning to
think it might have been accurate.

The idea that a suggestion to look in uk.rec.sheds for discussion on
designing sheds could be taken seriously is completely bizarre!

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

"Tony Morgan" wrote in message
...
In message , Nick Maclaren

To try and be constructive, my advice to John is to:

snipped

Excellent!

I don't suppose I'll ever need another shed (ours are all well built on firm
foundations, one 60 years old, one 50) but I'm saving it to file anyway.

Mary

"Peter Parry" wrote in message
...
On 8 Mar 2003 02:44:45 -0800, (mike) wrote:

I'm going to put labels on in the future for the humour impaired.
The first sentence was meant to be jocular, I'm now beginning to
think it might have been accurate.

Peter, I'm sorry you said that. It compounds the offence.

Mary

Andy Spragg wrote:

(urs added to froup list, for a laugh)

Bloody dilettantes, don't they wot a Shed is for?...
--
Sn!pe - swept-back wings, afterburner lit, tank 5/8.

In article ,
Tony Morgan wrote:
In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

Because of this, I can't advise on buying sheds,

AFAIR the question on plans for the building of sheds, implies the
building of a shed - not buying one :-)

I should have said "buying or building"!

Totally agree. However I wonder if the plans that John asked about
included plans for the foundations.

Dunno. Whatever. Several people on this group can describe adequate
plans for free. I used some surplus 3'x2' concrete slabs (my garden
is full of the b*ggers) and 3"x3" tanalised bearers at c. 1'6"
spacing.

I think that most of the posts in this thread suggest that plans for the
building of a shed are not required in order to reach a satisfactory
conclusion.

Well, I wouldn't need them, but I am very experienced at many aspects
of DIY and have a good visuo-spatial imagination. I know people who
would have more difficulty.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...


I think that most of the posts in this thread suggest that plans for the
building of a shed are not required in order to reach a satisfactory
conclusion.

Well, I wouldn't need them, but I am very experienced at many aspects
of DIY and have a good visuo-spatial imagination. I know people who
would have more difficulty.

Yes. And I fall back on our family motto:

When all else fails read the instructions.

Mary

Snip

Unfortunately many sheds DO evolve from slime and leftovers but they are
usually inefficient and ugly. I wish you well in your ambition to build a
shed and do stick around. There are some extremely knowedgeable people
here,
and helpful and friendly ones. Peter is usually one such ...

And to slime they return ....

More snippage

All this has reminded me of a bizarre shed I saw on some allotments in the
fifties. It had been built totally fom house doors salvaged from bomb
damaged properties, even the roof was made from doors. All different colours
and designs, very weird.

Shazzbat

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...
Snip


All this has reminded me of a bizarre shed I saw on some allotments in the
fifties. It had been built totally fom house doors salvaged from bomb
damaged properties, even the roof was made from doors. All different
colours
and designs, very weird.

There are still some like that around.

You'd think they could all be painted the same colour ...

Mary

Shazzbat

"shazzbat" wrote
Snip
More snippage

All this has reminded me of a bizarre shed I saw on some allotments
in the
fifties. It had been built totally fom house doors salvaged from
bomb
damaged properties, even the roof was made from doors. All different
colours
and designs, very weird.
Shazzbat

Inspirational shed pictures at :
http://people.man.ac.uk/~zlsiida/sheds/jpgs/

Jenny

"Tony Morgan" wrote in message
...
In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

snipped...

Because of this, I can't advise on buying sheds,

AFAIR the question on plans for the building of sheds, implies the
building of a shed - not buying one :-)

but I can say that not skimping on the foundations, preservative and
roofing will make a major difference to the life of a shed. Note that
a foundation's main purpose is to keep the ground wet away from the
shed, and so need only be a single layer of paving slabs and some 4"x2"
heavily treated bearers (yes, tanalised or equally toxic).

Totally agree. However I wonder if the plans that John asked about
included plans for the foundations.

I think that most of the posts in this thread suggest that plans for the
building of a shed are not required in order to reach a satisfactory
conclusion.

Sheds can range from nailed-together bits of left-overs, through the
usual wooden-framed waveney lapped exterior with ply felt covered roof
(as seen in most DIY/garden centres, through to those with ply/board
exteriors with insulation and inner lining (a sort of second home to
spend those long winter nights in).

To try and be constructive, my advice to John is to:

1. Decide on how big you want your shed (usually determined by
where you intend to put it and what you want to use it for).

2. Get a pad of square-ruled paper and draw out the walls to
the size you require. Draw in verticals at about 18" distance
between them.

3. Superimpose where you want your windows and door.

4. Find room to lay out the outside frame of the largest wall
and using 4'x2' timber construct the outside of the wall
frame.

5. Use 2'x2' verticals at the positions on your plan (approx 18"
apart). Cutting them all to the same length at the same
time prevents errors.

6. Repeat (4) and (5) for the opposite wall(s) making up on
top of the facing wall frame so they are exactly the same
size.

7. Put a fillet or small diagonal brace (using any left-over
off-cuts of either 4"x2" or 2"x2") in the corners to brace
and keep at right-angles while assembling.

8. Cut the verticals where you want your windows/door
and fit 4"x2" across top and bottom of each window
and across the top of the door. Fit an extra vertical
piece of 4"x2" against the 2"x2" verticals for door
hinge strengthening (glue with weatherproof glue
as well as screwing).

9. Construct the door (and window) frame using the
related opening, using 2"x2" (window) and 4"x2" (door)
. Staple some cardboard squares into the frame to distance
the door/window for clearance. Fit fillets in the corners
to brace (temporary ones for the windows). Brace
the door frame with a horizontal 4"x2" about midway up,
and with a diagonal between top and middle and between
middle and bottom horizontal.

10. Using an end-wall as a template, construct your roof
trusses with 4"x2". I'd suggest for 6' long shed just end
trusses, 8' to 12' long three trusses (2 ends and a middle
one). Allow 6" overhang at each side of the trusses with
about 30 degrees slope. Put a small notch in each
side to engage in the top of the end wall. Put a fillet
in at the correct angle at the ridge (on the inside of the
truss), and a horizontal brace where you've cut the
notches at the overhang. If you construct your trusses
against the end-wall frames you'll get a perfect fit.

10. Pre-drill the side frames and the roof trusses to take
screws when assembling (see 13 below). At this stage
you can (if you wish) assemble the end roof trusses to
the end-wall frames using weather-proof glue and screws.

11. On your foundations, lay one end wall-frame and chalk/pencil
the inside of the end (at each end) - this is to show you
when to place your side wall frames when assembling.

12. Erect your side walls to your chalk/pencil lines (in (10)
above). Use bracing to hold vertical. Providing that your
foundations are level you shouldn't need to use a spirit
level. It's a good idea at this stage to seal the bottoms
of the sides (and later the ends) to the foundations with
weather-proof mastic.

13. Erect your end walls to your side walls, using no-nails or
similar and screws in pre-drilled holes (see (10) above).

14. Board your walls according to what you've decided
(horizontal waveney lap fence panelling,
horizontal tongue-and-groove floor panelling, or exterior-
grand plywood). It's a good idea to apply preservative
while or before fitting waveney or tongue-and-groove
so that the bits that can't be seen are protected)

15. Fit intermediate roof trusses (if required depending on
the length of your shed), ridge post (4"x2"), notching
into the roof trusses, and (length-wise) battens - the
number according to the width of your shed.

16. Board your roof (either tongue-and-groove floor-boarding
laid horizontally or ply). Leave 6" overhang front and back,
and when laid screw a 2"x2" batten to the underside.

17. Lay 2 layers of bitumen roof-felting (you can make do with
one layer for small sheds) turning over the edges and
nailing to the battens. Overlap felting so that the rain runs
over the strip below. Use bitumen sealer at joins.
Secure with 0.5"x2" battens around the edge.

18. Get window frame(s) glazed and fit windows and door.
Fit door and window furniture. You can windproof the door
using battens and window-seal on the inside.

If you want a suspended floor, at stage (7) above, construct a floor
frame of
suitably sized timber (4"x2" or greater) and glue/screw 3/4" play on
top.
Make this at least 2" longer and wider than your shed ends/sides. Larger
sheds will require the frame to be more extensive to support. When
assembling, screw the bottoms of the sides/ends onto the floor.

The window(s) can be glazed using an inside 3/8" square bead glued and
pinned with half-round beading to hold the glass in.

You can, of course, do more (insulation and lining of the walls) but the
basic framework described here will permit you to do this at any time.

From the above suggestions and your own "plan", John, you can put
together a pretty accurate cutting list/costing for all the timber and
other items.

Sorry if this has been overly long, but it's very straightforward and
shouldn't take more than a day to complete once your foundations are in
place.

--
Tony Morgan



If you follow Tony's directions you will end up with a *** last-forever ***
shed, but at a cost equal or more to a bought one : fine if you want the
peace of mind and the satisfaction of a good job done.

Compare instruction No4 : 4x2 timber for framing with the size used at your
local shed shop - probably 30mm (1 1/4") square for a "quality" shed if you
are lucky !

"Amateur" construction usually ends up far stronger than it really needs to
be. "Professional" construction is often pared to the bone to maximise
profits. Try to find a happy medium. Your floor should be considerably
stronger than a bought shed floor to allow for struggling with heavy movers,
shredders etc.. Follow the advice in this thread on foundations.

If you feel competent to follow a plan, then you are probably more than
capable of designing your own. A bit of research at the shed shop, draw up
any difficult bits and away you go.

BTW, I have not built my own shed - I needed one in a hurry. I do intend
however, to build an hexagonal summer house this year for she who must be
obeyed and - even after buying a circular saw and other equipment - expect
to save at least £1000 compared to the cost of a Dandf.

Mike

Nick Maclaren wrote:

Unfortunately many sheds DO evolve from slime and leftovers but they are
usually inefficient and ugly. I wish you well in your ambition to build a
shed and do stick around. There are some extremely knowedgeable people here,
and helpful and friendly ones. Peter is usually one such ...

And to slime they return ....

When we moved in, we had three sheds: the good, the bad and the ugly.

The last was an old chicken shed with a "foundation" of a single
layer of loose bricks - we demolished it with our bare hands, including
tearing the corrugated iron apart.

The second we used for years, as it leant over, yearning for the slime,
and burnt it a few years back. Its foundations were two layers of
loose bricks.

The third we moved, resoaked with creosote, reroofed and laid on paving
slabs and tanalised bearers. It was originally on poor-grade concrete,
which I broke up. At a guess, it is 50 years old and should last for
at least another 25, perhaps 50.

Because of this, I can't advise on buying sheds, but I can say that
not skimping on the foundations, preservative and roofing will make
a major difference to the life of a shed. Note that a foundation's
main purpose is to keep the ground wet away from the shed, and so
need only be a single layer of paving slabs and some 4"x2" heavily
treated bearers (yes, tanalised or equally toxic).

Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679

Must agree with that "not skimping on foundations" remark. Also
agree sheds should 'just happen' in response to need or the
availability of materials; preferably free materials!
But in my opinion, there are two approaches to 'foundations'.
1) Something substantial such as digging a trench to below frost
line, constructing a concrete block or poured concrete wall to
above ground level, the usual precautions against damp etc.
Expensive, heavy work and in most cases unnecessary (unless your
are building a garage or boat shed etc. designed to carry 6000
pounds on the floor etc.), in which case a concrete floor is
almost a necessity.
Typical garden shed on posts to allow ventilation and prevention
of rot and damp underneath.
We have two. Both are same colour/trim as house with similar
horizontal clapboard cladding.
2a) One is about 25+ years old (built from scrap wood originally
as a playhouse for son!) about two metres square; on four long
posts (actually fir trees that I cut myself) set into the ground
which extend up as the four corner posts of the shed. Last year I
levelled it, repaired some of the siding (old pine clapboard) and
repaired part of the roof. If/when they do more repairs to the
local school roof I'll 'buy' a tub of hot tar and do over the
roof slopes with it and some/sand gravel. Be good for another 25
years! So this shed is on four corner posts and its floor is
about 15 inches above ground. Because it is some 40 feet from the
house it normally houses petrol for the lawn mower etc.
2b) The gift of some four foot by eight foot, third hand 19mm and
13 mm plywood (one piece had been part of a large sign, some of
the rest part of a roof, decided the second shed built as an
addition to the house and a wall that flanks the patio/deck.
Although attached to the house and said fence, there are a
minimum number of attachments to the house so that it can be
removed if when necessary without damage/effect. Sheds last 25-50
years, houses usually longer! This shed is built on posts also;
its floor is about 12 inches above ground, ventilation beneath
(after all the snow which has both of them half buried at the
moment, has gone) is excellent. Although a refuge for
neighbourhood cats!
Use preserved (pressure treated) wood posts, old telephone pole
scraps for the posts if you can get them. Put them in and cut off
level with a chain saw. A post hole digger and crowbar are best
aids to digging the holes. If you do concrete the posts into the
ground (unnecessary!) don't fill the holes to ground level with
concrete; frost may 'heave' or lift that concrete plug,
especially if there is no snow cover during cold weather.
The other important end is the roof! Impermeable yes, roof/shed
adequately ventilated and with sufficient overhangs (despite our
high winds) to keep roof water and melting snow away.
Shed building is lots of fun creating/building something
useful/functional, doing the d-i-y thing!
Ideas anyway.