How To Build A Shed From Scratch
May 15, 2010 by Larry Kelly
Filed under Storage Shed Plans
There are a variety of plans on the internet that explain how to build a shed on your own. There are also a lot of variations. These are the basic steps for creating exterior housing for your personal mementos and tools.
Sheds range from extremely small to extremely large. The size of the shed should be determined by its purpose. If you plan on storing a lot of things then the unit will need to be large, if you are only going to store a few things then it can be relatively small.
Make sure that your shed is protected from the outside climate. This is especially important if you plan to store valuables or things that may mildew like fabric. You can even add insulation to the walls to help control the environment further.
Sheds are built beginning with the floor and working up. The first step is to add the deck piers that will be used as the supporting foundation for you storage unit. You can find ready made deck piers at most hardware stores.
The next step in building your unit will be to attach beams to the deck piers. These are going to be the beginning of your future floor. They will help to support the weight of shed contents, making them very important.
Once the beams are down add some floor joists. These are the next layer in flooring.
The floor joists need to covered in plywood flooring that is at least 3/4″ thick. The plywood should be adhered to the floor joists by either being nailed or screwed down every 6″. If you are going to screw these joists to the deck piers you should always use three inch deck screws.
After the floor is set you will want to get started on your walls. You need to construct 4 stud walls using 2″ X 4″ studs. The studs need to be placed about every 16 inches around the perimeter of the building. You of course want to create a space for any doors or windows that you will be adding at this point.
In order to provide plenty of spaces for hanging shelves and tools on the wall you will need to add vertical boards to your studs. These are known as noggings. You should always interlace four rows of vertical noggings along your walls.
Now it is time to add the floor plate. Add a floor plate that is made of 2X4’s along the bottom perimeter of the building. Use this floor plate to help join the frames together at the four corners. Make sure that everything is flush and level.
Now it is time to add the floor. Add top plates around the frame in the same manner you added the bottom plates. Cut and fix two beams on top and middle of the top plates. Now you can move on to the rafters. Rafters should always be around 2″ apart. Adding noggings to the rafters will help to support the roof.
Cover the rafters with 1/2″ plywood. Add three rows of purlins to the plywood on both sides of the roof. After this is in place you need to add Fascia board as an underlay. Make sure that the Fascia board is flush with all of the purlin.
Now it is time to add your roofing. Most folks go with corrugated metal roofing for their shed. After that add underlay and finally the material that you have chosen for walls can be installed. Add your doors and windows and you are finished.
Many homeowners could make use of additional garden or lawn storage, but need shed plans for instructions. Now you can easily download shed plans and have all the outdoor storage you need.
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