All Good Things Are Built On A Solid Foundation
Posted on Published: March 25, 2021 By:
Categories Gardening
If you do a lot of home upkeep or DIY projects, or a lot of gardening, then you might soon find yourself running out of space to store all of your tools and equipment. If your home doesn’t already have a good shed in the garden, ready for a busy summer of gardening, then now could be the time to build one. Unlike other build projects, a shed is a simple enough build that you can probably manage all or most of the task by yourself. Follow these tips to make sure that the shed you build is solid now and for many years to come.
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Once you have your budget worked out, (you can work out the cost to build a shed with a calculator), the first step of the build is to make sure that you have chosen the right spot in the garden to build your new shed. Water is a big problem for wood, and as most sheds are made out of wood, it’s important to make sure that you choose a location that stays dry. Ideally, you want the shed to be a little bit above the immediately surrounding area, so any water can drain away from it.
Assuming that your shed isn’t going to be a huge structure, you can probably build an ‘on-grade’ foundation. This is made with wither solid concrete, or pressure-treated wood timbers (also known as skids). You can put your foundation directly onto the leveled ground. If you decide to use concrete, it’s important that you don’t use standard cinder blocks. The hollows in cinder blocks mean that they will not be able to stand up to the pressure of the shed on top, or the elements.
Water will erode wood very quickly, so you must ensure that your shed will have good air-flow. Build your mudsill, which is the lowest wood part of your shed, at least half a foot above the ground.
It’s also a good idea to try and leave about three feet of space on all sides of your shed. This space lets your shed be exposed to the wind and the sunlight, which will help to remove any moisture and clear away mildew. It will also make life easier for you when you want to paint the shed.
Your floor frame needs to be sturdy in order to stand up to a lot of use. No matter how careful you are, it will definitely get wet occasionally, and you will be walking on it every time you go into the shed. Your floor frame has to be able to stand up to this. Use pressure-treated lumber that is at least two inches thick for the floor frame, because anything else will eventually fall apart. For the floor deck, you need exterior-grade plywood. Avoid anything too thin, as it will flex in between the joints.
The roof is one of the most complicated parts of building a shed. Every other element is pretty easy to work out how to do, but can you build a roof that isn’t going to leak? Roof trusses work well. You can build roof trusses on your shed deck and just raise them up when your walls are finished. Each truss should be installed above a stud, and you can then put the shingling on afterward with much less hassle.
Because a shed is going to stay out in the backyard and isn’t a permanent structure like your home, you can get away with choosing a few things that would unappealing on your house but can save you a bit of time and money on your build. Using PVC trim boards, for example, will save you time painting and will pretty much never need any attention. The same goes for faux-slate roof shingles, fiberglass doors, and composite decking for the steps leading to the shed door.
Once you have finished building your shed, you could consider asked a qualified property inspection professional to make sure that everything is on order. A property inspection will be able to check that your deck isn’t going to collapse any time soon, and can see any problems that might become apparent later on. They can even suggest some ways for you to save time and money next time you need to do any repairs on the shed.
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All Good Things Are Built On A Solid Foundation
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