My First Shed 16x24

[chevyaddict]

I have been reading all the posts on here for a while. I figured it was time for me to add to this community. I am building my first shed. It is nothing exciting at this point - just pillars sticking out of the ground. Since the ground had such a severe slope and ground was soft I decided to dig and install pillars.

This is what I started with

My first hole dug. Don't mind the mess in front. That was from my neighbor - he had just received 30 truck loads of "FREE" fill dirt and wanted to share. He extended a part of my yard 10 feet.

Yard extension

My daughter helping me with the project. She sure is pretty quick with that little shovel.

Material arrived. Fork lift was too tall to fit in my garage.

So we moved it by hand.

Knowing that I had 90 bags of sakrete to mix - picked up a mixer from Harbor Freight.

Poured a footer for each pillar with rebar and then starting pouring the pillars

All pillars finally poured

Ground cleaned up and put on a rough grade.

Now this all took about 3 months and seems like such a simple task to install some pillars. Southern clay and roots are no joke. Now you are all caught up - I get start actually building something. Hopefully weather permitting - shed floor will start going together this weekend.

--Geoff

 

[cyclopsblown34]

You doing this all yourself? That takes some gumption. Keep up the good work.

 

[chevyaddict]

Thanks for the support. Yes just me. I have drug my wife and son to help when the can. My son would rather play xbox than play in the dirt - go figure.

On the other hand my wife will come to help when our 3yr old is cooperating or taking a nap.

--Geoff

 

[chevyaddict]

Weekend update. I was hoping to have a lot more accomplished, but getting the skids level took longer than I thought. I have 12' skids with a hope to land on the center pillar, but this did not always work out. So I had to come up with a solution to support the span in case both skids did not land directly on the center of the pillar.

This is what I came up with...

The lengthy process was what I did underneath. I cut out a 2' section on each skid that measured the thickness of a 2x6.

Then put the skids together to make a single board.

I still need to work to get these a little more level. It appears to be about 1/8 off level cross a 8' span.

Is 1/8 enough to worry about?

Thanks

Geoff C

 

[chadwimc]

Other than a gusset on the side to keep 'em from moving, I don't think I would worry about that small of a miss.

An 1/8 of an inch across 8 feet?!?!? My level wouldn't even notice it...

 

[chevyaddict]

Other than a gusset on the side to keep 'em from moving, I don't think I would worry about that small of a miss.

An 1/8 of an inch across 8 feet?!?!? My level wouldn't even notice it...

The first picture in my last post shows the sistering of the skids. Would this be considered a gusset here?

Also I am going to pick up another level just to make sure. You made me question my level and I dont want to be off here.

--Geoff C

 

[novaboy009]

1/8th over 8 feet is nothing. You'll never notice it.

 

[JimVonBaden]

IMHO a few bolts through those connections would ensure a strong, long, life.

Looks like a LOT of work for one man. I'll be watching this with a cool one in hand.

Jim

 

[andyztoy]

your so called shed is bigger then my garage

 

[chevyaddict]

I really appreciate everyones feedback. Taking this slow and really only get to work on this on the weekends so this wont be a quick build.

IMHO a few bolts through those connections would ensure a strong, long, life.

Looks like a LOT of work for one man. I'll be watching this with a cool one in hand.

Jim

Good Idea

your so called shed is bigger then my garage

I plan to use the shed as my workshop as well and trying squeeze every last square inch I can. My wife is worried how tall this will be . The floor will start around 3.5' feet off the ground. Once I backfill will dirt and gravel and wont look as dramatic (I hope). I have a garage 34x28, but I am always fighting for space with the wife and kids. So this way I get to move some projects out of the garage and into the shed.

Plus my brother has just joined the coast guard and now wants me to store all of his stuff for him. Need to figure out where to put all of this. Thinking about weather proofing under the shed for somekind of storage. Thoughts??

--Geoff C

 

[chevyaddict]

I was able to make some more progress this weekend. PT 16Ft boards are freakin heavy.

I took advice from JimVonBaden and put lags thru the sistered boards (both sides and bottom). This shed is being built like a tank.

--GeoffC

 

[Kevin54]

Why so high off the ground? I know that you said it shouldn't look so high with dirt and backfill, but are you going to do that before you put a floor on?

 

[chevyaddict]

The front right is only 8" off the ground - which made the back right 36" off the ground. When I bring grade back to the shed - It will be level with the floor. If I had gone lower - the building would have been buried.

I have a lot of work to do for grade. But all of this will have to wait until this building is up so I can take down the building in front of it.

If this does not make sense - let me know. I am new to all of this.

--GeoffC

 

[noid1037]

Do you have an idea what kind of shed you are going to build? Gable, what kind of doors and other building materials? What is the expected budget? I am thinking of doing a very very similar build and just thinking from all the posting of other sheds/outbuildings what I can glean. Thanks! Good luck and I am monitoring!

 

[chevyaddict]

I had a concept I was starting with...

It is a Gable style shed and I have plans - I have modified the plans some as I go to work for me. I would be happy to share the plans I have with you. Just PM me when you get a chance.

I plan to have 8x8 roll-up door and a side man door. Still trying to figure out windows and where I would put them. I am leaning towards 10ft walls for the extra height and storage. If I go 10ft walls I will have a low pitch 4/12 for the roof. This is already going to be taller than my house - dont want it to stand out more than it has to.

Siding I am looking into the Concrete Fiber Lap Siding. And then just standard asphalt shingles. Since this is a one man show - it goes pretty slow (between the other projects that get priority). I am always open to other ideas.

--Geoff

 

[timtaylor]

subscribed

 

[chevyaddict]

### Weekend Update ####

I was able to get all the joists in, blocked and floor laid.

Baby Girl testing it out - passes

After all of this - I covered it up - as I will be going out of town for 3 weeks come first of June. Hopefully I can get the walls and roof on when I get back.

I need to work on the tarp some more so I do not get any standing water.

--Geoff

 

[KULIWOBBY]

Will you be insulating under the plywood floor at all and enclosing the bottom side?

 

[chevyaddict]

Will you be insulating under the plywood floor at all and enclosing the bottom side?

I have thought about insulating the underside. I will do some kind of underpinning - just not sure with material yet.

--Geoff

 

[Weekend_warrior]

Would it not be easier to grade now? Could you not just drag the other building out of the way? I guess since the floor is done it wouldn't make a difference either way if the building is up or not. Insulation on the underside if the floor if you plan on spending time in there or heating it will work much better. Spray foam now while you can.

 

[chevyaddict]

Would it not be easier to grade now? Could you not just drag the other building out of the way? I guess since the floor is done it wouldn't make a difference either way if the building is up or not. Insulation on the underside if the floor if you plan on spending time in there or heating it will work much better. Spray foam now while you can.

I am not sure if it makes much difference to grade now or not, but I would really like to tear down the other building. It has mainly all my uncles junk in it. Trying to get him to come down and get it is pain. We moved it a couple times already and tired of it. He has one last time to get it and if not it goes to the dump. That is the only thing holding me up from knocking that death trap down.

I agree on the insulation - spray foam I can do now or later - dosent make much of a difference since I have room to crawl under there.

I like the ideas keep them coming.

--Geoff

 

[51rider]

I can appreciate just trying to get stuff done at weekends-keep at it, progress does happen
Do you really need 10ft walls? As you have said, its a shed, not a garage so you don't need the extra height for a lift or similar. If you go for 8ft walls, you can save a bundle of time in cutting and $$ on sheet materials as you can put them straight on.This may allow you to adjust the pitch of the roof and keep the ridge height lower than the house which was a concern.

I have no experience with spray foam so I can't comment on that. As an alternative some rigid foam board insulation, foil covered, could be cut to give a very snug fit between the joists. You can get some foam boards that have a bitumen coat on one side & are used in roofing applications, this might give you some of the weatherproofing you are after. Take a look for manufacturers seconds-they may have a slight curve or be tapered but for the use you intend, it wont be seen and will save valuable $$ too.

When you back fill, I'd consider spraying the fill with a quality weed killer & then put down a weed control fabric before covering with a good 50mm (2") of pea shingle to prevent any weeds coming through. As a bonus, it shouldn't provide much of a home for any critters either!

Good luck!

 

[chevyaddict]

Thanks for the feedback. The reason for height is a few things.

1. Parents are downsizing, brother just joined the Coast Guard. I will be storing alot of his stuff while is away. Thought was to build a shelving system around the top of the shed to store he stuff.

2. I am planning on going with a 8x8 roll up door. I need 18" of head room for it roll into itself. I could go smaller, but that brings me to my next point.

3. I am 6' 7" - I like tall buildings

I do agree with cost savings - I have trying to figure this out for a while - struglling with the wall height. I just dont see how I could avoid it and I would hate to kick myself later for not doing it.

Thanks for the idea on the backfill - I will definetly use that one. Also another great idea on the foam board.

--Geoff

 

[iancoletx]

Ambitious undertaking! Nice work so far and best of luck to you sir

 

[RalloZ35]

Not sure if you would like the idea, but you could put foil faced foam under the floor with spray foam in between floor and foil foam, to keep it warmer yet. If you get my idea.

 

[chevyaddict]

Its time to provide an update. I have been out of town for a month and then cordinating with a buddy to come over and help stand up the 10' walls. Well I can now say they are up. Here are some photos from the weekend.

Now for my mistake and hopefully some guidance. The side walls were done in two 12' sections. I made the mistake (call heat exhaustion or just not paying attention), but I measured 16 on center from opposite ends. So needless to say my back half of the walls don't match up with my front half for the 16 on center with the studs.

I could kick myself for making such a stupid mistake, but now I need to decide fix it or just document it? Not difficult to fix, and now would be the time to do it.

Any thoughts?

--Geoff

 

[TurboBrickMan]

Spin one wall around?

 

[HOTFR8]

Why so high off the ground? I know that you said it shouldn't look so high with dirt and backfill, but are you going to do that before you put a floor on?

About to ask the same thing.

The front right is only 8" off the ground - which made the back right 36" off the ground. When I bring grade back to the shed - It will be level with the floor. If I had gone lower - the building would have been buried.

I have a lot of work to do for grade. But all of this will have to wait until this building is up so I can take down the building in front of it.

If this does not make sense - let me know. I am new to all of this.

--GeoffC

So now am I going to ask do you intend to be able to drive into it ? If so again how will you do this ? Crushed rock ? Concrete ? Patiently waiting to see what you do. Also if you intend to put a vehicle in there what will you do under the floor ?

 

[chevyaddict]

Spin one wall around?

Hmmm. I just wonder if I can detach the wall from the floor and adjacent wall. Its either that or cut out the old ones and put in new studs. I would be left with 8 ft studs after I cut them out. So they would not go to waste. Just hate that I made such a stupid mistake.

--Geoff

 

[chevyaddict]

About to ask the same thing.

the plan is to level the ground up to the shed. There was an old shed in front of the new one. This made it tough to grade before.

So now am I going to ask do you intend to be able to drive into it ? If so again how will you do this ? Crushed rock ? Concrete ? Patiently waiting to see what you do. Also if you intend to put a vehicle in there what will you do under the floor ?

This will be a multi stage process. The long term plan is to grade, then run concrete up to the shed and then have a ramp into the shed. No vehicle going into the shed, just a 54" Riding Mower.

What will happen after grading will be crushed rock, then ramp and steps. Believe me I wish it did not turn out so high off the ground. If I could do it again, the front right corner would be flush with the ground to help with the height.

--Geoff

 

[carhunter]

So needless to say my back half of the walls don't match up with my front half for the 16 on center with the studs.

--Geoff

Sorry, I'm not seeing the problem - will it cause issues when installing sheeting and doors, of is it more that you just can't stand the mistake?

If it won't affect anything down the road, I'll give you a pass

Great work by the way.

Last question - are the double endwall studs with the short blocks in between them standard framing practice? What do you call that combo? I'm not well versed in framing but I like to study the methods.

 

[chevyaddict]

Believe me I have thought about leaving it. It will just make putting up sheathing more interesting later. Also I just want to fix it, because its wrong and it's my mistake.

Now to the corners, I am not sure if this is standard framing practice. This is just how I was taught to build corners. I am sure there are better ways.

--Geoff

 

[HOTFR8]

the plan is to level the ground up to the shed. There was an old shed in front of the new one. This made it tough to grade before.



This will be a multi stage process. The long term plan is to grade, then run concrete up to the shed and then have a ramp into the shed. No vehicle going into the shed, just a 54" Riding Mower.

What will happen after grading will be crushed rock, then ramp and steps. Believe me I wish it did not turn out so high off the ground. If I could do it again, the front right corner would be flush with the ground to help with the height.

--Geoff

Got it. I wondered what you intended to reinforce the floor with. Now thinking what will you do with the space under the floor ?

 

[cyamaha2007]

Looks great, dont loose steam i did on my build i took the winter off, a big mistake its a big ball to get roiling again.

 

[Doug B]

Believe me I have thought about leaving it. It will just make putting up sheathing more interesting later. Also I just want to fix it, because its wrong and it's my mistake.

Now to the corners, I am not sure if this is standard framing practice. This is just how I was taught to build corners. I am sure there are better ways.

--Geoff

The corners look OK to me....but it appears that the side walls were layed out 16" o.c. from the inside of the end walls instead of the outside.This will also make the exterior sheathing tricky( but it may make interior drywall easier).At this point,I would leave the framing alone and cut the exterior sheathing to fit the studs as needed.
Keep the pics coming...Looks like a good solid build!

 

[chevyaddict]

Got it. I wondered what you intended to reinforce the floor with. Now thinking what will you do with the space under the floor ?

Not sure what I will do with the space. Right now it is housing a wheel barrow and trailer for my tractor.

 

[chevyaddict]

The corners look OK to me....but it appears that the side walls were layed out 16" o.c. from the inside of the end walls instead of the outside.This will also make the exterior sheathing tricky( but it may make interior drywall easier).At this point,I would leave the framing alone and cut the exterior sheathing to fit the studs as needed.
Keep the pics coming...Looks like a good solid build!

You are correct about the layout. I just screwed up on the 2nd half of the 24' wall. The walls were split into 12' sections. The first walls were done exactly as you stated. But the other two were measured from the back wall instead of continuing from the first walls built.

I checked tonight and I can get the 16" o.c. back on track by adding 5 studs to each side wall.

--Geoff

 

[HOTFR8]

Not sure what I will do with the space. Right now it is housing a wheel barrow and trailer for my tractor.

Sensible use. You have valuable space there you can use for storage or even keep things hidden.

 

[cajunbull61]

any updates ???

 

[chevyaddict]

It is a sad day for the shed and me. My job is moving me in 2 weeks. I just do not have the time to complete this project. The good news is - my uncle has agreed to come and finish it up. I have learned a lot from this project and hopefully can use this knowledge for the next one.

--Geoff