First shed build

[sdguy55]

O great and wise GJ! I come to you seeking wisdom and advice!

After much pricing and planning me and my wife have decided to build our own shed. We are getting all of our 2x4's for free so that will help with the cost ALOT.

I am thinking of building a 10x12 as this will hold my small four wheeler, push mower, a small work bench and possibly a toolbox. With the rest of the room going towards various storage of hoses and whatnot.

We can't build a garage so that's why it's going to be kind of a big shed.

Plans so far are to use green treated wood for a foundation. This will not be a permanent location so we are not interested in pouring a concrete pad.

Other than that we are planning on doing 12" spacing in the floor with 5/8 plywood. And thinking 5 or 6 foot tall walls with a slanted roof.

What do you guys think? Thoughts and opinions?

MORE QUESTIONS AND BUILD PROGRESS FURTHER DOWN IN THREAD!!!!!

 

[NUTTSGT]

If you're getting the 2x4s for free, why not bigger ? Are you limitd in size ? A 12x16 would give you alot more room since you can't build a grage.

 

[sdguy55]

If you're getting the 2x4s for free, why not bigger ? Are you limitd in size ? A 12x16 would give you alot more room since you can't build a grage.

I'm not really sure on what my 'limits' are on size. We are renting the lot but own the house. I know for sure that siding has to match the color of the house and I think shingles do to. Not a big deal there.

 

[srmofo]

You want a taller roof. If you cant stand up in there it will be miserable

 

[Norcal]

Some codes limit a structure to 120 square feet, anything larger requiring a permit.

 

[iagsxr]

Other than that we are planning on doing 12" spacing in the floor with 5/8 plywood.

Around here we'd build a 10' wide shed on 5 4x4 skids with 2x10 floor. Don't think I'd like a plywood floor. Then when you're ready to move winch it on a trailer/rollback and away it goes.

And thinking 5 or 6 foot tall walls with a slanted roof.

No. I have a buddy that builds sheds for trailer parks and whatnot. He builds short walls to maximize materials. They ****. Most of the time it makes the door just the right height for me to hit my head.

Some codes limit a structure to 120 square feet, anything larger requiring a permit.

That's how it is where I live.

 

[Beemer533]

I would agree with other folks that 5 or 6' walls would be a big pain.. For my shed I cut my wall studs so including the base plate and double top plate, a 4x8 sheet of T111 would fit without any cuts..

I would say, unless you have some zoning restrictions 7' walls is as low as I would go..

For my base, I compacted runner crush, set 3 evenly spaced 4x6 x12 as runners and built a 2x6 PT deck on that. I decided to spend a little more and use PT 3/4" plywood for the floor..

144 sqft is as large as I could go here without a permit.

 

[wasfuzz]

If you decide to build bigger than 10' wide and you ever have to move it to a new location (ie you move somewhere else) you most likely will be required to get a wide load permit. Anything over 10 ft requires a permit most places. Which means you are not moving it, unless you hire a moving company, than it is most likely going to cost you more to move than it did to build it.

 

[Bigbandguy]

I had a shed company build one for me. It was originally supposed to be 7 foot walls with a gambrell roof in the 12 x 16 size. It turns out that they would have had to cut the studs to 7 feet because they did not get pre cut studs from the company. I had them go ahead with 8 foot walls and have been very glad I did. I haven't finished the inside yet but some guy on here said he actually put T111 on the INSIDE. That strikes me as a good idea... It would make for a very strong shed and you could nail up anything anywhere. The taller you can get away with the better.

 

[MushCreek]

Make the roof tall enough for a little storage in the loft. I built a shed with a gambrel roof that had a good-sized loft. My little 8X12 here also has an accessible loft for storing long stuff like boards and pipe. I put a small door on one end of the loft so I can slide stuff in there. I used PT lumber to frame the floor, and 3/4" PT plywood for the deck. Mine is on skids so I can drag it with a tractor, as I plan to move it eventually.

 

[CNGsaves]

No one has mentioned it so far, but be sure to prepare the area first where shed will go by removing grass and some soil. Put in several inches of gravel/chat that you'll compact to form dry level area for shed.

I'd go with 10'x12' with gambrel roof so you'll have loft storage. Might as well build something nice worth keeping. At minimum, I'd use 2x6 floor joists on 12" centers so it will be plenty strong. If available, 2x10 or 2x12 floor joists would be better and allow wider spacing like 16" or 24".

If you plan ahead, you could bury proper electrical wire that came up underneath in 1" plastic conduit directly in wall cavity so you'd have power in shed.

Also recommend taller walls like 7' or 8' so you can stand up easily. If you use T-111 on exterior, I'd prime and paint BOTH SIDES before installing to ensure it lasts longer. Good luck.

 

[Norcal]

No one has mentioned it so far, but be sure to prepare the area first where shed will go by removing grass and some soil. Put in several inches of gravel/chat that you'll compact to form dry level area for shed.

I'd go with 10'x12' with gambrel roof so you'll have loft storage. Might as well build something nice worth keeping. At minimum, I'd use 2x6 floor joists on 12" centers so it will be plenty strong. If available, 2x10 or 2x12 floor joists would be better and allow wider spacing like 16" or 24".

If you plan ahead, you could bury proper electrical wire that came up underneath in 1" plastic conduit directly in wall cavity so you'd have power in shed.

Also recommend taller walls like 7' or 8' so you can stand up easily. If you use T-111 on exterior, I'd prime and paint BOTH SIDES before installing to ensure it lasts longer. Good luck.

It's very important that the bottom edge be painted, that seems to be the weak point of any wood or wood product siding.

 

[sdguy55]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone's suggestions so far!

The build is coming along very well so far with my uncle help as I have no carpentry expierence!

We went with 10x12. Did 2x6 GT wood for the floor with 12in. OC. Floor is gonna be 5/8 plywood. We built the sidewalls last night and did just under 6ft tall sidewalls (height restrictions per lease agreement) I think we figured total height was gonna be just under 8 ft with 12/4 (?) Roof pitch.

We're planning on doing masonite (sp?) siding as it cheap and paint it. Thoughts from people that have worked with this stuff?