Not finishing shed, big mistake?

[BK777]

Hi all. I've been planning to build another lean to shed (from an earlier thread) similar to the one below. Only the new one will have a composition roof on it instead of Suntuf. The PT 2x6 span will be longer (11') and the spacing closer together (12"). The whole thing will be about 12'x20'.

I purchased all the framing about a month ago when lumber prices were insane. Now they're just... more insane. At the time I thought I would just build the frame, including all joists, then cover it with a tarp for the time being, in the hopes that sheathing prices might be reasonable in a year or so. Plus I didn't think I'd have time this year to do the whole roof.

But I'm having second thoughts. Am I setting myself for a world of hurt with the joists bending and warping all summer and winter? Would blocking between joists help minimize that? Or should I just bite the bullet and at least get OSB or plywood on this sucker now?

 

[cstmg8]

I think blocking/stringers would be fine, and help prevent movement, but definitely cover untreated lumber.
I Know it's not the answer you're looking for, but why not forgo the sheeting and metal it?

 

[BK777]

For an 11' span, how much blocking do you think is necessary? Divide the span in half, maybe thirds?

The main reason for the comp roof was to match the existing building and because it gets a ton of wind and sun on that side. This shed will be about the fist thing one sees when pulling into the driveway so I was going for a semblance of consistency.

I can look into the metal options however, especially if there's a reasonable cost difference. I have minimal experience with composition & Palram/Suntuf but none with metal.

 

[Hank11]

If its a real low slope like your example posted I would rather have metal than shingles, especially if it will get weather blown from the low side. I would not count on prices dropping a lot anytime soon. Go ahead and finish it.

 

[Los_Control]

I have a 2nd vote for metal, just run some 1"x4" across the 2"x6" screw the metal down to them with rubber washers on the screws ... your done.
No real maintenance in the future .... But today metal not all that cheap either.
So choose between osb, paper, shingles future maintenance .... or 1x4 & metal ... one & done.

As a retired carpenter, I have seen some nasty looking pt wood that dried out. Go to the lumber yard and look at pt post that have sat there for a few weeks in the store out of the sun ... all twisted and garbage.
PT helps and is good for wet locations, but will twist just as bad as non pt if dries out.

I say you should finish it. protect your investment at this point. I personally do not see lumber prices going down this year, possibly up.
A year from now and be tough to use the lumber you have.
Metal while not cheap either, is less labor, material, maintenance. And comes in all sorts of pretty colors

 

[BK777]

Yes it is fairly low pitch, 2:12, due to a few design constraints.

I assume you're not talking corrugated, but ribbed metal, like this? Hell, it's actually quite a bit cheaper here than OSB or plywood. Here being HD, 29 gauge - maybe that's too thin.

Gibraltar Building Products 12 ft. SM-Rib Galvalume Steel 29-Gauge Roof/Siding Panel in Gray 987629 - The Home Depot

Acquire a magnificent addition to complete any roofing project with Gibraltar Building Products SM-Rib Galvalume Steel 29-Gauge Roof and Siding Panel in Gray.

www.homedepot.com

And I was planning on putting all that lumber up. Building the shed out, just without anything but a tarp over the installed joists and perhaps some blocking. But this might be a good alternative. I'll have to check with Mrs aesthetics control officer.

 

[nadogail]

I think that blocking will help your shed maintain it’s structural strength. I have become a fan of metal roofs. If I were building your project, I would probably want to repurpose 55 gallon oil drums as roof covering.

 

[Walkers]

I use sheathing and then metal on my shop build, and then metal over metal framing for my expansion. It seems to be just fine either way.

 

[Hank11]

Yes it is fairly low pitch, 2:12, due to a few design constraints.

I assume you're not talking corrugated, but ribbed metal, like this? Hell, it's actually quite a bit cheaper here than OSB or plywood. Here being HD, 29 gauge - maybe that's too thin.

Gibraltar Building Products 12 ft. SM-Rib Galvalume Steel 29-Gauge Roof/Siding Panel in Gray 987629 - The Home Depot

Acquire a magnificent addition to complete any roofing project with Gibraltar Building Products SM-Rib Galvalume Steel 29-Gauge Roof and Siding Panel in Gray.

www.homedepot.com

And I was planning on putting all that lumber up. Building the shed out, just without anything but a tarp over the installed joists and perhaps some blocking. But this might be a good alternative. I'll have to check with Mrs aesthetics control officer.

Yes, and it would probably look very nice with a little attention to some good fascia or real clean and neat framing underneath.

 

[Bretny]

I would do metal too. Also at the time of building you should have looked at the available slope and what roofing is rated down to a 2:12 pitch. Standard metal and shingles are only rated down to a 3:12. However this is only a shed so I would just use metal. With shingles you get alot of build up of crud and moss with a low 3:12 slope.

There are cheaper places to buy metal roofing and the proper details than the big box stores. You just need to find them.

 

[Youngandfree]

Just run 1x4 across the joists as purlins until you can finish it out.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I admit to not even reading your whole first post lol, never mind everybody else’s posts, but painting the wood would probably help protect it from the weather till you get it sided.