Backyard shed

[cruzinZ]

Well my wife and I put down a deposit on our new place. Unfortunately the garage is going to take a hit on the next property. We currently have a 3 car garage, tandem. I will be getting my side yard RV parking with the new property for the future addition of a boat. In order to keep the junk out of the garage I'll need a backyard shed. I will be limited to 120sqft.

After we move in I'm planning on pouring the concrete ~20 cubic yards. My wife wanted me to purchase a premade shed and have it dropped into place in the corner of the yard on the concrete. Part of me is thinking about the DIY route. I was thinking about having a slightly raised platform that the shed would sit on. The four corners of the building would have Simpson cement anchors.

Does anyone have suggestions for plans / BOM list (build of materials). Ideally website based?

 

[cowboy73]

A lot of lumberyards sell basic plans for sheds. They include a materials list with all the measurements. You also buy books of plans that have similar info.

 

[kelpaso1]

20 yards of concrete? You planning on concreting the whole back yard?
Your average 24x24 slab 4 inches thick is only 7 yards.

 

[welder4956]

After we move in I'm planning on pouring the concrete ~20 cubic yards.

120 sq. ft. x 4" deep is only 1.48 cubic yards. 20 yards is a lot of concrete.
You would need to make the slab 4.5 feet thick to use 20 yards.

You could make it 40 ft x 40 ft x 4 in with 20 yards for future upgrades.

 

[PatStroud]

You must be factoring in expansion already and if so - smart!

 

[ilovevocs]

Unless your going with traditional stick frame construction over the slab the slab is a waste.

A shed that size can be built on a skid frame very easily. Downside is a wood floor vs concrete. Not bad for a shed that size. Foundation work should be limited to removing loam, backfilling with stone and placing 6x6 or larger treated members.

 

[D45]

Why use concrete?

I just use a nice thick base of crushed limestone and leveled it out

Once it got wet a few times, it is pretty rock solid

I put down some treated 4x4s and built the shed

10x12 with a gambrel roof

Here is my build:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244568

 

[matt_i]

I always believe that elevating the wall woodwork off the slab is a good choice for longevity. Even if its just an inch or two.

 

[cruzinZ]

Thank you all for the responses. I was planning on cementing the whole sideyard around 3.5"-4" thick. Hopefully 4" with fiber added to the mix. I'm planning on adding an extra 4'x50' patio slab extension, 15'x129' side yard slab. Last 5'x20' for cement up from back patio to the AC unit on the opposite side of the RV access. I might just plan on cementing the whole side so I don't have to maintain that side (weed). If I do that whole side I'll be looking at 5'x60' instead of the 5'x20'.

My original estimate was from the cement work I did around my current home. It looks like I'll be adding a considerable amount more. At 3.5" thick I'll be looking at 26 cubic yards. At 4" thick it would be 29 cubic yards. The more I think about it I might just do pedestrian traffic at 3.5" thick and the 15x129' at 4".

 

[MushCreek]

I built my big barn (28 X 48) to plans from barnplans.com. They have very reasonable plans for 8' or 12' wide barns. You can make the length whatever you want, so you could go 12' X 10', for example. The best part is that they have a large usable loft for additional storage. They are much better looking than pre-manufactured sheds, IMHO.

http://www.barnplans.com/minibarn.php

 

[Cyberbear]

Any slab for a shed should have perimeter footings for maximum strength and durability. When I poured my 10 x 10 pump house pad I used 12 x 12 footings all around with wire mesh, and a 6 bag mix in the concrete. This was done in 1993 and never any problems to date. The slab is not the place to cut corners in order to save a little money, especially if you live in Kalifornia.

 

[blazsawgras]

if you buy a pre built shed to wouldn't need to pour any concrete. I have one in very back yard 8x16 it is leveled on cinder blocks. this year wife got one put near the house for her stuff 10x12 it is also leveled on cinder blocks.

 

[LB-1911]

In order to keep the junk out of the garage I'll need a backyard shed. I will be limited to 120sqft.

Does anyone have suggestions for plans / BOM list (build of materials). Ideally website based?

A 10'x12' gambrel shed with 7' walls, lofts front & rear would provide the most storage space.

Double check your maximum height allowed.

https://www.google.com/#q=gambrel+shed+10+x+12++material+list

 

[bczygan]

Check your building and zoning regs for foundation requirements.

 

[Kevin54]

I have a 12x16 shed that I have moved three times and it is sitting on a pad of crushed limestone that was leveled and compacted. It has always set level and never shifted even through hard freezes where the frost gets driven down. But the base of my shed is treated 4x4's at 16" on center with a perimeter band of 4x4's also

 

[Dave in Mass]

The 10'x10' shed I inherited with this house has full 8 foot walls. This allows for two high level lofts, front and back, at the 8' level for storing light stuff and another at about the 3' level that can hold anything I can get up there.

A lot of storage for 100 sg. ft.

 

[mv213]

I built a really great little 8x12 shed on a corner of my lot last year. I've never posted pictures of it on here and don't want to hijack your thread. I ended up ordering some plans from the internet then modifying them to suit. If you want some reverse inspiration (is that a thing?) see the famous Shed of Doom thread: http://www.bcsportbikes.com/forum/showthread.php/146566-Build-to-Fail-Fail-to-Build.-What-is-this-I-don-t-even.....

 

[atavuss]

Have you checked Tuff Shed for an estimate?

 

[scissorman]

You are probably only limited to the 120 sq/ft without a permit, if you want bigger just pull a permit and build what you want, just make sure you have proper clearance from fences.

 

[D45]

Permit to build a shed on your own property

That's comical

 

[MushCreek]

Permit to build a shed on your own property

That's comical

If you think you actually 'own' the property, try not paying your taxes and see what happens.

 

[terry603]

Permit to build a shed on your own property

That's comical

yup,l checked ,,,my town the permit is 5.00 for any size shed that you build

if it is over 144 square foot, then there are codes and set backs and inspections that you have to work with

want to hear something else, when I tore down an old shed when I bought the house, they also charged me 5.00 for a permit just to tear down the old

 

[cruzinZ]

Well things are moving forward with the new house. We went into escrow on our current house this past Monday. After looking at the gable style barn shed we have decided that is the way to go. More storage the better! We also got the site plans back for our lot. I drew up some plans for areas we plan on adding cement. My wife came back with an additional 15x30 slab above and beyond what I was thinking. More cost but it will make the yard more useable as we would have a pergola to place the outdoor patio furniture under. The house comes with an 8'x50' covered patio but that is not nearly deep enough for our 6 person patio set. I am really looking forward to what is to come next.

Now for some more questions on the backyard ideas. A fire pit was brought up. This has me questioning several different types. We could get a cheap inexpensive portable one and toss it on the concrete patio between the house and pergola. It would have about 20' of clear space all around, so it wouldn't be a fire hazard. I will be adding a natural gas outlet for the BBQ in the vencinity of where we will put the fire pit. If I plan this now I can stub up a line to the fire pit location and we could do a NG. The only negative to this type of fire pit is it will not be "useable" it will be decorative and functional. I would not want kids roasting marshmallows over a decorative fire pit. On the other hand a wood burning fire pit I would most likely be one of the first in line to get a s'more. The NG fire pit would be nice as it would be maintenance free. Whenever you wanted to turn it on flip the valve and light it. Wood would require cleanup after each use or else you would end up with the breeze blowing ash all over the yard.

Anyone have suggestions? I'm open to ideas as this will be the first fire pit for me outside of a campfire on a camping trip.

 

[cruzinZ]

Retrieving my old thread. I'm now in research mode. My wife really likes an expensive metal shade structure at lowes. It's around $1,000. I wanted to build one myself. Hers does have one upside, removable if we end up moving. This would be used for the outdoor dining room table. I'm also going to see if there are any height restrictions for sheds. I need all the storage space I can get. My Goldwing never sold so I'm going to keep it. It has a tow behind trailer so we can pack everything we need on a trip including the kitchen sink. These two will occupy the majority of the space in the new shed. I will have to get creative on organization to fit everything I don't want in the garage into the little shed. I also want to see about attic storage above the garage for seasonal stuff. We purchased clear plastic bens from Costco to pack everything for our move. It might have costed a few extra bucks but unlike cardboard boxes they won't be thrown away after the move. I'm sure these will be useful when storing stuff in the attic to keep the dust off our belongings. I'm also looking at ceiling mounted storage solutions for extra space, as a last resort. After we get into the house and see how everything is placed into the new home we can make mores decisions on storage. It will be interesting coming from an oversized 3car garage and downsizing to a 2 car. I always wanted to upgrade to a larger workspace.

My garage will function as a place for maintenance & car detailing. As for the amount of concrete added I calculated 34 cubic yards. Another expense that just came to mind was the rod iron gate. Anyone have creative ideas on a decorative side yard gates? Looking for the best bang for the buck. Ideally not see through & maximum width clearance. Wife would also want a matching style that is see through for the front entry.

As time passes I'm getting more excited. I have spent years on this site looking at what others have done. Some of the great ideas I've seen on here will be incorporated into our new build.

 

[cruzinZ]

Well after looking around more I found exactly what I want. It will cost a little more than I originally planned but will be fully functional for my needs. Now to get ideas for maximum srorage in small spaces. I'm looking at pulling a permit for a 12x16 portable garage.