• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

I am about to build a new shed, step by step piccies included

We are all shed nerds.
This is so true :D I also love how you explain things, CrispyClaret: down to earth proper speak, no bush-beating :D

I'm also watching closely because I've a T&G gate to fix and I'm looking for pointers :) I don't really have time to do a whole fix on the gate (it's pretty much all rotten) so hopefully I can do a cheap fix on the one dead plank and the do the rest later!
 
Not doing pics tonight. Enough to say I have been at it 14 hours today, with breaks. Back wall built and boarded, concrete mixed and laid. Moving a tonne of concrete at my age is not funny.
 
Now then this is a cement mixer and the less said about that the better, other than shovel ballast and cement into it with water and when like thick cream it is ready to use.

IMG_0118_zps4xvdsnwq.jpg


By the by, you can get ready mixed concrete delivered in one of those lovely big mixing lorries that boys like me loved as a child. Full lorry load is approx 6 tons, if you only need 1 ton guess how much you pay for? Yep, 6 tons. You pay for a full load regardless of how much you need.

Now for some reason my sister loves trowelling concrete, who am I to deny her that pleasure?
IMG_0117_zpsof4ikezm.jpg


Once the wood frame is filled with grey much, use a large flat piece of wood and rub it across using a sawing motion. Smooths out the mix and brings the wetter smoother stuff to the surface. Get your friendly sister to use her concrete float and you end up with a smooth base.
 
So, base done. Eagle eyed viewers will notice my photos are out of sequence. I built the back wall first then did the concrete...time management thing as i needed my sister to be around for her concrete duties.
Next it is time for a back wall. My shed will virtually touch the fence so it will need planking before it is erected in place. I will do that with all four sides, heavy but allows me to work at a better height.

Sides of the shed are a basic 4 sided box with long rails and short battens added for strength, tongue and groove planks on top and thats it done. Sounds too easy? It took about 3 hours and was dead easy.

Ok. Measure how wide your shed is going to be and decide on its height, in my case just over 3m wide and 2m high, it is a big rectangle so nothing complex yet. Cut your long rails to the same length and cut your 2 shorter rails. I am using 2" square wood...approximately, the 2 shorter rails that will form the vertical sides need to be 2m minus 4" or metric equivalent as they will be fixed inside the long rails.

I am using trestles for a nice working height, floor works if it is all you have
IMG_0103_zpszqqapggn.jpg


Corners i support with a spare bit of wood and a clamp. I only have 4 clamps...dont need a lot of kit for this job. It just stops the frame wobbling about and hold the corners roughly together so i can whizz in some screws.
IMG_0105_zps1hgib8ut.jpg


Each rail is held by just 2 screws. Counter sunk, i cheat and have a drill bit with built in counter sink. Just saves time.
IMG_0109_zps6pg5a3q3.jpg


Holes are drilled at an angle so that the tips of the screws are pointing to the middle of the square rail, not exact middle just an angle if it makes sense. Its just so the screws are slightly converging at the tips not parallel.
IMG_0110_zpsjyzgzyx4.jpg


Please note, as you can see in the last pic, the upper edges are rough. 2x2 wood is actually supplied as 4x2 that the timber merchants cut in half. This leaves a rough edge, keep all the rough sides facing the same way for a neat, even job
 
Last edited:
Screw together the four corners and you have a rectangle, not very rigid yet but that changes next.

Measure your diagonals the same as we did for the shuttering, move your frame until the measurements match. Clamp or temporarily screw a piece of wood across a corner and that fixes your frame nice and true.
IMG_0106_zpsvgu6t1hp.jpg


Next we have vertical rails to put inside the frame, these will have battens between them giving a very rigid frame.
We decided we wanted 5 vertical rails, so divide the inside width of the long edge by 5 and in our case it gives us 600mm. Pencil a line every 600mm to give us the centre point. Then it is just a matter of cutting a rail to fit the gap and whizzing in 2 screws as we did fir the outer frame. Again a simple clamp and piece of wood support the rail we are working on. You really can build this on your own, takes two people to move it afterwards, but the build is possible single handed.
Loose piece of wood clamped at an angle, sit rail on top, drill and screw, simples.

Pic shows clamped support piece, centre marking and the rail in position.
IMG_0107_zpsiiiopftq.jpg

IMG_0108_zpspzqtbdwv.jpg


Repeat 5 times.
Voila, one very large ladder.
IMG_0111_zpstco1iyqr.jpg
 
Ok, it looks nice and big and strong. Nah, not yet. It needs battens across the middle to really firm things up.
Dead easy, 2m high, so middle is? Yep 1m, draw a line at 1m straight cross the middle of your rectangle. I used chalked string, ping and thats my line drawn. A few extra minutes and a set square works just as well.
Might sound obvious but the battens are staggered, its not very easy screwing two battens at the same level.
Just the one screw needed in the ends.
IMG_0113_zpst4qwdqt7.jpg


IMG_0112_zpsk61a8par.jpg


You might notice a brown streak dribbling from one of the screw holes, a smidgen of grease helped the screws go in easily, 4" screws throughout, sorry i forgot to mention them earlier.
 
Frame built. Ready for a bit of outside timber?

I can fit my weatherboard exactly on the back wall, the side wall boards will overlap at the corners to give an elements proof seam.

Just measure, cut and nail these beasties. Frame is an even size so you can cut a fair few boards in advance for this back wall.
Nail the first board, 2 nails at top, middle and bottom. We were supposed to be using a nail gun, it died, i got cramp in my hand after the first 3 boards...just made up for manual labour it seems. Notice how the end of these clamps can be reversed, turns a clamp into a push, clever. It is needed too, the tongue and groove needs to be a tight fit.
IMG_0114_zpsqs1qm67u.jpg


IMG_0115_zpsiz8m6djx.jpg


It is just a case now of weatherboarding right the way across. You will probably have an overhang top and bottom. The last board will also overhang on its long edge.
Just jigsaw the ends off and use a sander to pretty it all up.
The end result, inside view.
IMG_0116_zps5jd8yhqd.jpg


Believe it or not, that one days work was my first ever attempt at concreting and shed wall building.
 
Day the next, or Friday 16th as it was on some calendars.

Side wall.
Now, as I am building a pent roof with a front height of 2.4m and rear of 2m, the frame is slightly different.
IMG_0119_zpsiijv6lof.jpg


Not obvious in the photo but it is not an even rectangle. New concrete looks good though :)

First things first, when in position the side walls will fit inside the front and back walls. When measuring its overall length do not forget to knock off 4" to take into account that fact.

To make the roof line easier to visualise, i have brought the rails close together for this pic. Basically rear rail is marked off for cutting at 2m, lay a top rail across so it is at 2.4m on the front rail. Mark angles and cut.
IMG_0123_zpsveojuncm.jpg


Shows slightly better here. Note all 3 rails are angled to fit. The tops of the verticals are angled to the roof slope and the top cross rail has its ends cut at an angle so that is flush with the outer edge.
IMG_0120_zpswspsoqb8.jpg


The frame is completed exactly the same as the rear, I only used 3 uprights though instead of 5...shorter wall and of course the top of each rail has to be cut to the correct angle, 9 degrees mine was.
The weatherboards do not start or finish at either outer edge, remember our board edges will overlap? So start the first board a couple of inches in, this will allow the overlap board to be cut accurately right at tge end of the build
You can see how the angles worked out in the top corners of the frame.
IMG_0124_zpsdqddagap.jpg
 
Last edited:
CC - this is fascinating! Your photos and words are clear.

All I can keep thinking is 'lucky bunnies', not only because they are having a custom shed, but also because they are owned by someone who cares enough to spend so much time and energy building them a lovely home.

Really interesting!

:wave:
 
Actually, it is lucky bunnies daddy
They already have their little palace, http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?460772-My-hutch This is so I can have a workshop as all my woodworking has to be done outside. The idea behind showing the build on here is to show how easy it is to build a basic shed which of course can be adapted for our fluffy companions.
I will be putting fixing points on the outside for their run though and in due course they will gain more homemade toys etc from me having a workshop.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the update, it is certainly moving on
Is the timber "treated" ?
The reversible clamps look like an ideal birthday prezzie for hubby [emoji6] are they available from Screwfix?
Our shed is looking very tired now, so your shed building diary is enlightening
 
Hi, no the timber is not treated. The frame will be out of the weather or as near as makes nor nuch difference, the outside weatherboards are not treated because if they were they would pretty much reject any woodstain or paint. The stain I use is oil based and lasts for years if applied correctly.
 
Last edited:
It looks like it will be great, I'm sure it will be much better quality than an off the shelf shed and be cheaper too :thumb: my OH is a keen DIYer and built my goat shed :thumb:
 
Back
Top