Your Shed Roof – What to consider

Things to consider when building a shed roof – Here are our tips

The roof of your shed is a very important aspect of your build.  A good roof will keep all your stored goods safe and dry.  Here are a few things to consider when you get to the roof of your shed.

1. Snow – if you are building a shed in a location that experiences a lot of snow, you will want to ensure that you shed roof can handle the load.  Snow can lie very deep on a roof and the construction needs to be strong enough to handle that.  The steeper the angle of the trusses the better it is for snow areas
2. Roof designs sometimes need to adhere to building code regulations.  If you happen to live in a conservation area, you will want to ensure that you’re shed is not in violation of any codes.
3. When you get to the building of your shed roof, safety is the most important factor.  Anyone who is working on the roof should consider what the weather is doing and if it is safe to be there at that time.
4. Roof shingles should be of the best quality you can afford.  Your shed is going to last years and you don’t want to have to replace your shingles too often.  If you can, try and match your shingles to your home roof shingles for a more authentically pleasing look.

Finally, you know that your roof is a vary important part of your shed building project and with a good looking shed roof, your shed will look all the more professional and will last for years to come.

My Third Shed – The Pool Bar

Building the pool bar was a little more involved.  We have a really great tiled area so the ground was level and as this is the shed closest to the main house, we really wanted it to look a little nicer.  We’ll be storing the garden furniture in there as well as the pool toys and maybe at the far end will have a bar.

Painting it was really imporatant because we are still using reclaimed wood, which is keeping the costs way down.

The pool area ( although no pool as yet) is looking great and we really want this to be the focal point of the garden.  The shed has electricity for the blender which makes it a much more versatile building.  Including the power into the construction didn’t cost much and we will definately do it with all our future sheds.  (theres nothing worse than trying to find something in the shed in the dark and on rainy days it’s sometimes hard to see at the back of the shed.)

As you can see we didn’t have to worry about foundations as much for this shed and went with a really simple wood base foundation.

My Second Shed – What I have learnt

In the building of my second shed, I picked up some real tips.  Before I got started, I double checked the plans.  I also realised that building a bigger shed was neccessary.  Building a little one first was great, but the more space you have the be

tter.

My second shed was also on a better piece of land as far as drainage was concerned and I was beginning to lay slasto tiles around the front of our new house, so I thought that it would just be easier to put up the next shed on that.

Foundations are so important,  so you want to find the best land to build on.  Drainage is vital and it’s been raining here a lot lately, so we have a lot of damp ground to content with.

Take that into consideration when building your own sheds.

In this shed building project, I chose a different foundation arrangement.  There are a lot of options available, some are more expensive and if you know what kind of soil you are having to deal with, then you can find alternatives that suit you and your budget.

My First Shed – Some Mistakes I Made.

This was the first shed I built.  I used wood that I found at a used lumber yard.  It was really cheap and it worked really well.  The foundations were really important at this part of the property as there is a lot of water.

The property is terraced as are most properties in the area.  The trenches are not so good at this part of the property, so there is a lot of water here.

Here are a few of the pictures we took last week.

As you can see this was my first attempt at building a shed.  I’m pretty happy with it, but the finished look is not the very best.  If you are going to build a shed, you might want to check through the plans before you get started.  I didn’t and although it all worked out fine, the end product is not as professional as my other sheds.

Building A Shed – Start With Foundations

Building your shed will require having a flat level site to work from. Depending in the size and function of your shed, you may want to bring in professional help with the clearing and leveling of your building site. If you shed is just for basic use, then you can easily just build on ground that seems level to the naked eye.

Basic Shed Foundations

Spending a little more time on your site preparation will often result in a much better, easier to maintain shed. Also remember that if you are going to be building a large shed, you will also want to check with your local building office that you comply with any and all local building codes.

Building Underside

If you are building on ground that is often saturated, you will want to ensure that you shed remains dry. One of the more popular methods of ensuring that this happens is by building with a skid underside which is recessed from the edge of the exterior wall and that rests on your foundation.

In the event that you are building a larger shed which needs to adhere to local building codes, then you will easily be able to include steel angel brackets to secure your building to a gravel or concrete foundation with tie-down brackets.

Type of Foundation

Choice of foundation is primarily decided by:-

1. Budget
2. Size of Shed
3. Ground Conditions

Gravel and crushed stone are an ideal base as they are excellent for drainage and are also are relatively inexpensive. It is particularly good for both rain and snow expecially if you are not going to be including guttering in your shed build.

1. Crushed Stone Foundation

If you are going to prepare a gravel base, you will want to clear an area slightly larger than the foundations of your shed. Making a wooden frame to hold your gravel in place. The best wood to use for this is pressure treated wood and as your foundations are the most important part of your construction it is worthwhile spending money on this wood, alternatively you could use paver, brick or blocks.

2. Concrete Pillars

You may or may not be required to include cement pillars in your build. Always check with your local regulations for how many may be required, if you are required to use tie-downs and where they are meant to be placed.

3. Concrete Slab

If you plan to install a concrete slap, you will probably need professional help. Laying of concrete should not be considered if you have not done it before as it is expensive and can lead to many problems.

4. Simple Wood Structure Base

By far the easiest and most inexpensive method is building your shed on a basic wood structure. This is ideal for small sheds and garden storage areas. Most of the shed structures build for backyard storage do not require extensive foundations and although this system may result in water damage in very damp areas, it is still very popular due to it’s cost effectiveness.