subject: Plans For Building A Shed - Tips On How To Build A Shed From Beginning To End [print this page] Building a shed from foundation to finish could be a great project and is not as complicated a woodworking project as you would think. For those people like me who are adventurous, determined and have a passion to take on new challenges in life, building a shed is an adventure. Nowadays, with the availability of quality plans for building a shed, your dream of erecting a shed to serve you is no longer a problem. When building a shed from foundation to finish, you don't need to be a professional carpenter to come up with the new shed you've longed for. What you need are good woodworking tools and some basic building skills. Moreover, involving your whole family in your plans for building a shed and even throughout the building process is the best option.
Here are the practical considerations you must put in mind when building a shed from foundation to finish.
Choose a plan: Right plans to build a shed play a significant role on how your shed will look and how it satisfies you when it is built. Moreover, plans for building a shed strengthen your confidence to finish it no matter what it takes. When building a shed from scratch, you must include the following in your building plans. Decide on the kind of shed you want to build. Determining your purpose why you need a shed is very helpful to decide on what kind of shed you want to build. Do you need a garage shed for your car or a storage shed to keep your garden tools and other materials organize and safe? Choose the right location on where you want to build your shed. The ideal position of your shed should be on level ground for easy access. Recognize the necessity of a building permit. Visit the zoning and building regulators in your locality to know if you need a permit to build your shed.
Select a design: Decide if you need ready-made plans for building a shed or you want to build a design of your own. If you are not confident enough of your woodworking capability, then it's wiser to purchase ready-made designs to save money and time. Further, ready-made designs offer you concrete diagrams to follow, list of materials needed and step-by-step construction guides.
Build the shed foundation: Building the foundation of your shed is the most important construction step in the building process. You must put in your mind that the lifespan of your shed usually depends on how strong its foundation is. You could start by installing a solid flooring foundation such as concrete. When building the base of your shed, you need to take into consideration the overall size, the weather condition in your location and the type of floor you require.
Build the frames: The frame of your shed serves as the basis on what types of walls, roof, doors and windows you want to add to your shed. The frame determines the shape of your shed and how it looks like. When building the frame, it is advisable to use pre-built trusses first to make the building process smoother.
Build the Walls: The stability of your shed depends on how the walls are constructed. You may start building the walls by nailing them together into the frame and into the shed floor you've assembled. You may use chalk lines or any marker for precise measurements. Finally, measure and cut the top and the bottom excess slabs to form the wall.
Build the doors: The first thing you must consider when building the door is the size. In some cases, the bigger the openings of your shed's door the better because it offers you easy access inside your shed. That's why you need to carefully select the exact width and height of the door. For the external doors of most sheds, the measurements are usually 20 to 25 mm thick and 125 mm wide.
Build the windows: The way the windows are constructed influence the overall look, style and impression of your shed. I recommend you go back to your plans for building a shed and focus on the purpose of why you built a shed. Most of the time, sheds with small windows are good for storage purposes. On the other hand, sheds with larger opening windows are ideal for workshop purposes to give better control of ventilation and light. I highly recommend you select your window(s) size and position at the planning stage or at least before starting the frame stage.
Build the roof: Before constructing the individual components of the roof on your shed, thing about the use of roof trusses. These are usually built prior and fitted to the roof as a complete assembly. The roof trusses make the roof robust even if you're using thinner roofing materials. Follow your designs and plans for building a shed when putting the roof up and make sure that there are no holes or leaks.
Finishing: Finish your shed by using paints to maintain its resistance to weathering. The application of caulks is highly recommended to protect your shed from the destructive effects of changing weather conditions. You need to realize that the way you make your shed long lasting is in the careful selection of products you use to protect it after construction is completed and the selection of quality plans for building a shed before you start.