Build a shed — part two
Bob completes his 10m2 kitset shed
Welcome back. Now that the foundations are done and the base frame, floor, and walls are up, it’s time to put up the roof trusses, which will tie this shed/ workshop together.
At the moment the walls are a bit wobbly and only braced by being screwed together in the corners. The roof trusses attach to the top edge of the wall sections and make the whole structure more rigid — not totally rigid, though; the addition of the plywood lining I decided to add took it a leap closer to brick outhouse standard.
All trussed up
The roof trusses were pre-made as part of the kit so only needed to be screwed to the top of the wall sections. The trusses at the ends had shiplap-style boards pre-stapled to them vertically. Full-length timber stringers were then run at the peak edges of the roof — one just each side of the crest — and at the outer edges.
I did feel it would have been better to have an additional stringer halfway between the top and outer edge of each side of the roof so that the iron wouldn’t tend to buckle so easily when someone was up there trying to paint it, but to my regret I didn’t make that change at the time. If I were to build another of these, I would definitely add those two stringers. As it is, the roofing iron is only able to be screwed down at its outer edges.
Closing the gap
Next was the lintel above the doorway. Positioning this was interesting because when it was fitted up under the roof truss it left a large gap above the doors — well, to my mind it was a large gap. So, I decided to lower the lintel so the gap between its lower edge and the top of the doors was minimal.
I wanted to make it difficult for rainwater to find its way in on windy days — wind and rain are not uncommon in my coastal location. The lintel is quite heavy, so to do this single-handedly I had to nail some temporary blocks onto the door jams at a measured height to rest the lintel on. I held the lintel in place on the blocks with clamps so I could check that the doors fitted properly before screwing the lintel finally in place — in accordance with the old ‘measure twice, cut once’ proverb.
To fill the gap now above the lintel I looked around the racks at the local DIY store. There was nothing the right size but I found a tapered piece of moulding that could be tapped tightly into place then nailed, making it nice and weatherproof without the need for any sealer.
“If I were to build another of these, I would definitely add those two stringers”
Ironed out
Attaching the roofing iron was reasonably straightforward. The job was made a little more awkward because I opted to go for building paper under the iron as I wanted to line the inside fully.
It was necessary to pre-drill the screw holes through the corrugated iron, as just pushing on the self-drilling screws would make the iron buckle. A socket bit in my new cordless drill — a bargain I picked up at Fieldays at Mystery Creek — made short work of securing all the sheets down. I did have to wait for a day with only light winds to do this. The ridge cap appeared to me to be quite narrow and didn’t have the lead edging that I have seen on most other ridge caps for stopping rainwater getting in. I wasn’t happy about this and tried to source better (wider) ridge capping only to find that it’s almost impossible to buy from retail outlets.
My solution was to buy some special corrugated-shape foam pieces that are sold for precisely this purpose. They are supplied soaked in bitumen and are for placement on top of the corrugated iron and under the ridge cap. This fills the gap and also helps prevent corrosion. Unfortunately, it is quite an expensive material but sometimes you have to bite the bullet for the sake of doing a good job.
More fussing
Before putting on the battens I got out my trusty tin of oil-based primer/ undercoat and coated the joints in the wall panels. Rubbing the paint well in where there are staples is important to stop them rusting. I used silicone sealer in places where I thought gaps could let water in and then painted over those areas again. Silicone sealers are best painted with an oil-based paint just after the sealer has formed skin but before it cures. That way the paint etches into the sealer. Future coats of paint will adhere well because the undercoat is sound. Yes, I know I’m fussy — some would say anal — but I hate doing things twice. If I do it as right as I can the first time, I will have no regrets.
“My solution was to buy some special corrugated-shape foam pieces that are sold for precisely this purpose”
Battens
The battens were nailed on, and again I elected to pre-drill them to avoid splitting. They came pre-cut as part of the kit and were easy to fit. Corners should have been easy too, but my fussiness came into play and I wasn’t confident that the width of the material supplied sufficiently covered the join. So off to the local DIY shop I went and bought wider timber.
I had seen other sheds with a horizontal stringer fixed to the top edge of the wall and under the outer edge of the roofing iron. This not only adds more strength to the walls but helps to stop rainwater getting back up under the outer edge of the roofing iron. These pieces go over the battens so that any water that does find its way past can run down the outside of the wall.
With the exterior finished it was time for a complete coat of that lovely oil-based primer/undercoat over everything. There were no shortcuts with that job, unfortunately. The surface was not flat enough to do with a roller and the paint needed to be worked into all the rough bits, knots, and staple holes. A wider brush helped here — using a 75 or 100mm wide brush was the way to go.
“Yes, I know I’m fussy — some would say anal — but I hate doing things twice”
Power to the people
Having power for lights and mainspowered tools was, for me, one of the essentials for a shed intended to be used as a workshop. After discussing the details with a local electrician, I opted for a 32A supply. It’s a bit like buying a computer: get one with way more capacity than you think you want because inevitably the time will come when you need more.
To determine the current loading you may need, make a list of what power tools, etc. you might want to use — for instance: drill press, saw bench, router, welder, linisher, disc grinder, planer, thicknesser, bench grinder, battery chargers, plasma cutter, soldering iron, etc. I thought 22A would probably be enough for me, but the additional cost to go up to 32A capacity was minimal.
Don’t skimp on the number of power points, either. Make sure you are covered for all those battery chargers as well as things that are always plugged in such as a drill press and maybe a radio. There are plenty of lighting options around — LEDs use very little power and give a strong white light. Having good lighting extends the time you can spend in your shed, and it’s surprising how much difference having the lights on during dull days makes.
In the trenches
Power cables have to be buried a minimum of 600mm under the ground. In my case the trench only needed to be about 8m long, so I saved myself some cost by putting my own spade to good use. Even though the soil is very sandy, it was more of a task than I had imagined. But the thought of how much I was saving spurred me on! Fortunately, I didn’t cut through the phone cable I encountered during the dig.
A distribution board was necessary in the shed to house earth-leakage circuit breakers and other fuses and to separate lighting and power outlet circuits. All wiring work must be, and was, done by a registered electrician.
“After discussing the details with a local electrician, I opted for a 32A supply”
Lining
Once the electric bits were done, the interior lining could be fixed on. I used treated plywood 12mm thick on the walls and 6mm thick on the ceiling. The ceiling doesn’t need to be as thick as the walls because I reckoned that I wouldn’t be mounting anything heavy up there and I wanted it to be light enough for me to hold the pieces up there while screwing them on. It was my challenge to see if I could do this all single-handedly.
As it is just a shed, I didn’t worry about plastering. Just applied a good coat of my favourite oil-based undercoat followed by two coats of water-based off-white paint — see, I’m not really all that OCD after all.
Colour is a personal preference, of course, but I went for a light colour without it being a stark white because I like a nice bright work area with plenty of reflected light. This isn’t ideal for any type of arc welding, as the reflected light makes you feel as if you are working inside a thunderstorm. The arc flashes bounce around and shine in from behind the welding helmet, and can damage eyes. Obviously not ideal. Making some screens from plywood coated with blackboard paint then putting them around the area where welding is being done can overcome this problem.
Safe and secure
Like me you’ve probably worked hard to build up a shed-load of tools and equipment to be able to do the things you want to do. To make it hard for someone else to waltz away with them I made grilles for the windows from steel reinforcing rod and flat bar. I also put a hasp and staple with a padlock on the double doors, but that looked a bit vulnerable so I fitted another locking handle, too.
The doors could move back and forth a bit even when the locks were on, so I fitted pad bolts top and bottom to one door. They say locks are only to keep honest people out and the measures I have taken will not be the ultimate answer, but maybe they will deter a thief because it will be too much trouble to break in.
The kit did not include hooks to hold back the doors when open but these are essential, so I bought some and put them on. Sure, a couple of pieces of 100x50 propped against the doors might have done the trick, but there are tidier ways of doing things.
“The arc flashes bounce around and shine in from behind the welding helmet, and can damage eyes”
Fit-out
The layout was already planned so that I could determine where the doors and windows would be, so the final stages were spent putting together the workbench and storage cabinets. I already had a workbench made from pallet racking components, which knocks down easily, and a couple of melamine pantry-style cupboards.
My favourite storage item is an old metal library cabinet that was used for storing microfiche films. The shallow drawers are ideal for organizing all those nuts, bolts, screws, washers, etc. As I use the shed I will most likely change a few things around and add a shelf or two, but for now it’s looking good. There has been the odd storm or two since I finished the building and it has stayed dry inside.
The rain dripping off the edges of the roof had already made a groove in the ground so it was easy to place rows of pebbles to halt the erosion. The pebbles also dress up the lower edge around the shed. A concrete mowing strip might be needed in the future, but I like the look of the pebbles.
“Looking back is always the easy part. Would I have done it differently?”
Hindsight
Looking back is always the easy part. Would I have done it differently? Probably not — apart from putting those extra stringers under the roofing iron. I’ve learnt a lot from this build and, if I were to do it again, I would probably draw up a shed myself and buy a load of timber rather than buy a kit. However, as I know I’m not a builder’s bottom, with the lack of experience I had at the start of this project the kit was the right way to go.
Now, I’m looking forward to spending time creating and fixing things in my own-built wee workshop. Maybe I should nickname it ‘the Tardis’, as it’s amazing how much stuff I’ve squeezed in there already.