Building is tough even you have a manual guide. Especially, if you don’t know the words/phrases use in it. Many people are having a hard time understanding phrases that only people in the woodwork industry knows. So, this DIY plan will help you build your own shed even you don’t have prior knowledge in woodworking.
To help you with that, I’ve enlisted words that you need to know to make you understand what it means and its usage.
Stud – an upright support in the wall of a building to which sheathing, or drywall are attached. Standard is 2×4” wood and the spacing between each one of the studs is 16-24”.
Deck footing – concrete cylinder that provide the solid foundation that will support your deck. At least 4’ length with 6-12 diameter.
Beam/ support beam – this refers to the long and heavy piece of timber or sometimes, metal that is used as the primary horizontal support for a structure. You can use a 4×4 wood with your desired length.
Truss – essentially a triangulated system of usually straight interconnected structural elements. Usually metal or wood (2×2, 2×4, 4×4).
Rafters – a series of timbers for supporting the sheathing and cover of the roof. You can use metal or wood (2×2, 2×4, 4×4).
Materials and tools required:
*Nail
* Wood
* Screws
* Metal straps
* Plywood sheet
* Siding or textured plywood
* Tar paper
* Shingles or roofing material
* Stakes
* Clamp
* Rope
* Rake
* Hammer
* Saw
* Tape measure
Now, let’s start building your shed.
A. Building the foundation
* Level the ground if necessary. Mark your area by putting stakes on the sides and cover the perimeter with a thin rope. Remove the grasses by using a garden rake.
* Add deck footings along a grid that will support the shed. Make at least 9(3×3) deck footing. The number of deck footings depends upon the size of your shed. Align it well to your area.
* Attach beams across the deck footing. You can use metal straps to attach the beams or cement it together. It’ll act as a support to your floor.
* Install the stud to the support beams. Install a series of floor stud across the entire length of the beams. Add a piece of blocking between each pair of the studs to make the floor sturdy.
* Fix the floor by adding the plywood sheeting to the stud. Use clamp if necessary before nailing the sheets into place.
B. Assemble all the wall structure. The framework of a side of a wall differs from one another if that side has a window, door, or sometimes a vent.
* Back wall: The top and bottom beams should be the same length as that of the floor on which they sit. To simplify measurement, keep distance between vertical studs the same as distance between floor studs.
* Side walls. For the side walls fit between the front and back walls, the bottom plates on each side must be the same as the space between the bottom plates of the back walls and front walls.
* For the front wall. The front wall should only be the same height as the back wall if you’re not building a flat roof shed. So that when it rains, the water won’t fall directly above your front door. Don’t forget the door frame in this side of the wall.
C. Cover the walls. Install siding or textured plywood.
D. Building the roof
1. Build the support/structure of the roof
a. For a flat roof garden shed
* Install rafters on the roof. Use blocking to separate them. For weather protection, rafters should overhang the walls of your shed. Space the rafters in the same way you did with the floor stud. Attach the blocking between the rafters all along the top plates.
b. For cottage style shed
* Build a series of studs for your ceiling.
* Build pitch trusses or rafters.
2. Attach plywood sheeting onto the rafters with nails to form the roof.
3. Install tar paper on the roof. It’s best to stat with the lower end, going upwards. To keep water from seeping into the cracks once it rains, ensure that the upper paper sheets overlap the one installed beneath it.
4. You can also use shingles or other roofing material if desired.
It’s up to you to decide the size of your build. The necessary adjustments depend upon your taste and needs.
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