Garages serve not only as parking spaces for cars, but may also lessen the chances of car theft. On the other hand, gardens serve as great spaces to grow plants that can help brighten up any home.
Homeowners can become creative with these spaces. Instead of the plain concrete pathway, a wooden shed can serve as a garage. Instead of an outdoor garden, they build a wooden shed for a greenhouse. This article teaches how to build a wooden garden shed that can serve either as a garage or a greenhouse. This guide can be best carried out by two people.
TOOLS
Before building, make sure that you have everything you need. Most garden shed projects call for the following tools:
• Drill
• Hammer
• Craft knife
• Spirit level
• Step ladder
STEP 1 – Cut up the wood
For the foundation, cut 3 boards to about 2 inches by 8 inches, 16 feet in height. These will serve as the mudslips that will go at the bottom of the shed. Cut up more boards to connect the mudslips to one another.
Next, use 2 x 4 boards to build the walls. Trim them to about 6 feet in height. These will serve as the walls.
Next, start building around 2 triangular roof braces. After that, start trimming the boards for the roof, one to go on each top wall of the back and front wall. These will be the base of the triangular roof braces you made earlier.
STEP 2 – Build the foundation
Start laying the foundation with dimensions according to your desired floor size. You can use either concrete or gravel. The advantage of gravel is that it will help keep your shed dry. Spread the gravel until it’s about 4 inches thick.
Use solid concrete blocks and spread them evenly across the gravel. Most people would spread them in 3 rows of 4 blocks each. After doing so, lay 2 x 8-inch boards on top of the concrete blocks.
Next, place the boards you just cut up earlier at the sides to serve as mudslips. Nail them in. Add boards that will run along the center of the floor for support.
Lastly, use a piece of plywood to place over the flooring. Measure it to the flooring size before cutting and nailing it in.
STEP 3 – Build the walls
Mark the platform at least 9cm from each side. This will serve as a guide for when you’ll be nailing in the walls.
Lay out the boards you want to use for your back wall and nail them together. Apply plywood on top to serve as siding. Repeat for all three corners. Make sure to measure the plywood first before cutting and nailing them in.
For the front wall, measure the space you’ll need for the door, then start making the door frame. You can use 2 x 4 boards to make the door frame. Afterwards, you can begin making the door.
Start creating 2 triangular pieces that will serve as braces for the roof. You can follow the steps you made when you made the roof braces. After covering it with plywood, nail each triangular brace to the top of the side walls.
STEP 4 – Lift and attach the walls together
Use scrap boards as braces on each side of the foundation. Nail them to the edge of the floor. These will serve as support for the walls so they won’t slide off the base when you lift them up.
Raise the back wall and start nailing it in place. You can use the help of another person for this. You can use a drill to screw the bottom of the wall to the base. Do the same for the other walls and screw them in place.
STEP 5 – Build the roof
Once your walls are up, nail 2 x 8-inch boards on the top of the front and back walls. These will serve as the brace for the rafters. Slide in the rafters, making sure they fit in with the rafters in a secure manner. Keep a space of 1 foot apart from one rafter to the next across the roof.
Place a board on the edge of the rafters, one on each side. Afterwards, nail plywood to the roof, making sure there are no overhangs left exposed. Cover the whole roof with tar paper, and then nail aluminum drip edges over the tar paper.
Finally, attach roof shingles. Make sure to start at the bottom, nailing them in place. In the next section, overlap the shingles by 2-3 inches on top of the first section.
STEP 5 – Finishing
Once your shed put together, it is time to install the door. For a more natural look, choose a natural-colored stain and apply it using a rag. Note that you’ll have to wipe the stain in the direction the wood’s grain is going. After staining, paint an all-weather finish.
Finally, you can either paint the walls with latex paint or you can opt to stain it the same way you did the door. If you choose to paint the walls, make sure to use rollers for a smoother finish.
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