# Martin's Small Work Shed



## martin.a.ball

After another winter tinkering away in a damp single skin garage trying to keep rust off my hand tools, I've decided it is time to build a proper shed to work in. There is a very small area behind the garage, the plan is nothing new compare with other threads but in summary is:-


3.6m x 2.4m (12'x8' in old money)

100mm x 50mm framing

insulated floor and walls

cladding to be decided

flat or pent style roof

recycled upvc door and windows

I've never taken on a project with this much construction so I thought a thread would be a good idea. Whilst I was thinking about the foundations and starting to worry about the work involved in a concrete slab, Mike published a post on Build A Shed Mike's Way, Without Using Concrete, so that is where I'll be starting.


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## martin.a.ball

This is the site for the new shed. Everything is going to be tight but there is space for 3.6m x 2.4m and enough room to maneuver between the garage and fence.







Ground level slopes from right to left but the main challenge is figuring out the floor height. Ideally I'd like it to be close to the decking height so there isn't a step up or down when entering.


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## MikeG.

Good luck with this! We all like a workshop build.......

Make sure that if there is a step that it's a step up, not down, otherwise water will find its way in.


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## Bm101

MikeG.":2wcfn1bq said:


> Good luck with this! We all like a workshop build.......
> 
> Make sure that if there is a step that it's a step up, not down, otherwise water will find its way in.



 Different situation but ... memories...
Reminds me of my hard landscaping days. Many years ago a company I was working for did a nice redesign and install on two level patio, pond etc. Good firm and good work. Client wanted two sets of steps which made sense with the design. Nice place down in Kent. Oast house conversion. Clients were an older professional couple. Very classy in the old fashioned way that they were educated (law or professors etc memory fails me) rich, polite, and very very nice with it. Just nice genuine people. 
The client's come home one day and wants to come onto the new patio.
'Can you wait till tomorrow? it's all a bit green, we're climbing up the rockery to get out'
No problems he calls out.
Next day he gets back from work or bowls or golf. 
'Alright to pop down chaps?'
'Of course! come down and take a look! Oh you'll need to use the other steps though. These are the up ones' says our ancient bricklayer.
'Ahhhh. Of course. Absolutely.'
He walks 20 metres and comes down the other set of steps. On his own, brand new patio.
:shock: 
For the rest of the two weeks odd we were there he made certain to only come down the longer circuitous path to the down steps after work everyday and up the others.
I wonder if there was a point he stopped mid stride at one point and muttered 'Ohhhhh you B*ggers!' under his breath then never ever mentioned it to anyone _or if to this day he is still using the two way steps._

I like to think so.

Good luck with the build! (hammer)


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## Stanleymonkey

Good luck with this - have you managed to clear the area for the build yet?

Martin


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## martin.a.ball

MikeG.":2h5hrd7o said:


> Good luck with this! We all like a workshop build.......
> 
> Make sure that if there is a step that it's a step up, not down, otherwise water will find its way in.



Hi Mike.

Delighted you are the first person to comment on the thread, especially as I'm going to follow your designs as much as possible. Thanks for all the effort you have put into the build threads in the past.

I'm aiming to have the decking level with the top of the sole plate so that the floor is close to but slightly above, so a small step up. A quick hack to your diagram might be easier to see what I mean:-






I appreciate one of the reasons for the dwarf wall is to prevent splash back from the ground level, however, the decking is already there and I need to work with it. I might have to accept the bottom couple of rows of cladding are sacrificial and fixed in a way that they can be replaced if needed.


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## martin.a.ball

Bm101":2ttp7dxr said:


> For the rest of the two weeks odd we were there he made certain to only come down the longer circuitous path to the down steps after work everyday and up the others.
> I wonder if there was a point he stopped mid stride at one point and muttered 'Ohhhhh you B*ggers!' under his breath then never ever mentioned it to anyone _or if to this day he is still using the two way steps._



An online forum I use for a different hobby has a funny button, its a shame we don't here as like doesn't quite cut it.


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## martin.a.ball

Stanleymonkey":q9b2x98j said:


> Good luck with this - have you managed to clear the area for the build yet?
> 
> Martin



yes, the photo above was from a few weeks ago. 

Some of the paving slabs and bricks were crushed as best I could with a sledgehammer and reused as material for the foundation. In the first deviation from Mike's design I also managed to pick up 30 free dense blocks off Gumtree. These all needed mortar cleaning off them with a bolster and lump hammer.

First observation. Free is good, but free adds time.


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## MikeG.

It's essential to raise the lowest piece of the timber structure substantially off the ground.....a min of 150mm is usually OK.......and it's not just because of splashing. The ground is damp, and timber in contact with the ground will rot. Find a way of incorporating the plinth, or your work will soon be wasted.


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## martin.a.ball

MikeG.":349jtew8 said:


> It's essential to raise the lowest piece of the timber structure substantially off the ground.....a min of 150mm is usually OK.......and it's not just because of splashing. The ground is damp, and timber in contact with the ground will rot. Find a way of incorporating the plinth, or your work will soon be wasted.



I think if I keep a gap between the decking and the shed it will work. The next few photos should make sense of this.


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## martin.a.ball

First part of the foundation followed BUILD A SHED MIKE'S WAY, WITHOUT CONCRETE. I dug a 300mm wide trench and filled with suitable ballast material. some was crushed from old pavers and bricks with the rest bought from the local Wickes. I raked in a bag of cement to the mix which is a trick I've seen used on patios and then compacted using a sledgehammer dropped repeatedly until flat and level (no whacker plate).

In place of the concrete lintels, I had some free dense blocks off gumtree which are 220mm high. This isn't quite concrete free as I had to mix some mortar by hand but it shows you can do this without hiring a cement mixer if you do a bit at a time.


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## Starjump

I hope it all goes well and good luck. 
My workshop is a similar size, self-built a few years back and without much experience of building. I put a concrete slab down and a dwarf wall, about 4 bricks high around 3 and a bit sides of the shed leaving space for the door. I put a single row of bricks under the doorway threshold. Anyway I would like to echo the sentiment that a keeping the lowest timbers off the floor pays dividends. That and a well constructed roof should keep your tools dry!
All the best.


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## martin.a.ball

Test fit of the sole plate and floor joist to see how much more soil I need to remove. I'll leave the final measurement until after I've laid the damp proof course and sole plate as the mortar will make a difference.


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## martin.a.ball

As I had a spare bit of time I thought I would get the damp proof course down, so followed the technique in this 2 minute youtube video, How to lay a DPC. Felt good to cross one more task off.

Then it rained, hard, the water got under the DPC and it all came unstuck.





So I'll have to redo the DPC but next time I'll make sure I have time to lay the sole plate at the same time and weigh the whole thing down.


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## martin.a.ball

Part of Mike's design in BUILD A SHED MIKE'S WAY, WITHOUT CONCRETE are periscope under floor vents. Screwfix have them here, each vents covers 6 square meters so I went for two.

The vent is intended to sit behind an air brick, so when offered up to the sole plate is was too high.






Fortunately if you turn it upside down it becomes a perfect fit.

You can just see the start of the sole plate being laid on a bed of mortar.


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## martin.a.ball

odd, couldn't add two photos to the previous post.


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## martin.a.ball

Nice dry day so the DPC was relaid, then sole plate laid all round. This approach makes leveling relatively easy and a good solid base to work up from.






Air Vents have been added, one at each end. Here is a close up showing a snug fit once there we turned upside down.


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## martin.a.ball

Galvanized steel strap was used to secure the sole plate to the block wall. I also decided to strap the sole plate together.






And use the same method across the air vents


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## martin.a.ball

I've include this photo as a reminder of the amount of soil that I've shifted. Whilst I've found the build easier and cheaper that a concrete slab there has been a lot of digging and creative disposal of barrow loads of soil around our garden, it was borderline get a skip at some points.






Anyhow the base is complete. This feels like a mini milestone as the digging gear can finally go back in the shed.






Total spend at end of May was £75, but this will increase quickly as I start to buy the timber for floor, walls and roof .


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## martin.a.ball

On to the floor. Following Mike's design I used jiffy style joist hangers, this 4 min video has a neat tip to only nail up one side of the hanger before offering up the floor joist. There is a knack to getting the top of the joist level but gets easier the more you do, joists are 47mm x 150mm (2"x6").






And the completed floor.






Daft question. There is nothing to fix the weed membrane to so I weighed it down with a few stones. What do folks normally use, some sort of stake?


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## MikeG.

Can you slip an off-cut of DPM in between the end of the joist/ hanger and the blockwork? There's a possible route into the end of the joist for damp there.


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## martin.a.ball

MikeG.":wcih4ljk said:


> Can you slip an off-cut of DPM in between the end of the joist/ hanger and the blockwork? There's a possible route into the end of the joist for damp there.



Yes, I can and will.

I was wondering about the gap as I fixed them. Each joist is cut a few mm short to allow for a bit of movement and the hanger tends to be away from the blockwork. This photo shows it a little better.







But its mighty close and bit of DPC would be a good idea. I did briefly consider swapping the weed membrane for a damp proof membrane and wrapping up the sides of the blockwork, but that would probably be overkill.


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## Obi Wan Kenobi

Coming along nicely Martin. Looks very professional.

OWK ccasion5:


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## martin.a.ball

Obi Wan Kenobi":4bssz535 said:


> Coming along nicely Martin. Looks very professional.
> 
> OWK ccasion5:



thanks for the comments. I've not built anything on this scale before so the build threads here, especially Mike's, have been invaluable. There are probably more photos than some folk need in this thread, but I'm finding it is the silly questions that take time to figure out, for example I'd not heard of jiffy style hangers or needed to use galvanized builder's strap before.

Next step, framing for the walls.


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## Obi Wan Kenobi

martin.a.ball":1rbx1qem said:


> thanks for the comments. I've not built anything on this scale before so the build threads here, especially Mike's, have been invaluable. There are probably more photos than some folk need in this thread, but I'm finding it is the silly questions that take time to figure out, for example I'd not heard of jiffy style hangers or needed to use galvanized builder's strap before.
> 
> Next step, framing for the walls.



Don't forget, a picture - or photo - can paint a thousand words, and the questions aren't silly if you don't know #-o Roll on framing the walls ............... :wink: 

Obi Wan ccasion5:


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## martin.a.ball

Having read a few threads there appear to be a differing thoughts on screws or nails for framing. I've decided to go down the screw route mainly because it will be easier to correct any mistakes, but also because I have a cordless drill and don't have a nailer.

I'm going to give these a go, from Screwfix again, but I'm open to suggestions from others because the number of options is huge.


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## Obi Wan Kenobi

I use these for most everything now and have not had any problems such as cam out https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p47468 I've not noticed any corrosion on anything out doors.

OWK ccasion5:


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## Bm101

Hi Martin. I'm not a professional builder of hobby sheds blah blah usual disclaimer etc etc etc.. but have you considered the use of ensele or similar. It's for use with treated timber when you cut new endgrain or expose untreated timber by cutting past the barrier of pressure treatment. 
Many years back we used to use a dark blue one for decking at work that dried clear. I forget the brand. Dry timber in hot weather will soak it up like celery. Great stuff. 
Quick Google shows options by osmo, sika or ronseal. No nonsense 'trade' products seem to be ok in my Ltd on a budget but a 12 quid pot of osmo or sika would be my buy. Just personal preference when investing time and money... why mess about to save 2 quid.
BTW. Steer clear of the Chestnut product Endseal. It's for a different situation.
Enjoying the build. Keep up the posts!

Regards
Chris


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## martin.a.ball

Bm101":2dzree4l said:


> have you considered the use of ensele or similar. It's for use with treated timber when you cut new endgrain or expose untreated timber by cutting past the barrier of pressure treatment.



Hi Chris. Short answer is no, it wasn't something I considered. As the next couple of posts will show I've started the framing for the walls and there are very little exposed end timber, so its something I'll dig into as I guess it will a bigger issue for the roof rafters which will be exposed to the elements.

Open to comments from others which end timber they thought needed treatment.

Martin


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## martin.a.ball

On to the walls. I'm still not particularly clear on the benefits of sawn v PAR v CLS but decided to go with 50 x 100mm CLS C16 as I've seen others use it and it appeared to be much straighter when picking it out at the timber yard. Whilst the plan is to fully insulate walls in the future, I can live with this framing in the mean time.

The longer sides walls have a double stud at either end, then studs at 610mm centers so I can use 1220mm OSB sheets on the inside. You might remember the longer sides walls are 3.6m, I forgot to add the additional length for the double stub at either end, I think it would have been better to make them 3.8m to match 3 full sheets of OSB.






One of the nice parts of this build is I've managed to do everything on my own in short bursts. I finally gave in and had my son help me stand up the first two walls. This was relatively easy having taken the time to level the sole plate, there are a couple of temporary battens just to hold it square until the front is added.


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## MikeG.

If you put a temporary brace on top of the top plates, linking two adjacent walls together, you'll be amazed how that stiffens the whole thing up.


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## martin.a.ball

Three walls completed, braced in the corners as per Mike's suggestion and remarkably solid. Lottie approves having given it all a good sniff.

Front wall is going to be higher to allow the roof to slope from front to back and includes a door and window which I'm still searching for on gumtree and ebay.


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## E-wan

martin.a.ball":18jzgddk said:


> Having read a few threads there appear to be a differing thoughts on screws or nails for framing. I've decided to go down the screw route mainly because it will be easier to correct any mistakes, but also because I have a cordless drill and don't have a nailer.
> 
> I'm going to give these a go, from Screwfix again, but I'm open to suggestions from others because the number of options is huge.
> 
> View attachment 20180615


I find the screws good if a little pricey. They come with their own specific driver bit and I've never had any issues with stripping the head even on very large and long screws.

https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/Bullet- ... 9/p/884060

Enjoying seeing progress of your workshop

Ewan

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## martin.a.ball

Bargain from gumtree. Complete door with frame and working lock and key. The glass has been removed to transport but is sitting safely in my garage. Its needs a clean and then I'll spray it grey as has been covered in a couple of other threads.






I've no idea how to make sure the frame is watertight in the timber frame. Do you put flashing on the timber frame and then seal the PVC frame to the flashing?


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## martin.a.ball

Progress has slowed up whilst I source a window from gumtree. I made a start on the front wall frame, given I don't know the final stud positions until I've found a window so they will be toe nailed in place later. 

The fall from front to back is close to 300mm over 2.4m, so approx 1 in 8.


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## martin.a.ball

Took a few days to find a window the right size. Another bargain off gumtree.


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## pollys13

Besides the window you found on Gumtree if need any again could try Freecycle.


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## martin.a.ball

I have a mate who is a carpenter and I'm all for listening to people who do the job every day as they often have tricks that save a lot of time. His view was you can spend a lot of time fiddling with door and window frames trying to get a 5mm gap all round, so as this is only a shed he suggested:-

Put in a stud, make sure it is vertical
Clamp the door frame to the stud
Put a second stud against the door frame, make sure it is vertical
Fix the second stud in place
Made sense to me so here is the door frame going in :-






And the same process repeated for the window frame :-






Starting to get a feel for the front of the shed now.


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## Graaz0r

Looking good !

I know when I put the door into my old outbuilding I doubled the timber on either side of the door, lot of weight and stress by opening it etc so may be worth considering for the sake of a few pounds!

Coming on nicely though, look forward to some more pictures !


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## MikeG.

Hmmm.....

Your lintel seems to be sitting straight on top of the door frame. It should be supported on cripple studs, with full height studs alongside. At the moment, the forces from the roof will go straight into the top of your door. Same with your window.


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## martin.a.ball

Fortunately I decided to put the frame together with screws, so it is all recoverable. I hadn't planned on making a mistake quite so early in the project but thanks for pointing it out now before I start wrapping the whole thing in breather membrane.


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## martin.a.ball

After a short holiday break, back to the summer project. I thought it best to fix the door frame, as spotted by Mike, so cripple studs and a new lintel cut to fit. The window will get the same treatment after the next trip to the timber yard.







Also made a start on the roof which will be the next post.


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## martin.a.ball

A bit about the roof. What I'm aiming for is best shown in Muzza's build thread on post 1183958. So a flat/pent roof with a small overhang on four sides.

The rafters are 150mm x 47mm CLS spaced at 600mm. The span is 2.4m. I cut the birdmouths with a jigsaw although I'm sure there must a better way and then used a spirit level to mark and cut both ends vertical with a hand saw. As the rafters don't align with the wall studs due to poor planning, I added an extra top plate all round.






And a close up on one of the better birdmouths.


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## martin.a.ball

In all the build threads I've read this next step is rarely shown. If the front wall and ends walls have been built as regular square frames then you are left with gap to deal with at either end otherwise the ladders for the roof overhang have nothing to rest on. With better planning I reckon I would have built the end wall frame to include the slope, but building a frame to fit was ok. A bit of experimenting with the mitre saw was good enough for the studs, the long cut at the rear had to be a hand saw.


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## Obi Wan Kenobi

Looking good and enjoying the build :wink: 

Obi Wan ccasion5:


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## HOJ

May be a bit late, I have some observations, you have put the cripple studs up the side of the door, as Mike G outlined, but the lintel appears to have a gap above, it should be tight up to the wall plate, they are there to support the load from the roof joists.

You mentioned that you set your studs at 610mm on center, be aware that some OSB3 is actually less than 1200mm wide, usually about 1197mm, and is manufactured for timber framing, principally, for use with studs on a 600mm center, with an allowance for leaving a gap between joints.

I would also suggest not fixing timber studs up tight to the windows and doors, presuming you will be applying a vapour membrane to the external face you will not be able to fold it into the openings, I allways fit windows and doors after the membrane is applied.


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## martin.a.ball

Hi HOJ. Thanks for the comments, the timber yard says their sheet material is 1220mm but I'll find out later when I go and buy some sheets for the roof.


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## martin.a.ball

At each end of the roof a ladder arrangement is needed so that the final rafter extends by about 100m to give a small overhang. This was a lot harder to put together than I thought for a couple of reasons. 






As I had been fitting the other rafters I must have been selecting the straightest timber because the timber left had a fair twist and I wish I had done the ladders first with the best timber. The second issue is the birdmouths sit the rafter slightly lower and I hadn't allowed for this when making up the end frame triangles so the cross members needed trimming to fit. Both ends needed a fair bit persuasion to come back to something close to square but I now have a complete frame for the roof to go on.


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## MikeG.

HOJ":1eandtmi said:


> .......be aware that some OSB3 is actually less than 1200mm wide, usually about 1197mm, and is manufactured for timber framing, principally, for use with studs on a 600mm center, with an allowance for leaving a gap between joints.......



This varies with the manufacturer. I have just bought dome 9mm OSB3, and some 18mm OSB3 from the same merchant, and found that the 9mm stuff is 1200x2400 (ie no allowance for gaps), and the 18mm stuff is 1220x2440 (8'x4')!! Beat that for stupidity!


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## MikeG.

martin.a.ball":21mgl7l1 said:


> ........



Martin, this still shows the lintel over the window opening to be unsupported. You have to think of a lintel as a beam, taking loads down to the foundation via a post underneath each end. As you have it at the moment, the only thing supporting that lintel, and the weight of the roof above, are the nails knocked in to its ends. You have supported the cill, which has no load on it, but not the lintel, which has (potentially at least), a reasonable load to carry.


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## martin.a.ball

MikeG.":ufkb06hm said:


> Martin, this still shows the lintel over the window opening to be unsupported. You have to think of a lintel as a beam, taking loads down to the foundation via a post underneath each end. As you have it at the moment, the only thing supporting that lintel, and the weight of the roof above, are the nails knocked in to its ends. You have supported the cill, which has no load on it, but not the lintel, which has (potentially at least), a reasonable load to carry.



Its on the list, need to get some more 4x2 during the next trip to the timber yard


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## martin.a.ball

Good trip to the timber yard. I got some more 4x2" and finished the cripple studs for the window.

Timber yard were also good too their word, 18mm OSB sheets for the roof are exactly 1220mm wide and hopefully matches my 610mm centers. That will have to wait for couple of days sunshine as the EPDM roof needs to go down at the same time.

In the meantime I wrapped the walls with breather membrane, cut the openings and folded the membrane round the door frame studs. I then tried the door frame for a test fit.






In the various build threads I've read some people reckon this is enough if sealed with silicon, others go further and add some flashing. Does anyone have any good photos of how to make a tidy junction between the cladding and the door frame?


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## HOJ

What are you proposing to use for cladding?


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## martin.a.ball

Most likely treated shiplap boards, about 22mm thick. They will be mounted on 2x1" battens to allow airflow. I reckon they will need some sort of finishing detail around the doors and windows, in a similar fashion to finishing the corners.


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## martin.a.ball

In the previous post the eagle eyed might have seen I tried to add a fascia using some left over 6x2". I didn't have a single piece long enough so tried to join them in the middle, mainly because the timber yard was all out of 6x1" when I last visited.






This bugged me for a few days before I did what I should have done all along, took it down and bought a couple of long 6x1" boards for the front and the back.






Roof is going on over the next few days as the forecast is good.


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## Obi Wan Kenobi

It's coming along nicely Martin  

OWK ccasion5:


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## martin.a.ball

18mm OSB sheets fitted to the roof and I used someones trick of hammering a nail between the boards to get a few mm gap for expansion. Cutting boards to width with a circular saw and a batten as a guide was a challenge and the evidence of twisting in the ladder arrangement for the rafter that overhangs can be seen in the left corner but I'm generally happy with the outcome. It is strong enough to walk on which is more than you say for most sheds.






The rolled up package is the EPDM from Permaroof ready to be laid out.


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## martin.a.ball

EPDM roof going on. The instructions said leave for 30 mins for the creases to drop out, but in hindsight it would have been better, and easier to brush out bumps later, to leave for much longer on a nice hot day.






The bulk of the sticking down is with a water based adhesive that can be applied with a roller.






The edges are glued up with a bonding adhesive which somewhere between green fairy liquid and radioactive waste. Good idea to wear disposable gloves and I just binned the brush after, forgot to take a photo because of sticky hands but here is the end result.






I've left the overhang for the time being as I plan to glue the EPDM to the fascia but need to figure out the junction with the soffit, insect mesh and walls. Whilst I remember, does anyone have any recommendations for insect mesh? It doesn't appear to be stocked by the local DIY merchants.


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## MikeG.

I've not used either of these companies, because I have been using up some really old stock.......but I did notice them whilst looking for a specification for a client. 

Here and here.


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## HOJ

For the insect mesh to the bottom and top of the cladding, I use the starter strips and ventilation profiles from James Hardie:

For example: www.squaredealupvcshop.co.uk/product/hardieplank-starter-strip-with-ventilation/


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## MikeG.

If you can find SS mesh plasterer's corner bead, then that does a brilliant job. My builder's merchant has swapped suppliers, so I can't get it any more, but it's called "Mini mesh bead" if you can find it.


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## martin.a.ball

HOJ":37nrj2q6 said:


> For the insect mesh to the bottom and top of the cladding, I use the starter strips and ventilation profiles from James Hardie:
> 
> For example: www.squaredealupvcshop.co.uk/product/hardieplank-starter-strip-with-ventilation/



Thanks HOJ, I watched the video and it is an interesting product, however, I'm a way down the wooden cladding route and shiplap doesn't need the kick out on the bottom board.


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## martin.a.ball

MikeG.":28hxfxy2 said:


> I've not used either of these companies, because I have been using up some really old stock.......but I did notice them whilst looking for a specification for a client.
> 
> Here and here.



Thanks Mike, glad you are still reading along. I reckon 75mm wide soffit mesh is the product I'm looking for, so thanks for the links. 

I'm enjoying your oak door build in another thread even if I don't have anything to add and its a million miles away from my plan to spray paint a white PVC door.


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## martin.a.ball

Before the rain returned this weekend, I managed to get the edge trim fitted. There are a number of useful videos on youtube including this one - How to fit kerb edge - 3 mins long.

I've yet to fit the corner caps and will wait until I've cut and glued the corners to the fascia. The trim is very effective at guiding rain to the rear of the shed, where a gutter is now essential.


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## martin.a.ball

75mm soffit mesh has arrived from mesh direct. I thought it would be easier to staple the mesh to the bottom bit of cladding and take that to the shed.






This turned out to be a right fiddle, backed off the screws in the battens and try to tuck the mesh under. I then checked Dan's thread and saw its is much easier to fit the mesh first then clad over. Anyhow, first board is fitted with screws just in case I need to adjust.






I need to get some galvanised nails to start fitting the rest of the shiplap.


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## martin.a.ball

Experimenting with nails. Top is 2.65mm galvanised round wire, middle is 3mm lost head, bottom are screws just in case I need to move the bottom row of cladding. I'm thinking I'll use the galvanised nails for the sides and back where the finish is less important, but use the lost head nails on the front.


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## MikeG.

Martin.....one fixing per board per batten. If you put two in, you'll get splits as the wood shrinks. The nail should be towards the lower edge of the board (where you've put the lost head nail, approx.), just above the board below, so that it not only fixes the board it is nailed through, but that board traps the top edge of the board below. Take care to paint the nail heads afterwards. Oh, and you should get a coat of paint on the boards before you fix them to the wall, because otherwise as they shrink you'll get a line of un-painted wood showing.


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## martin.a.ball

Thanks Mike. It was a toss up between treated and untreated boards, but these had a slightly wider profile which I thought looked better. I'll pick up some wood treatment during the week.


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## martin.a.ball

As mentioned before I'm trying to do as much of this build myself, partly for the satisfaction of saying I built that, but also to see what is possible as a single person build and learn a few new skills. Cladding is definitely one of those jobs that would be easier with two people, it took me a while to get into a rhythm but eventually I figured out a method to clamp the boards in place, using the nail trick as a spacer again.






I started on the side which is mostly hidden by the back of the garage, but decided to use the lost head nails as the corner is quite exposed and I wanted it to look tidy.


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## MikeG.

Martin......seriously....paint those boards before you fix them in place.


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## will1983

Good advice Mike, I painted my little 6'x4' shed we use for gardening stuff storage when it arrived and now I have lines of unpainted wood showing where all the featheredge boards have shrunk!

Oh well yet another thing to add to the to-do list!!!


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## pertinaxone

Hows progress Martin?


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## martin.a.ball

as pertinaxone asked so nicely, this is where I've got to:-






I was running out of spray paint on the door, so its a temporary fit until an extra can arrives. Still need to fit a gutter to the rear and fit a bit of decking at the front but I'm close to finished outside. Inside the floor is insulated and boarded and I've managed to pick up some free oak laminate on gumtree, so I'll experiment with how that works as a finish.


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## nabs

looks great!


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## MikeG.

That looks very neat, Martin. How is it inside?


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## martin.a.ball

With no wide angle lens available it is a bit difficult to get a proper view of inside. Standing in the door way gives a bit of a view with the 22mm chipboard floor down. 






I've been searching for cheap and local Celotex/Kingspan for a while now without any luck, then I stumbled across "the restoration couple" on youtube and he had a neat trick of using pond mesh over the floor joists which neatly supports 100mm loft insulation. Much cheaper and easier to find on gumtree and I reckon good enough for my shed.


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## MikeG.

Can you get that insulation up higher than that? It should really be hard up under the flooring, leaving no gaps.


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## martin.a.ball

The photo of the insulation was taken as I rolled it out. A few hours later it had fluffed up nicely level with the floor joists.


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## Kris the Handyman

That's a very neat shed - well done


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## martin.a.ball

Very carefully taken photo to show the inside of the window which is finished and ignore the inside of the door which is not and the ceiling where I still need to decide what boards to use.






My friendly electrician has been and extended power from the garage to the workshop so I now have power sockets and led panels for lighting. I dug out a discarded fan heater so I'm toasty just in time for spring.


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