# NEWBIE: Building A Shed. Looking For Help On Information.



## Screamo (3 Apr 2018)

It's quite a story and I'll try and keep it as short as possible. We currently have a large shed at the bottom of our garden and I believe it's made from something called Chipboard though I could be wrong. It looks like shavings of wood glued together to form an actual wall. Three of the walls inside have mould and from this I think it's a fair guess to say the wood is probably rotting. I have also assumed that as such the wood will no longer be very good and would need replacing. The issue is I cannot check inside due to having asthma and it isn't worth me taking the risk. Personally I would have never used whatever the shed has been made out of and this was the choice of my dad and his dad. Well picture short due to circumstances my dad doesn't live with us and cannot come and help due to circumstances and his father who does woodwork is a total ***** so that's a no go. I've never done anything with wood aside from making a really bad toy train/car thingy and would be seeking help from someone or perhaps a few people to help undertake such a project. Due to the size of the shed I was thinking about rebuilding it with the proper materials especially since it takes up the whole bottom section of the garden and as it has a concrete foundation it would look really weird having half of it have a shed on and the other half not, it would look like an eyesore. Back to the point. My question is about buying the timber. I've had a look around and from what I have seen it is pretty damn expensive and to build a shed from scratch I am probably looking at a decent amount to do it. Firstly I'm unsure what type of wood I'd need though I understand you can get different woods for outdoor use I'm not sure what wood to go for and how well it will weather. Which wood is good for the price, what type I should get, I'm referring to the method that the wood has been cut, I've heard sawn is a fair bit cheaper. I hope you get the point. Not that this should matter but I'm only in my early twenties with zero knowledge or experience and if I knew people to ask I would have but considering the situations I've got to make do with what I have. I do truly appreciate the help that people offer me in life and I am always forever grateful. Thank you, -Scream.


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## Paul200 (3 Apr 2018)

Hi Scream and welcome. I just sat and typed a fulsome response to your post with loads of links and stuff and then - don't know what happened - the whole lot vanished! Cut a long story short - have a good look around on here, take time to read posts under Workshop, decide what you want to do and come back to us with your plans. There's a mine of info on here and a ton of expertise and experience.

One thread that I remember that should be right up your street is this - shed-build-t93048.html. Kev built a good looking shed for next to nothing by looking around for bargains, skip-diving and scavenging offcuts from building sites. Most of the pictures are gone now but it's worth a read. Also this - build-a-shed-mike-s-way-t39389.html.

If you start from scratch I'd say the minimum size timber you should be building with is 3x2 sawn treated softwood. External cladding is personal preference and internal walls are usually OSB (the 'chipboard' you mention). If you want it to last you also need to think about vapour barriers and insulation. It's a lot to take in all at once and your best bet is to read and digest some of the posts and decide how you want to proceed. 

Good luck!
Paul


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## Lons (3 Apr 2018)

Hmm. 
Firstly it sounds as if the existing material is OSB ( google it and compare pictures).

If you're determined to build yourself you really need to look on the forum as there are loads of shed build threads and some excellent advice. Will take you a long time to read through it but worth the effort. You have't however said what your tool kit comprises of, assuming you have one at all.

Given what you've said, my advice would be to buy a decent quality shed and get someone to help you erect it on the concrete base though some suppliers will do that for you as part of the deal.

Whatever you do it won't be cheap to buy or build something decent.


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## nev (3 Apr 2018)

Take a look at some pre-built shed prices, tongue and groove, treated timber at the approximate size you want. e.g. https://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co.uk ... -apex-shed
That should be similar to the cost of the timber to build the same thing but yours would be more substantial, e.g. using 3x2 or 4x2 timbers and lined with OSB instead of the 2x2 timber and no lining in the prebuilt one.
Add to that the cost of doors and windows*, insulation, groundworks, and basic tools - at least a saw, hammer, screwdriver and a level, more than likely an electric mitre saw, and a cordless drill/ driver, and you'll have a rough idea of what it will cost to build your own.

*You can build your shed to fit any pre bought windows and doors so you can buy used/ cheap/ mis-measured/ ex-display/ wooden or UPVC windows and doors before hand.


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## Screamo (3 Apr 2018)

Paul200":2eh4g8it said:


> Hi Scream and welcome. I just sat and typed a fulsome response to your post with loads of links and stuff and then - don't know what happened - the whole lot vanished! Cut a long story short - have a good look around on here, take time to read posts under Workshop, decide what you want to do and come back to us with your plans. There's a mine of info on here and a ton of expertise and experience.
> 
> One thread that I remember that should be right up your street is this - shed-build-t93048.html. Kev built a good looking shed for next to nothing by looking around for bargains, skip-diving and scavenging offcuts from building sites. Most of the pictures are gone now but it's worth a read. Also this - build-a-shed-mike-s-way-t39389.html.
> 
> ...



Hello. I didn't have a chance to measure it up last night and since I posted this early morning I still hadn't measured up as I needed a hand with someone holding the tape. I've measured the shed up now and I thought I'd tell you the sizing to see what you think. The shed is Length 20 F, Height 2.6 F and Depth 8.11 F.


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## Brandlin (3 Apr 2018)

Screamo":2ae9p5he said:


> Paul200":2ae9p5he said:
> 
> 
> > The shed is Length 20 F, Height 2.6 F and Depth 8.11 F.



I'm guessing F meets 'Feet'? Feet is usually shortened to ' and inches to "... that will help you understand some of the measurements people will give you here.
And the height is 8 feet 11 inches... 8'11"


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## Phil Pascoe (3 Apr 2018)

Paul200":10qfg50o said:


> I just sat and typed a fulsome response to your post with loads of links and stuff and then - don't know what happened - the whole lot vanished!
> Paul



Glad to know it's not just me it happens to.


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## Lons (3 Apr 2018)

Happens to me as well Phil :roll: 

I've now got into the habit of copying my text in case it disappears when I click the submit button for just that event!

A number of odd things still happen and it's just this forum not the others I'm on. The most annoying is that I regularly can't go to the next page using the bottom buttons and have to scroll back to the top to do so, doesn't happen every time but it drives me nuts and sometimes I just quit the forum in exasperation.

As I said, doesn't happen anywhere else and my laptop works perfectly.


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## Paul200 (3 Apr 2018)

Screamo":1562ke4t said:


> Hello. I didn't have a chance to measure it up last night and since I posted this early morning I still hadn't measured up as I needed a hand with someone holding the tape. I've measured the shed up now and I thought I'd tell you the sizing to see what you think. The shed is Length 20 F, Height 2.6 F and Depth 8.11 F.



That's quite big. What do you want to use it for? You mentioned only using half of it for a shed would look odd - how about a shed/summer house? Half and half with a deck or paving to sit out on and enjoy the sun :roll: Just a thought.


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## MikeG. (4 Apr 2018)

Brandlin":2ot1kcp0 said:


> Screamo":2ot1kcp0 said:
> 
> 
> > Paul200":2ot1kcp0 said:
> ...



It can't be feet. The height is 2.6 whatevers.


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## Screamo (4 Apr 2018)

MikeG.":2chqeqfa said:


> I'm guessing F meets 'Feet'? Feet is usually shortened to ' and inches to "... that will help you understand some of the measurements people will give you here.
> And the height is 8 feet 11 inches... 8'11"



It can't be feet. The height is 2.6 whatevers.[/quote]

It is feet. 2 foot and six inches.


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## MikeG. (4 Apr 2018)

Sorry, can you just go through this slowly. Are you saying you have a shed which is 20 feet long and 2 and a half foot high? That's less than waist high.


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## Screamo (4 Apr 2018)

MikeG.":133lopr3 said:


> Sorry, can you just go through this slowly. Are you saying you have a shed which is 20 feet long and 2 and a half foot high? That's less than waist high.



"The shed is Length 20 F, Height 2.6 F and Depth 8.11 F. "

Haha, I've just noticed that failure. Yes, you're correct. The shed is not in fact 2' high, lol. I have to army crawl to enter my shed. The shed is 7'6". I'm honestly not sure how I managed to stuff that up so bad.


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## Lons (4 Apr 2018)

Hi Scream

I'm surprised that at your age you're using feet and inches and not metric.

Try using metres and millimetres ( forget about centimetres, they're not necessary ). much easier and less likely to screw up.

Bob

ps. I use mm 99% of the time but often revert back to imperial as I'm old enough to remember, but then I also convert back to shillings and pence as well after which I need to have a lie down as I#m depressed at how much things cost these days. Oh for the days when you could get a gallon of petrol for less than 5 bob. :lol:


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## Screamo (4 Apr 2018)

Lons":3kbmp8uo said:


> Hi Scream
> 
> I'm surprised that at your age you're using feet and inches and not metric.
> 
> ...



I know both systems. I find the imperial system easier and I can easily visualise it more easily. Plus it's probably like that because I worked with my grandad a lot. Personally I think it's good to know both systems as I personally think both have their benefits. To be honest the mistake probably came from being sleep deprived or a simple mistype. I managed to get someone to come around and have a look at the shed and was told it would be cheaper to just replace certain walls, he reckons that the timber frame is fine and doesn't need replacing. He have a leak in one side of the roof that needs looking at also. Keep in mind that our shed is 20' in length and 7'6" in height with a depth of 8'11" he said that to build the shed from scratch you'd be looking at a couple grand to do it, thoughts on that statement? At the moment our shed is pretty bare-bones. You've got the frame and then the frame is covered by OSB with a felt roof and that's basically it. The sheds thickness is a singular wall and you called call it in short a rectangular box because that's all it is, like a shipping container.


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## Lons (4 Apr 2018)

You can get a 20 x 10 T&G with windows along one side for £855 delivered. https://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co.uk ... oYQAvD_BwE
Not the heaviest duty for which you would pay a couple of grand but perfectly acceptable if properly insulated and treated.
If you're happy to repair your OSB shed then that's fine but for the sake of your health and any tools you buy I'd make certain you eradicate all sources of damp and it will still need insulation if you want to use it in comfort.
Nothing wrong with keeping within a low budget, we all have to cut our cloth according to our circumstances.


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