# Workshop from scaffold boards..



## dom68 (23 Feb 2018)

hi everybody.. im new to the forum.

im about to build myself a workshop but on a fairly tight budget. i have a quantity of paving slabs already and can source scaffold boards pretty cheap. my initial idea is to lay an approx base of 13ft x 10ft using the slabs. this would form the floor of my workshop not just the base. id erect 4x4 posts in each corner and use 13ft scaffold boards for front and rear walls and 10ft boards for sides. 

this would form the initial structure for the workshop. can anybody see any problems with this as a basic idea? 

any suggestions/help/advice will be much appreciated.

thanks dom.


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## Rorschach (23 Feb 2018)

That is no where near enough structure for even a wood store.


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## MikeG. (23 Feb 2018)

How are you going to form door and window openings? What's the roof like? What are you planning on supporting the roof on? How are you proposing to insulate the building? How are you going to keep water from penetrating the joins between the boards? How are you planning to stop the boards rotting? How are you proposing to prevent the posts rotting?

Frankly, you could build a reasonable shed with scaffold boards, but not this way. The little money you spend will all be wasted as water pours in through the walls, posts rot off at ground level, vermin get in under the bottom edge of the boards, and the whole thing blows over in the next gale-with-a-name.


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## nev (23 Feb 2018)

And theres a lovely welcome to the forum!

What is said above is true but it could have possibly been worded it a little more politely, simply prefacing with a 'Welcome, unfortunately your design would not work because...' would have sufficed but there we go.

Your slabs for a base idea whilst not ideal _may_ be ok if they are slightly raised and within the inside of the structure so any water running down the outside of the shed would go past rather than onto the slabs. 
Ideally you would make a frame for each of the sides from a minimum of 2x2 timber (2x4 would be better) with uprights no more than 16" apart. (have a look at any cheap shed in B&Q etc). You can make the door and window apertures to fit whatever door and widows you can acquire (check behind any upvc window suppliers they'll have a skip full). Then fix the frames together. wrap it in a weatherproof membrane, affix battens to the exterior, and then your weatherproof outer timber, usually a shiplap type so that each timber slots under the one above it so the water doesn't get in.
Thats a simplification but you should get the idea. see here for a simple plan..
https://www.buildeazy.com/shed-6.php


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## dom68 (23 Feb 2018)

hi thanks for replies so far..

would the concrete slabs not be ideal because of cold/damp? would timber floor be better? 

if i used more uprights say every 4ft or so and secured together inbetween would that be strong enough structurally or would i be best just forgetting the scaffold board idea and constructing frames for walls and using say osb or something similar? 

i was originally thinking of some kind of chinking for inbetween the scaffold boards for waterproofing..


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## Mrs C (23 Feb 2018)

What is your budget? A cheap shed on your slabs might be better - you can then insulate and enhance as time/money allows.


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## dom68 (23 Feb 2018)

my budget is probably 450 max.. like i said i can get hold of the boards fairly cheap but id need quite a few of them.. the roof id decide on when it was time to install..


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## dom68 (23 Feb 2018)

maybe the question i should be asking is how do i best utilise the materials i have or can easily get ie the paving slabs and scaffold boards. 

i can leave insulating for time being as mrs c suggested and install later on..


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## Lazurus (23 Feb 2018)

I think I would look for a second hand shed and modify to suit as time and pennies allow, your design would quickly swallow your budget. for that price you may even get a used prefab garage from the local selling sites - if your prepared to collect etc.

Welcome to the Forum =D>


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## dom68 (23 Feb 2018)

yeah maybe i need to rethink  

thanks for all your help!


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## MikeG. (23 Feb 2018)

nev":k1d9vj33 said:


> And theres a lovely welcome to the forum!.......



Indeed. My apologies to the OP, and a belated welcome to the forum.



Scaffold boards can be made to work, and won't need a traditional frame at 400 or 600 centres, but unorthodox constructions need careful thought, and all sheds should adhere to the principle of raising structural and facing timbers at least 150mm above the soil on a plinth. There are hundreds of ways of doing this.......it doesn't have to be brickwork on concrete........but what you just cannot do is sit timber in or on the earth and expect it to last more than 5 minutes, or keep your shed dry.

With a budget of £450 for a shed of that size I'd be looking at Freecycle for a whole lot of concrete fence posts, for OSB, and for any sheeting or cladding materials you could find. Some free insulation would be a big help too. I'd build the plinth and the lower parts of the frame out of the fence posts, and work out my design from whatever materials I got hold of.


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## ColeyS1 (23 Feb 2018)

Welcome to the forum Dom. You'll have a decent work area with an off the shelf secondhand shed. You can tart it up a bit when funds allow. 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## dom68 (23 Feb 2018)

thanks very much  

just for my own education then..

how long realistically will posts last if concreted in before they rot? and structurally what would be acceptable for a shed this size? 

ive never built anything like this so just feeling my way along. 

my original vision was for something that would look pretty.. bit like a log cabin..


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## MikeG. (23 Feb 2018)

I'd give them 5 years, maybe. Could be less.


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## Lons (23 Feb 2018)

If the ground is wet clay then probably less than 5 years to rot, could even be half that! I had a number of 3 x 3 pressure treated fenceposts in my field last only a couple of years

If you do use slabs for the floor you will need to put a damp proof membrane under them or your workshop will be continually damp from ground moisture, not a good place to store wood, tools or machinery.

I'd echo the others and buy a s/h shed or garage.


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## julianf (23 Feb 2018)

Used scaffold boards are cheap because they have stuff wrong with them. Sure you can get decent timber from them, but you will have a fair bit of waste unless you select them very carefully.

I guess if i were using them, id want to use them for the floor. I think id put the slabs down, then have an air gap, then the wooden floor.

Also, without work, they will always have gaps between them. I think that, if i were using them for walls, i would buy a roll of DPM, and batton that to the outside.

....but, as above, if you were paying for any of this, rather than just had a stack of it, it would be better to just accquire a shed. Sure, if you had a stack of boards, but, as you dont..

My scaffold board use - 












That is a suspended timber floor, but has insulation, and dpm sheeting below it. 

(Its supposed to look old, but had only been down a couple of months when the photo was taken.)


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## ScaredyCat (23 Feb 2018)

dom68":2ahkvzph said:


> my budget is probably 450 max.. like i said i can get hold of the boards fairly cheap but id need quite a few of them.. the roof id decide on when it was time to install..



Not a recommendation just making the point that you could get an off the shelf shed for that.


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## lee celtic (24 Feb 2018)

Hello and welcome.. 

I'd say go for it.. you learn from mistakes.. My first shed was made from three hardboard doors two sheets of 9mm ply and one sheet of plastic with a sort of honeycomb through it used to board up windows of derelict houses in Manchester.. it stood for 4 years until I moved out of my Mums and housed all my tools and three motocross bikes....lol

to be fair I was only 14 when I built it..

If it keeps the rain off and the thieves out it's all good.


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## mindthatwhatouch (24 Feb 2018)

If you can be patient...
As already stated a secondhand garage or shed quite often free to take away, for the basic structure, save your money for improvements.
Start collecting free materials, building sites, window suppliers or the local classifieds. Ask first before taking from a skip. You'll be surprised what you can find.
Hardcore for the base, then slabs or concrete over it, insulation offcuts, doors, windows, scrap timber, maybe some secondhand hoarding for the structure.

If you haven't already look at the sticky
Build a shed mike's way. And lots of ideas on the forum builds.


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## defsdoor (24 Feb 2018)

ScaredyCat":3j0nygyg said:


> Not a recommendation just making the point that you could get an off the shelf shed for that.



You can't call those things sheds. They use 1"x1" - that's basically trim. I thought they were bad whey I was looking for a new shed and was looking at the ones that were 1"x2". I halped a mate put one of these 1"x1" sheds in and it might as well have been made out of cardboard :O


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## ColeyS1 (24 Feb 2018)

defsdoor":178xj2uc said:


> ScaredyCat":178xj2uc said:
> 
> 
> > Not a recommendation just making the point that you could get an off the shelf shed for that.
> ...


I bought a second hand shed with really small framework. I turned it into a good comfy shed. Here's how.

Working from the inside a shed would have

Osb or similar boarding on the inside 
Studwork with insulation in between
Breathable fabric 
Minimum 20 battens on the front of that 
Then your outside boarding 

Think of the cheapy shed as the last two things on the list, then build inwards, so breathable fabric, studwork insulation and internal boarding. You'll need a few alterations on the framework (or in the new role, the batten) to ensure airflow, but you'll end up with an immediate structure that you can build inwards when time/budget allows. With a bit of planning an off the shelf flimsy shed can be transformed into a nice warm insulated workable or even liveable shed.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## Woody2Shoes (24 Feb 2018)

dom68":2tzs17zg said:


> thanks very much
> 
> just for my own education then..
> 
> ...



Hi,

IME concreting a post into the ground creates a concrete pocket which traps water next to the wood. I've found that, even in heavy clay, posts survive longer out of concrete than in it - but in any event, don't last more than 2-10 years depending on the details. 

Cheers, W2S


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## dom68 (24 Feb 2018)

thanks for all the replies so far.. i think i can get 50 boards for around 200 quid.. maybe use 6x6s for corners and some 4x4 inbetween.. posts would be pressure treated.. this would get me to around £350/£370 mark.. may have enough boards to build roof structure.. poss even raised floor.. i wouldnt bother with windows and id use the wood i cut out for door opening to make the door with..


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## ColeyS1 (24 Feb 2018)

I'd still just buy a second hand shed Dom. 

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## dom68 (24 Feb 2018)

yeah youre right of course.. not as much fun to build tho


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## ColeyS1 (24 Feb 2018)

It'll be very quick to put a strong rigid and nice looking shed. That's only half the battle though. The other half is building it in a way to keep the heat in, but the condensation and damp out.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Edit- This thread by Mike G is well worth a read 

viewtopic.php?t=39389


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## Justlittleme (19 Nov 2018)

This is my first post, so Hi everyone.

I know this is an older post, but im a newbie to wood working.

But if you put an alternating rabet on the tops and bottoms of the Scaffolding boards, this would give tongue and groove type fit so water run off cant travel up.

Would that work?


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## MikeG. (20 Nov 2018)

It's not a good idea to use decent tools anywhere near a scaffold board. They have ingrained dirt, stones, and so on from thousands of building site boots. Further, they won't be straight. If you can't do it with a hand-held circular saw, I wouldn't do it.........and that means half-laps rather than tongue and groove. Even then, this is a fundamentally flawed idea.


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## screwpainting (30 Nov 2018)

How about scaffold tubes for the corner posts into the ground on pads, fixed to a 4x2 bottom and top rail. Then, screw your scaffold boards vertically into these 4x2 rails. One vertical course spaced at approximately 6" apart to suit a full board width from the corners and then overlap these with another vertical course by about an inch either side. this would create very strong waterproof walls, fixed to a bottom and top plate. The whole thing say 6/8 inches above ground level with the actual floor slabs inside just under the floor plate level with the vertical boards outside overlapping the edge of the slabs on the inside etc...

Loads of ways to make this work and no messing about with studwork.

Might even stay warm??


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## TomGW (19 Dec 2018)

ColeyS1":34r7nmjo said:


> defsdoor":34r7nmjo said:
> 
> 
> > ScaredyCat":34r7nmjo said:
> ...



That's exactly what I did for my daughter and it works fine. I note that for the past few months Homebase have been selling 2.4m X 38mm X 63mm for £2.25. A 63mm vertical stud added to the existing frame, with 60mm insulation board and OSB will really beef up any budget shed at modest cost.


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## deema (19 Dec 2018)

Just a thought. With your budget and access to free boards, what about a 20’ container? Nice steel box with good access / security. To make it spouse / neighbour friendly you can use the boards to cover it. Needs to be raised off the ground which a few concrete pillars will sort. 

Windows can be added by cutting out openings with an angle grinder. You can insulate on the outside underneath the cladding, or inside. I would sheet the internal and paint white to both reduce noise reflection of the inside and make it lighter.


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