# Lockdown Workshop Build



## Shaun92 (1 Jul 2020)

I’ve been threatening to build my workshop for a couple of years and I’ve finally started it. 
I’ve got a budget of £1000 (ish) and it will be 4.5m x 3.2m to keep within the 15m2.
50mm Mot base
Dpm
100mm concrete slab (no reinforcement) 
1 Course of block
Coated in blackjack
Dpc
95x45mm sole plate (all 4 x 2 timber has been reclaimed for free)
stud walls (600 centres)
Top plate
Trusses constructed using the same 95 x 45mm timber 
18mm reclaimed ply sheets for roof
Cheap cold lay felt 
Breathable membrane on walls
25 x 38mm vertical treated batten
Clad with 150mm feather edge 
Internally 
100mm earthwool
Vapour barrier
Reclaimed 18mm ply on walls
9mm osb to ceiling
Door and windows bought cheap off eBay + Shpock


I’ve followed several builds on this site and I want to try and add to the melting pot of information and ideas. 
I don’t know if this is allowed but here’s a link to the YouTube videos I’ve uploaded, they include more images and walk arounds. 

https://youtu.be/7M75gkonWXg

Any questions or ‘constructive’ criticisms feel free to hit me with them. 

Thanks 
Shaun


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## MikeG. (1 Jul 2020)

Welcome Shaun. 

That all sounds good to me, although a description of your roof would help. It's hard to fit the necessary insulation into rafters only 100mm deep. Also, try to avoid the 150 featheredge, as it is flimsy stuff. Better to go for the ex 175x32 stuff. If you line the inside of the walls with ply or OSB there is no need for a vapour barrier. Both of those have a high resistance to the passage of vapour because of the large amount of glue used in their manufacture. Finally, 38mm counterbattens are fine if there are no joins in your boarding, so make sure your featheredge is at least 4.5m long. If you need to do a butt joint then it's better to have 50mm counterbattens.

Don't forget that the 15 sq m thing relates to internal floor area, not the slab area. I presume this means you are building hard up to a boundary.


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## Shaun92 (1 Jul 2020)

Afternoon Mike, 

Thanks for the feedback. 

The roof is just a basic shallow pitch, trussed roof. Trusses are fixed together by sandwiching joint between two 4x2’s, glued and screwed. This method gave me a central flat section to fix lighting to. 

As for the insulation in the roof, I’ll just peel off 20/30mm from the 100mm earthwool to give some air movement over the top.

I’m not going for a super efficient building, just something comfortable. I could always add a continuous layer of PIR across the ceiling at a later stage. 

I’ve already got the cladding, unfortunately everything comes down to £££. Where the cladding will be jointed, a vertical 150 x 22mm board will be in between the two pieces. This detail will be supported by 4 battens, 1 taking the end of the cladding, two for the 150mm board and 1 taking the start of the next piece of cladding. 
The corners are also going to have 150mm boards wrapped in an L shape. The Mrs has asked for it to look ‘New England’ style, she mentioned about adding wooden shutters on the windows too but we will see. 

The reason for the vapour barrier is firstly because the ply I’m using is reclaimed so isn’t 100% and secondly (mainly) to keep out unwanted creepy crawleys which I’m not a fan of! 

Lastly, the workshop is about 400mm away from the boundary at the closest point. I didn’t know that the 15m2 applied to the internals, I thought it was the buildings footprint that was measured!! 

I could have gained myself a bit of extra space to store more necessary junk in the workshop. 

Thanks Mike

Shaun


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## Shaun92 (2 Jul 2020)




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## Shaun92 (2 Jul 2020)




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## MikeG. (2 Jul 2020)

That DPM won't last long up the plinth walls. It degrades in UV light. What is your plan with it?

You're also going to need a proper lintel over the door opening, and your roof needs some ties (they aren't trusses at the moment, just rafters). And did you not want a window?


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## Shaun92 (2 Jul 2020)




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## Shaun92 (2 Jul 2020)




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## MikeG. (2 Jul 2020)

Shaun, did you miss my earlier post?

Lintel and roof ties are an issue. Could you comment on those, please.


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## Shaun92 (2 Jul 2020)




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## MikeG. (2 Jul 2020)

That's twice. I'll leave you to it then.

-

Please, anybody else viewing this........DON'T build a roof like this. It will fail.


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## Shaun92 (2 Jul 2020)

MikeG.":3s17ob80 said:


> Shaun, did you miss my earlier post?
> 
> Lintel and roof ties are an issue. Could you comment on those, please.



Hi Mike, 

By ties do you mean timbers stretching from the front to the rear? 
If so, I’m waiting on some more timber to become available and then I’ll add a few from front to back. 

I don’t need them at every “rafter” :wink: do I? 

As for the door needing a lintel, that was a cockup on my part, I jumped at a cheap door I found and it was about 60mm bigger than what I’d planned for. I had to chop out the top plate so I’ve reinforced it on the inside, fixing a timber across the head of the door into the studs either side and fixed into the 3 rafters over the doorway. 

I’ll take a picture tomorrow and you can give me your opinion on the cockup fix. 

Shaun


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## Shaun92 (2 Jul 2020)

MikeG.":2utirg2d said:


> That's twice. I'll leave you to it then.
> 
> -
> 
> Please, anybody else viewing this........DON'T build a roof like this. It will fail.



Sorry mate, I wasn’t ignoring you. I was trying to upload pictures without having chats in between so it’s easier to see the progress.

It’s a lot of faff adding each picture.


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## MikeG. (2 Jul 2020)

Shaun92":ri5dmqc8 said:


> .......I don’t need them at every “rafter” :wink: do I? ...



No, not if you aren't storing anything on top of them. I'd put one on the rafter pair to the right of the door as you look at it from the outside, which will help stabilise the dodgy chopped away plate situation. You may only need one other, but 2 evenly spaced would be on the safe side.


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## Shaun92 (3 Jul 2020)

Yeah I’ll do that, didn’t have and decent timbers longer than 2.1m which is also why there’s half laps all over the place  

On to cladding this weekend!


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## Shaun92 (5 Jul 2020)




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## Shaun92 (1 Mar 2021)

Link to an update on the workshop build.


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## Jameshow (1 Mar 2021)

Nice build 

If the door frame droops due to the weight of the roof you could use a length of angle steel as an improvised lintel. 

Did you put the ties in as suggested above. 

Otherwise the roof will tend to sagg. 

Cheers James


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## Shaun92 (1 Mar 2021)

Jameshow said:


> Nice build
> 
> If the door frame droops due to the weight of the roof you could use a length of angle steel as an improvised lintel.
> 
> ...


Hi James
Yeah the workshops got ties installed now, I haven’t had and issue over the door. I added braces with some more timber but your suggestion of angle iron is a good one which I’ll use if I get any issue in the future.


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## placks (15 Mar 2021)

MikeG. said:


> Don't forget that the 15 sq m thing relates to internal floor area, not the slab area. I presume this means you are building hard up to a boundary.




Hi Mike

Another new poster here doing research for a similar build. I'm getting a bit confused by the 15m2 thing and building regs.

So if your internal footprint is 15m2 or less then you can build out of wood as close to a boundary as you like?

if its more than 15m2 it has to be over 1 meter from any boundary and if its not it has to be made from non combustible material?

Have I got that right?

Thanks
Ryan


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## MARK.B. (15 Mar 2021)

Not clear from the video, but is the Workshop anchored down in any way to the base ? or are you relying on gravity to keep it in place , a good strong gust of wind is more than capable of shifting your pride and joy right of the blocks it sits on .


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## Sheptonphil (15 Mar 2021)

placks said:


> Hi Mike
> 
> Another new poster here doing research for a similar build. I'm getting a bit confused by the 15m2 thing and building regs.
> 
> ...


Hi Placks

Mike no longer posts on their forum.

you are correct, under 15sqm (internal area) can be up to your boundary. this of course assumes there are no special restrictions in your local area. Next criteria is as you state, 15-30sqm predominantly non combustible materials (different local authorities interpret this in differing ways) or more than 1m from fence. Other dimensional restrictions apply.


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## placks (18 Mar 2021)

Sheptonphil said:


> Hi Placks
> 
> Mike no longer posts on their forum.
> 
> you are correct, under 15sqm (internal area) can be up to your boundary. this of course assumes there are no special restrictions in your local area. Next criteria is as you state, 15-30sqm predominantly non combustible materials (different local authorities interpret this in differing ways) or more than 1m from fence. Other dimensional restrictions apply.



Thank you!


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## DBT85 (18 Mar 2021)

placks said:


> Thank you!


You also have to consider the height. If you want to go over 2.5m in height you have to be more than 2m from the boundary. I've got 2.5m from my floor to the underside of my rafter ties only because I had the space to build it 2m from the boundary. I could have got PP of course. Now my sheet materials stand on end and it's very handy.




MARK.B. said:


> Not clear from the video, but is the Workshop anchored down in any way to the base ? or are you relying on gravity to keep it in place , a good strong gust of wind is more than capable of shifting your pride and joy right of the blocks it sits on .



I beleive Mike did once say that he forgot to do it on one of his workshops and 20 years later when taking it down it hadn't moved at all, though I still did it on mine anyway.


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## MARK.B. (18 Mar 2021)

Belt and braces stuff round here, the wind in from the North Sea , not unusual to see the remnant's of broken sheds and other stuff being loaded into skips after a good storm. On the plus side if you get up early enough a tasty Lobster or two can often be found among the Kelp .


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## placks (18 Mar 2021)

DBT85 said:


> You also have to consider the height. If you want to go over 2.5m in height you have to be more than 2m from the boundary. I've got 2.5m from my floor to the underside of my rafter ties only because I had the space to build it 2m from the boundary. I could have got PP of course. Now my sheet materials stand on end and it's very handy.



Thanks, I was aware of the height restriction (that was one of the few things I was actually able to understand about the regs) so have now opted for a pent style. Might be the odd occasion being a short a** actually comes in handy though . Now i can get onto planning how to do the floor..


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## DBT85 (18 Mar 2021)

placks said:


> Thanks, I was aware of the height restriction (that was one of the few things I was actually able to understand about the regs) so have now opted for a pent style. Might be the odd occasion being a short a** actually comes in handy though . Now i can get onto planning how to do the floor..


Make a thread!

Getting planning isn't that hard nor that expensive. I didn't mostly because it was a little unexpected and I didn't really need to. Had covid not hit I'd have been at work so wouldn't have been able to dedicate the time to build it, and since I had the time, you couldn't get planning for anything as everyone was hiding at home. Also my garden is big enough that a 7x5m chunk removed with a 2m area free on 2 sides isn't actually a problem. Of that I Am very fortunate!


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## MARK.B. (18 Mar 2021)

If planning should have been obtained and for whatever reason not been applied for / granted , could a Insurance company use it as as grounds for not paying out on a claim  My experience of making a major claim was akin to an interrogationThey tried every trick in the book to not pay out and I was wondering if this could be one of them


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## DBT85 (18 Mar 2021)

No idea but since its an insurance company probably. My one time dealing with a claim was when my ex and I were broken into and I had 4k of camera gear nicked, Aviva just old me to go to the WEX photographic site, put everything I lost in a basket and send them a screen grab! 

Personally I wouldn't dare spend that much time and effort unless I'd got permission, either via permitted development or planning permission and I live in such a rural area I could more than likely get away with it.


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## MARK.B. (18 Mar 2021)

Being rural does have it's benefits at times  must admit when i removed the old garage ( one of those old Asbestos clad and roofed type ) i did extend its replacement as my workshop just a tad


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## DBT85 (18 Mar 2021)

MARK.B. said:


> Being rural does have it's benefits at times  must admit when i removed the old garage ( one of those old Asbestos clad and roofed type ) i did extend its replacement as my workshop just a tad


In the field opposte me there had sat little more than a shed for decades. Once the land was sold off, a huge great thing (the type you lose diggers in) was erected. Though I think for farm buildings rules are different


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## mikej460 (18 Mar 2021)

A few years back we moved our knackered old drive from the front to the side of the house over a bit of overgrown paddock. I thought I wouldn't need permission but we live in a rural part of the world with busy body neighbours who started to ask pointed questions. So I decided to ring Planning and the guy there said I was on his list to contact as someone had informed him of what I was doing. He not only insisted I put in a retrospective planning application but told me it had to go to the planning committee. I had to stop work for 2 months yet the planning meeting waved it through, telling me they were surprised it had been put before them. It now gets a lot of positive comments, even from the old duffer that dobbed me in.


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## MARK.B. (18 Mar 2021)

It was done with the best intentions Mike


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## Sheptonphil (19 Mar 2021)

My next built to start at the beginning of April is a 4mx5m open fronted summerhouse with pyramid roof. We do not have any permitted development rights here, so I have applied for planning permission. I MAY have ’got away with it’, but the cost and effort involved in building it, is not worth it, same as when I built the workshop. then, a neighbour had planning enforcement call round to ensure I’d built to the correct dimensions as the finished height was 4.5m rather than the original 3.5m approved.

What he had not checked, was I had put in a material change after permission was granted, to enable a different roof structure to original plan.

planning is not onerous, if you permitted development means compromising your build, put in for planning, the cost is £206 plus a £25 admin fee.


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## placks (20 Mar 2021)

DBT85 said:


> Make a thread!
> 
> Getting planning isn't that hard nor that expensive. I didn't mostly because it was a little unexpected and I didn't really need to. Had covid not hit I'd have been at work so wouldn't have been able to dedicate the time to build it, and since I had the time, you couldn't get planning for anything as everyone was hiding at home. Also my garden is big enough that a 7x5m chunk removed with a 2m area free on 2 sides isn't actually a problem. Of that I Am very fortunate!



I will probably make a thread as I'm gonna need plenty of tips I imagine. I don't really have the space to have anything bigger than what I can build under permitted development anyway am happy to sacrifice pitch for pent. Just been browsing through the thread for your build, very impressed, great job and what a space to have!


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## Shaun92 (24 Mar 2021)

MARK.B. said:


> Not clear from the video, but is the Workshop anchored down in any way to the base ? or are you relying on gravity to keep it in place , a good strong gust of wind is more than capable of shifting your pride and joy right of the blocks it sits on .



Hi Mark, 

I’ve put L shaped straps from the base plate into the blockwork to stop my shed from blowing away cheers mate haha


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## Shaun92 (24 May 2021)

Update on the workshop, video of the cladding getting finished!


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