Building a Garden Office Advice Required

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Sorry should have said.

This is outside cladding which will be Tyvek Housewrapped and then battens attached at 600 centres and then finally clad with shiplap.

The idea of the external cladding was to make the frame rigid before erection on site.


Thanks

Mark
 
Hi Mark,

It is usual to put ply or OSB on the inside. There is no rule about this but neither are very vapour permeable so with OSB on the outside the Tyvek would not “breathe” so well and you may get condensation at the dew point trapped within the wall thickness. If you are using Celotex or similar closed cell insulation water vapour cannot condense within the insulation but can on the studs around the edges, or on any surface cold enough. This doesn’t matter as long as the moisture can evaporate and escape when the temperature picks up.

If you close nail OSB to all the studs, rails etc in each panel you have made a stressed skin panel and diagonal bracing would not be necessary. A big panel made like this can be very heavy.

You probably work much more accurately than I do but keep in mind that a finished panel with a board face or bracing needs to be sufficiently square and of equal height to be sure it all goes together easily without annoying tapering gaps. It is not difficult to line the frame with ply/OSB after it is erected and you can adjust the studs for vertical as you go. A couple of diagonal battens pinned to the first corner stud will hold it vertical and away you go! Fixing the lining afterwards can also cover any minor inaccuracies.

That stable I posted photos of a while back is of ex 2” x 3” planed softwood framing with shiplap on the outside and lined inside to half height with nominally ½” OSB. It has been up for over 14 years and is standing up to “horse wear” well. If you need to hang something very heavy on a wall you can always add another thickness of OSB or ply in that area

Graham
 
Hi Graham

Good to hear from you again.

Your probably aware that the front elevation of this shed is elevated so when you are stood on the timber ring beam you are already four foot in the air. That said I would have to get a scafolding tower to board the front frame once it is erected. I opted for making sure the ring beam was square and level and then with that datum create a square frame braced with 11mm OSB on the outside, Like all the house building programs show, I would housewrap this outside and then batton this and clad with shiplap. The inside would be filled with celotex rigid foam insulation and then sealed with a damp proof membrane inside. The damp proof membrane would then be clad with ply to make a finished surface to hang shelving off etc.

The only moisture that should reach dew point is any moisture still trapped in the wood and as I am using tanelised 47x100 timber that may be significant. I hoped that the Tyvek Housewrap breatheable membrane would take care of that. Alternatively I could wait a while until the shell dries out after construction to ensure I dont seal in any problems?

Forgot to mention the wife will be using this as a home office. I knew someone would steal my creation, bless her!

Thanks for the help.

Mark
 
Some photos hopefully.
5493625105_785ee3c05b.jpg

Front elevation of newly installed ring beam and floor.

5493621817_38bfc30a6f.jpg

Another front shot showing 3 ft block piers.

5494215856_4e2487d031.jpg

The floor joists Maximum open span 1.9m 6" x 2" Tanalised joints with Galvanized Joist hangers.

5493618033_78b7b73aeb.jpg

Left ring beam shot, Nice!!

5493623671_2cf07622a9.jpg

Corner showing mitre and bracket attaching the frame to piers.


I will be using this elevated platform to make the wall frames. Wood should be delivered today!!

Mark
 
Re your concern about bracing with OSB and the thickness required.

This is difficult to answer because there are too many unknowns. Alarm bells ring when you say ”in a windy elevation”. I imagine a steep site rising from a cliff looking out to sea in a south westerly direction, the sort of place you could fly a kite made of boiler plate using an anchor chain for a string. Even if we knew how windy, what elevation, what orientation, how exposed is your site and how thick your ply inner lining and shiplap cladding will be you might not get a useful answer!

Bottom line on this is that no one except a structural engineer who from experience of making calculations of wind load on timber framed buildings, or someone with similar knowledge, is likely to hazard giving you an answer. This is because even casual advice given outside a contractual relationship is subject to the law of Tort, i.e. Duty of Care.

Assuming you don’t want to pay a structural engineer and don’t have any friends or relations in that line I suggest you should look and ask around in your locality. Ask if any sheds in similarly exposed locations have been wind damaged. Look at sheds which have stood the test of time and how they were built.

There is basic stuff about wind loading on buildings in Approved Document A of the Building Regulations, including a map of wind speeds etc, which you can download free from http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/ . However, to prove a design you need to be familiar with other stuff like BS 6399, BS 5266 and structural calculations.

In my location (middle of UK, open countryside but not severe exposure) I would not bother with OSB on the outside. Hereabouts, shiplap boarding outside and a decent ply lining inside a frame of 47x100 like yours would be more than adequate. You must of course ensure the various elements are adequately tied together to provide horizontal and vertical restraint, to resist wind lift on the roof and possibly the entire building.

A timber house builder could have several reasons to consider OSB on the outside but do they apply to your situation?
 Their panels are usually made off site by a subcontractor in a workshop or factory environment using dry materials so no problem with drying of the frame timbers, but they have to get them to site and erect them undamaged.
 The panels would need to be weatherproof and robust enough to withstand transport on an open lorry, storage outside on site, handling and erection.
 Wind loading on the partially complete structure, before lateral restraint is provided by floors and roof, is a serious concern. Durability pending final cladding could also be a concern.
 OSB would be a cheap and effective way to brace the panels and protect the insulation and meet these criteria.

Diagonal bracing between only two adjacent studs will not be very effective. My gut feeling is that an adequately thick sheet of ply or OSB close nailed to the framing will be much more effective than a diagonal brace. When the outer cladding of shiplap is fixed it will provide additional bracing especially if nailed through the battens into the main studs and plates.

Tanalised timber should not be “wet” when sold but it might have a higher moisture content than ideal. I see that your timber should have arrived today so if it is wetter than you would like could you keep it covered somewhere in a stickered stack to dry out before use? If not or you need to press on I would at least leave the inside of the frame exposed for as long as possible before enclosing it.

With respect to drying out, it appears that 11mm, or less, thick OSB may be sufficiently permeable.:
“nominal 11 mm (7/16”) or thinner wall sheathing panels will allow a wall cavity containing green stud lumber and glass fibre insulation to reach an equilibrium moisture content below 19 % in about 60 days.”
http://osbguide.tecotested.com/pdfs/en/tb111.pdf
Note that the same paper says that OSB of 15.5mm or thicker is effectively a vapour barrier so this thickness would not allow any moisture to escape. This info is from Canada and does not necessarily comply with any UK standards or Building Regulations. Another publication on that site states: “All panels should be spaced 3 mm (1/8”) on all sides to allow for expansion due to moisture changes,”

Sorry I can’t give you a definite answer to your question. I hope you might find something in the above to help you. Ultimately you need to do what you feel comfortable with. Adding OSB to the outside cannot do any harm and as long as it is 11 mm thick or less the advice quoted above suggests it will be permeable enough. I like your photos, looks like a very nice spot for a home office.
 
Thanks Graham

As usual you have been a real asset to me and this forum.

I feel the external OSB could be an unnecessary cost. Would I still need to put a breathable membrane on the frame before cladding it?

I feel I am guilty of watching too many TV programs and not learning the science.

Anyhow, I will see how it goes. It may be that I will dry wall the inside in that case external cladding.

Difficult to se the wood for the trees.


Mark
 
Hi Mark,

Thanks for your kind comments although not sure I recognise myself there.

If you are going to use plasterboard in place of ply for the internal lining I would keep the OSB on the outside. I would put a breathable membrane on the exterior of the panel whether you sheath with OSB or not.

I would then fix battens to space the shiplap cladding away from the breathable membrane as you described before.

A breathable membrane may not be essential in many workshop sheds due to low levels of water vapour generated. A home office is more like a room in a house than a shed and perhaps you might have a kettle in there to save going to the house for a cuppa. Adding the membrane makes the space flexible for future uses. It also adds another layer of protection against wind driven rain.

I was serious about checking out the local experience in shed construction if your site is more exposed or subject to higher wind speeds than normal.

When I looked at your photos I wondered how you had fixed the floor frame down to the piers. Are the brackets fixed with screws into wall plugs in the joints between the top course of concrete blocks?

Graham
 
Graham

You can see in the last photo that I have used a strong galvanized L bracket at each intersection. This is attached to the pier using M6 Rawl bolts. The pier is mass filled with Concrete and rebar.

My immediate problem is the fact that I asked for dry timber, ok that is not a very accurate word, I feel the wood yard have taken me for a ride!! The wood I had delivered is Tanalised but I feel it has been stored in a lake!!

I have not got the time to sticker stack it so upwards and onwards. I feel I will clad externally with the 11mm OSB (additional cost) that will allow me to do all the work on the outside and get the project finished while allowing the unclad inside to dry out (hopefully). I really don't want to start work on the internal stud work until the moisture level is down or I will risk trapping moisture between the breathable membrane and the damp proof membrane on the internal wall.

Anyhow progress report - Two side walls built, I should have the other two built in a day or so. Then to build the purlined roof you kindly advised me on.

P.S. The sheds exposed elevation is looking north westerly and we are about 3 miles off the south coast. I feel as long as I can clad beneath the shed to stop wind trying to lift the shed it should not be a problem.



I'll post more photos soon.

Mark
 
Progress report or not....


OK I have three of the four sides built and clad with OSB 3. I have checked for square and level along the build. I have asked some friend to come round to help me erect them as the front panel which is 2.4m high and 5.1m long is a little heavy to say the least and as it is to be erected on to the edge closed the incline it may turn in to a sledge.

I thought while I am waiting I would give some thought to the Purlin roof Graham kindly advised me on. The problems arise when I want to create this roof with a overhang at all sides. The Gable is no problem as I can extend the purlins beyond the wall. The eaves however are a different matter I am having problems in visualising a simple way to create a soffit type scenario and imagining how the timbers connect. I will be cladding the roof with 18mm OSB 3 and then cladding with felt tiles.

Any help appreciated!

Mark
 
I am not sure if my design (and its not yet been built!) relates to what you are trying to visualise?

Its an exposed eave soffit with a ventilation hole (mesh behind) and a trim running the length of the roof.

I am using Rob Thallons book 'Graphic Guide to Frame Construction' for tricky bits like this.

 
Thanks Kingcod

That looks similar to what I imagine. The difference is that I am creating a Purlin only roof. I think due to my lack of experience with cutting 20 birds mouths... I am beginning to be drawn to the things. I firstly need to create three A frames to support the four 150 x 50 Purlins spanning over the 4m or so.


Thanks for the photo much appreciated.

Mark
 
Hi Mark, sorry don’t look at UKW so often now so missed your post till I saw Charley’s email.

Have a look at page 6 of these lecture notes from City College Coventry

http://learning.covcollege.ac.uk/conten ... s/M123.pdf

and page 43 of this:

http://www.awc.org/pdf/wcd1-300.pdf

Both show a verge detail using a ladder frame to carry a rafter clear of the gable wall. You could use the same design for an eaves detail. I would make sure the overhanging outboard length of the “rungs” of the ladder is equal to or slightly less than the inboard length to minimise the possibility of the verge or eaves sagging under its own weight. Hope that helps.

Sorry to hear about your freshly treated timber. Carcasing timber seems to come like that from some suppliers; Arch have a COSHH leaflet at:
http://www.archchemicals.com/Fed/WOOD/D ... Timber.pdf

which says:


Treated timber should be surface dry before release
from the treatment plant to the consumer. This is a
requirement under the Control of Pesticides
Regulations for all wood preservatives and has to
be adhered to by timber treatment companies.


If you think it is not compliant you can call HSE and/or Trading Standards and ask them to take a look.

Isn’t your extra cost in OSB wall sheathing mitigated by the saving made by using plasterboard in lieu of ply for the internal lining?

Graham
 
Graham

As usual you have excelled yourself. Thanks.

One question, The timber I have purchased is tanalised. I know most wood yards store tanalised timber outside. Does this H&S Legislation apply to tanalith?


Mark
 
Hi Mark,

That COSHH sheet is issued by Arch who supply the Tanalith chemicals to the treatment plants.

There are 2 statements in text boxes on that COSHH sheet, both say the timber should be surface dry before use. I understand that is because once dry the chemicals are bound into the timber. I don’t know whether re-wetting the timber, by storage outside etc, releases the chemicals.

There is another leaflet on their site for consumers:
http://www.archchemicals.com/Fed/WOOD/D ... _Tan_E.pdf
Handling precautions are stated at top of second page. If, after reading both sheets you still have concerns your best bet would be to ring Arch and ask them for advice.

The product you have should be treated with TANALITH E. The following is from the Arch website:

TANALISED E pressure treated timber has been impregnated with TANALITH E, a waterborne product based on copper triazole technology. Copper is derived from recycled sources and triazoles are organic biodegradable biocides, commonly used to protect many of the food crops we eat. TANALISED E pressure treated timber is usually specified for both in and out of ground contact applications where there is a medium to high risk of decay or insect attack.

Until a few years ago tanalised timber was treated with chromated/copper/arsenate, now called TANALITH C. Another quote from Arch:

TANALITH C pressure treated timber has been impregnated with TANALITH C preservative, and is approved for use in markets where CCA (chromated/copper/arsenate) is still permitted for use.

Restrictions apply; for example, the use of CCA is no longer permitted in Europe under the Biocidal Products Directive (BPD).


Basically E is safer than C and it seems ok for non europeans to be exposed to a higher risk than allowed here, apparently it is popular in Africa. Don’t know whether CCA is still legal in USA and Canada. Somebody else here is bound to know.....

Graham
 
Hi All

I need to make the front and back panel walls more rigid against the wind and I am unsure on what to add. The front and back walls are 5.1m long and 2.4m High. The roof rafters will run between the smaller side walls.

Can anyone help recommend a way of increasing the panel strength against wind loads. I have added wind bracing in all the panels by adding diagonals within the panels. Sadly this does not help in the midpoint of a flat wall.

Thanks

Mark
 
Hi Mark,

1 what is the current state of your progress? I assume, from what I have seen in your photos and read in your post, that you have 4 walls up but no roof on yet. If thats about right, don't be too worried yet.
2 How much do the panels deflect when wind loaded?
3 Have you fixed the outer cladding or any inner lining yet?
4 At what centres are the screws or nails fixing the OSB to the framing?
5 Have you got any temporary bracing in the roof plane?


Diagonal braces wil only provide resistance to racking they make the panel very little more resistant to bending.
Adding the inner skin and outer cladding layer will stiffen the panels and give more resistance to bending.
Walls without bracing at roof level will be prone to damage if subjected to wind. Temporary bracing will help. If it is constantly windy you will need to put in additional temporary bracing to hold the panels flat whilst finishing the inner and outer cladding. If you fix the sheathing boards onto a bent/twisted/deflected frame you will fix it in that shape permanently :cry:

If you could answer the 5 questions above I will comment in more detail
Graham
 
Graham

Here are some current photos of the build.

5537863582_7afd9c2dd7.jpg


5537286645_09249c8e6b.jpg


5537867936_06b73feed7.jpg


5537291313_43393c33ea.jpg


1. I am not sure how to work out the lateral wind deflection on the panels. The two that concern me most are the largest 5.1m panels which are facing east/west. To the west you can see straight over the valley for miles and so is very open and exposed. The front panel which has that great vista also has the wind load and has a large opening in the middle for the upvc french door at 1.2m wide.

2. The outer cladding is fixed across all the studs but not the noggins. It is fixed with 75mm galvanised nails. I also have some bracing timbers vertically holding the front panel in place and horizontally bracing the corners. These are just temporary and will be removed when I fit the roof.

3. The centres are 2'.

4. The outer sheathing is 8' x 4' 11mm OSB 3 (stuctural). I am yet undecided on the inner skin.

Do you think I should add more noggins. I have doubled up the studs at the door and windows but not the noggins.

Hope this gives a clearer picture.

Mark
 
Hi Mark, thanks for photos and replies:
1. Progress is as I expected, well done to get this far so quickly.

2. Deflection of the panels under wind load: In your post of the 18th you stated that:
I need to make the front and back panel walls more rigid against the wind”
Your latest post says:
“I am not sure how to work out the lateral wind deflection on the panels”.
So if you can’t put a figure on how much they deflect - by what measure have you decided you need to make them stiffer? You don’t need to do any working out, calculations are for the design stage and predict how the building is likely to perform under set conditions of loading. I understand your concern with respect to the front and back panels in particular but I would want to quantify how much they move and use that information to confirm whether concern is justified.

You should be able to measure the deflection when the wind is blowing by taking diagonals from the internal corners to set points, say the middle of the large panels front and back, in still air and at a windy time. A simple bit of trig will give you how much the centre of the panels move in or out. Measure from the internal corners because they are likely the stiffest locations in the structure as it stands, incomplete.
Alternatively use a strong but light and thin line, like fishing line, taught across the face of the panel and measure directly.

This bending is termed deflection in structures books and there are accepted limits. 1/360 of the span for elements with finishes like plaster to avoid unsightly cracking and 1/240 of the span for elements without finishes or those not likely to show damage are often used. As you know a piece of timber will deflect far beyond these limits without failing but if say the roof sagged noticeably the occupant would probably be quite concerned. Deflection becomes functionally important in flat roofs with small falls as too much leads to ponding and the weight of water in the pond increases the load causing more deflection and a bigger pond.

3. Completion of the outer cladding and inner lining will stiffen the wall panels. How much depends upon what materials and how they are fixed. Anything stiff and reasonably strong fixed in a way that avoids over stressing the material at the fixing points will add stiffness. So plasterboard may be ok although I might have personal misgivings about the fixings around the edges simply because it is easy to damage with a hammer. If the paper face is torn and the plaster cracked much of the strength at that fixing point is lost. OSB or ply is tougher and less prone to damage.

Think in terms of paper engineering. A single sheet of paper is flexible but a sheet of cardboard made of 2 flat sheets with a corrugated sheet between and all bonded together is quite stiff and strong.

One problem you may encounter if your carcasing was very wet is the opening up of butt joints as the timber dries out. Take a stud to sole plate junction, they are held in a position relative to each other established when the OSB was fixed. If the timber dries out the sole plate will shrink away from the bottom of the stud to leave a small gap. The OSB is now potentially a hinge, albeit a very stiff one, when wind loads are applied. Rather than bend the OSB might slightly rotate about the top edge of the sole plate and slightly withdraw the nails holding the OSB to the sole plate. With an inner lining in place this possible movement is resisted and the wall immediately feels stiffer.

4. If I understand correctly fixing screws are at 24” or 600mm centres, that is too little. The TRADA Technology publication “Timber frame construction” says:

“Plywood, OSB, mediumboard, and hardboard sheathing is normally fixed to
the stud framing by nailing at 150 mm centres along board perimeters and
at 300 mm centres to intermediate studs with corrosion resistant nails
approximately 50 mm in length.”

It’s the frequency of nailing that is important, The Canadian site I referred to in an earlier post has a guide which shows how the resistance to racking can be increased substantially (over 200% IIRC) by close nailing at 50mm centres around the edges.

5. The lack of any roof bracing leaves the top of the walls unrestrained except where you have put in some temporary braces. Subjectively judging the stiffness of the incomplete wall panels without the support of a roof structure could be unreasonable. Once a roof panel is erected and adequately fixed to the walls it will improve their stiffness by three means. First the head of the wall will be held to a straight line by a structure with a much greater resistance to horizontal loads than your incomplete wall panel. Secondly the wall panel will become a two way spanning structure. Thirdly if the wall head and sole plate are well fixed to the floor and roof the studs become columns fixed in position and direction which have a greater resistance to bending than an unrestrained column.

Continuing the paper or rather cardboard analogy an open cardboard box can be flexed quite easily and won’t carry much load. A closed box taped along the centre joint in the lid is quite strong and if all the joints are taped stronger still.

While we are on the roof is it a shallow mono pitch falling to the rear? Are the purlins running the longer way? If so do they have to?

Summary: Before making any judgements I would add some proper triangulated bracing in the roof plane to support the wall heads in their correct positions until the roof is erected then establish how much deflection occurs and how it compares to the accepted limits. I also wouldn’t economise on fixings, connectors and holding down or restraint straps at this stage as structural integrity is essential to resist wind damage. There needs to be continuity from the roof deck through the walls and floor to the foundations so any lifting force is passed down to and resisted by the ground.

Sorry this is so long.
 

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