Current shed project

[Hypnotic Chimera]

It's a number of years ago, now, that we bought a car that we didn't want to park outside on our drive, under the trees which overhang from the woods behind. So I built a car port to protect the car from the elements...

This is where the shed project really began, although the shed was just a twinkle in the car port's young eye at the time.

Layout of the driveway isn't square and car port was required to but up to an angled boundary at the rear - leaving an awkward triangular area in the back end.

A couple of photos of the car port should do as an opener...

Beams, joists, rafters, OSB roof boards on delivery.

Ground area layout.

Sketches//calculations of possible plan.

Post hole spade is essential tool

Post, with rebate shoulder for side beam, going up square.

Embarrassing state of my choice of blunt chisel - I was a proper beginner doing this building stuff from scratch...

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

New posts went up with reference to the existing posts - measured accurately at both ground level and at top - and sunk to the correct depth to provide a horizontal beam...

It was late in the year, so evening progress after work went into darkness.

Making sure that the post holes were laid out square, and that the base spacing was accurate and spacing being properly horizontally measured.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Joists going up

Centre joist mated nicely with the open mortice (whatever named joint this might be?)

Template for screw holes

Using a scrap to keep the joists in place until screwed in properly

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

It all seemed to be going up square and even, quite pleasing for an amateur's first project

Bracing was planned and was very much required to stabilise the structure

What a huge difference this made to structural rigidity - but as a bachelor of engineering this was unsurprising

Are these called "Queen's posts"??

Birds mouth cuts

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Pleasing symmetry unveiling itself - all performed solo

Roof boards finally going on - as a solo worker this was tricky - big boards not easy to manoeuvre at ground level - never mind raising above head height. I used a couple of screws as pegs on the roof to retain them on the sloping roof line once lifted and slid above those pegs...

"Stage 1" was nearly complete - just the felting to do, but at least the car now has a covering to snuggle under.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Satisfying webbing shot under the finished felted roof

You'll also spot where I'd placed the old bike-store/tool store/shed - in an awkward triangular area at he back of the structure, and not covered from above.

This gave me the idea of putting a car port rear extension on and making a real shed out of the area.

So, at a little time later, another materials delivery was required

Basic plan was to enclose the area from between the two back posts, and extending the roof to the rear fence, making a triangular roof extension and a fairly decent floor area, albeit shallow in depth at the left hand side, with ship lap boards for the four walls.

The shed roof - this was going to be the complex part and I was initially not at all sure how to go about designing it or putting it together.

After a lot of mental anguish, I chose to try to continue with the rafters going parallel to the existing ones in the car port, and at similar spacing to those of the car port - which from memory were spaced 60cm apart. The right hand side of the shed as you look at it from the car port - this side of the rafter build would be easy. it's just an extension of the side beam and the rafters would be a similar bird mouth as the others. Trouble with this is how to construct the left hand side and how to terminate the rafters when they reach the narrowing angle of the rear fence?

Giving that thought time to distil in my grey matter, it was first chore to deal with the footings and floor area.

Deep cement pad for the new back-right post

New brick base enhancements for the existing car port posts

And ensuring that there is a level reference from which to begin the floor and base the shiplap boards on.

 

[Fitzroy]

Brilliant, no dilly dallying about with endless posts about how to do this and that, just straight on with the build, bloody marvellous! Looks great.