Ever purchased a pre-made workshop?

[LBCarpentry]

So it looks like I’m moving house to a place where a workshop will have to be made.

was looking around for some inspo and then came across the below website

Click here

Has anyone ever used anything like this? What do you think? It’s deffo good value and would save a lot of time. Longevity though? Perhaps I could pre treat everything prior to install. I could even insulate and line internally, cut additional windows in.

I’m also wondering how maintenance would work. It has 10 year warranty. Doors etc could be easily swapped over time, but I’m thinking about when / if the lower walls potentially start to rot.

 

[Cabinetman]

My thoughts in no particular order, it’s attractive, it’s not dear, you would have to be doing something to keep the timber off the floor, you would still have to put down a base. It says floor bearers included – not sure what that means as it also says the floor isn’t included.
It’s solid timber without any typical shed vertical ribs so there isn’t anything to put insulation in between.
I think I would still be tempted to knock up something similar myself, and it would l be cheaper I’m sure.
It doesn’t say but I think you’ve still got to construct it yourself from pre-cut parts. Ian

 

[Cabinetman]

I don’t want to take over your thread so I won’t post millions of pictures but this is a shed that I helped my son with last year the main box of the shed is 5 m X 5 m it’s £1200 as it stands without any insulation.

 

[robgul]

The off-the-shelf thing looks a bit too complex - I would agree that self-build would be a lot cheaper (in money, not time - but you do get the "satisfaction of making") - and you can design into what suits you (and step up things like insulation and electrics.

 

[Setch]

Log cabins have some particular challenges. I use one, and it works well, but you have to remember that the walls are cross grain all the way, so they expand and contract significantly seasonally, meaning the roof can go up and down by a surprising amount.

Anything mounted vertically to the walls (electrics, shelving etc.) has to allow for this movement. As do the window and door frames, which IMO significatly reduces their ability to resist brute force entry.

 

[Coyote]

MikeG used to dissuade from going down this route for a long term solution, I think In summary his principal reasons were a) you need to get it off the floor as Cabinetman has said, otherwise the bottom of the walls will rot out pretty quickly, and b) the cladding/frame are integrated so you can't stop water getting to the frame and it won't last nearly as long as framework with the cladding standing off on battens.

 

[Jonathan S]

So it looks like I’m moving house to a place where a workshop will have to be made.

was looking around for some inspo and then came across the below website

Click here

Has anyone ever used anything like this? What do you think? It’s deffo good value and would save a lot of time. Longevity though? Perhaps I could pre treat everything prior to install. I could even insulate and line internally, cut additional windows in.

I’m also wondering how maintenance would work. It has 10 year warranty. Doors etc could be easily swapped over time, but I’m thinking about when / if the lower walls potentially start to rot.

I know a few people that have used a similar system..... interlocking t&g system.... They all regret there purchases, the problem is the seasonal movement.

 

[Glitch]

Kits are tempting. They do look nice when new but as others point out they may not age well. They are not cheap either but quick to build once you have a good foundation.

One that size will need planning permission due to height (Edit: if within 2m of boundary) and building regs because it's over 30 square metres.

Cabinentman's should comply with building regs too at 25 square metres within 1m of the boundary and made of flammable material. I doubt those foundations would pass.

By luck rather than design my shed/shop/shack project is a tad under 15 square metres. I wasn't aware of building regs until a builder mate mentioned it.

 

[Yojevol]

I've advised against the log cabin style of construction before on the forum. I've had mine for nearly 15 years now and I've had to do some major work on it to keep it going. The fundamental problem, from my experience, is that prevailing winds drive rain into the corner joints where unseen rot develops. I haven't experienced the expansion/contraction that @Setch mentions. The whole of the interior is clad with chipboard so I'm sure I would have seen any such movement.
Having said that, I'm reasonably confident that it will go for another 15 years with the remedial work I've done.
Call in and have a look next time you're down this way.
Brian

 

[artie]

* Photos and videos are for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual product. Products come untreated and natural.
??

It looks nice, is roof covering included in the price.? I don't think so.

For the same money and your time, I think you could do better.

 

[AJB Temple]

I think that building looks good and with careful build to protect the corners it will go up quickly. Decent quality and if you like the design (I do) and want a workshop quickly and can orient it to get good light through those nice high windows, then go for it. Building workshops in winter is deeply unpleasant.

I have made numerous timber framed buildings over the years. It takes ages and is quite hard work to make one the size of a double garage. It's rarely as cheap as people think if you want high quality as opposed to a flimsy shed. You get lots of people on forums saying build it yourself, but a lot depends on how much time you want to devote to this rather than earning money - that is the hidden cost and can be significant.

Obviously you will need a slab and a brick or block dwarf wall to get it dry and off the ground, but you will have that issue at exactly the same cost whatever you do.

My vote is in favour. Especially if you insulate and line it.

Good luck. If you do it, please do us a thread. Adrian

 

[HappyHacker]

I built something similar but much smaller (3x4M) for my wife's workroom about 10 years ago. I lifted it off the concrete on bearers at right angles to the floor bearers supplied and put some insulation under the floor. I put silicon on the tops of all the tongues when assembling and put insulation on the roof. It has worked very well but she did notice a little damp in one corner so a bit of silicon on the external gaps is on my list of jobs. There is some movement and cracking of the planks.

One of the sides, the damp one, without a large overhang faces west and we are in an elevated position with not a lot of obstructions between it and Ireland.

The show unit also had damp on one wall hence me using silicon.

So in my opinion fine for a small unit but but I would be worried about going so large and the extra work that would be required to line it to make it completely waterproof in the long term

 

[LBCarpentry]

Thanks for all the input thus far.
I will need this workshop up and running ASAP as joinery is my income. Were it a hobby with time to play with, then it would be a completely different story.

I think I'd better think hard about the most affordable way to design and build a workshop myself. We do a lot of CAD so I would have solid plans. Perhaps consider making "cassettes" and just screwing them together on site. If I can achieve even a basic watertight box to start with, then cladding, windows etc can all be cut in at a later date (if required)

 

[Spectric]

Hi

I think the approach of pre made sections would be a good way forward. You could get someone to do the groundworks and at the same time if you have somewhere to work make all the frame sections and roof trusses. Then it would be easy to assemble everything on the base that has already been done and you have a complete frame. Now you can get the roof one and it would be reasonably dry. If you want to go that bit further then take inspiration from Huff houses, they are factory made sections that are complete with wiring etc etc and just a kit to assemble on site.

 

[Trevanion]

If it were me I'd be looking to get a couple of container-sized modular offices and butt them together to make up the 6mx6m space with the proviso that I could sell them on in a couple of years time for basically a little under what I had paid for them for when I eventually either moved to or built a more suitable and larger premises in the mean time. The head room wouldn't be the greatest but not a major issue unless you're building big frames.

The big plus is you won't have much issue with the local planning authority as it's classed as a non-permanent, moveable building. You may or may not have issues with the wooden building.

 

[TheTiddles]

My neighbours recently put up something similar. From my view of it...
-It’s untreated wood, so has a life of a handful of years at best before some part of it needs to be replaced.
-You can’t replace some part of it, it’s stacked together like a log cabin.
-It’s insulated by taking the complete structure and then sticking insulation on inside it, I can’t see how this works with helping the condensation stay outside the insulation, especially the roof which is felt shingles on untreated T&G (in the case of the one I saw)
- It does look nice, if you ignore all the previous.

If you can’t make things, I can see why people buy them. But rather like that pancake batter in a plastic bottle where you just add milk, I am at a loss as to why anyone would

Aidan

 

[LBCarpentry]

Hi

I think the approach of pre made sections would be a good way forward. You could get someone to do the groundworks and at the same time if you have somewhere to work make all the frame sections and roof trusses. Then it would be easy to assemble everything on the base that has already been done and you have a complete frame. Now you can get the roof one and it would be reasonably dry. If you want to go that bit further then take inspiration from Huff houses, they are factory made sections that are complete with wiring etc etc and just a kit to assemble on site.

Yes I think I’ll put something CAD together first and have a better idea. I’ll design it around sizes where I don’t have to really cut anything ie - 8 x 4 sheets, woodex sectional sizes straight from the supplier. Perhaps it won’t be such a slog to assemble

 

[LBCarpentry]

And I do have a second workshop (although 2 hours away) where I can prepare cassettes and pre build the workshop

 

[LBCarpentry]

If it were me I'd be looking to get a couple of container-sized modular offices and butt them together to make up the 6mx6m space with the proviso that I could sell them on in a couple of years time for basically a little under what I had paid for them for when I eventually either moved to or built a more suitable and larger premises in the mean time. The head room wouldn't be the greatest but not a major issue unless you're building big frames.

The big plus is you won't have much issue with the local planning authority as it's classed as a non-permanent, moveable building. You may or may not have issues with the wooden building.

Nice idea, and I have toyed with the idea steel containers as a base and then insulate and clad them. Don’t agree with temporary workshop though. It’s a proper shop with floor standing machines, 4 sider etc. I want to move once and never again!

 

[Trevanion]

Nice idea, and I have toyed with the idea steel containers as a base and then insulate and clad them. Don’t agree with temporary workshop though. It’s a proper shop with floor standing machines, 4 sider etc. I want to move once and never again!

Then that 6x6M wooden structure isn't anywhere near large enough. I'd be putting up a steel framed shed, insulated sheets and concrete floor with 200sqmtrs of space at a bare minimum, anything less is just unworkable for a serious business that isn't just a hobby.