Workshop pending!

[-David-]

Hello to you all.

This is my first post after a couple of weeks of lurking. I wish I had known of this forum years ago as I am sure it would have saved me some expensive mistakes. Its also good to read non egotistical, non combative and measured sensible, often humerous advice.

So here goes.

I have planning permission for a 4X4M garden shed and a 6X4M summerhouse :wink: . I have two questions.

1. They are to be built on bare compacted earth which is fairly level. I do not wish to pour slabs as I have just spent two years breaking up various slabs and footings of previous occupants. I could concrete in substantial posts and ring with beams and infill with joists. Or I could strategically dry lay concreted paving slabs say to a depth of 9" and work up from there with joists. Any alternative methods, comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

2. On my planning application I suggested that I would follow the style of our Welsh local vernacular architecture in the form of Tin Tabernacles. I have done much research to this end but have no experience or knowledge as to the working practices of such a building. Does anybody know of any expertise I can tap into.

Sorry for such a heavy first post but once I have my workshop erm summerhouse I will have plenty of 'tool' and 'woody' questions.

Many thanks

David

 

[Waka]

david

Welcome to the forum.

can't help woth your question but someone will be along soon, the wealth of information you can gain on this forum is unmeasurable, but a word of warning, watch out for the slope once over the edge there is no going back.

 

[Chris Knight]

David,
Welcome to the forum. There are members who know a lot about building and will be able to help I am sure. From a non building-experienced point of view, I would have thought that concrete posts or piles, surmounted by beams and joists would help reduce the damp problems that will come from anything on the ground such as slabs or paving stones.

Thank you for introducing me to the term Tin Tabernacles, I have never heard of them before, but I see Google has lots on them.

 

[Alf]

Its also good to read non egotistical, non combative and measured sensible, often humerous advice.

Yes it is, but you'll have to make do with us. :wink:

Welcome to the forum, David. The term Tin Tabernacles is indeed a new one on me as well, although corrugated iron counts as venacular round here too. :roll:

Cheers, Alf

 

[Shady]

Welcome... the site below suggests that the block/slab approach should be fine, and it's what I did for mine. From personal experience, I'd advise putting something like gravel down on the earth, and soak everything underneath with something really caustic to keep weeds etc from being interested in a foothold before you build....http://www.rona.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentServlet?assetId=1029&langId=-1

Good luck!

(edit - a more detailed one: http://www.cedarshed.com/foundations.html)

 

[Jake]

That's one hell of a nice big 'shed'! Two, even.

I'd dig a hole at each corner, another one in the middle of the 4m edges, and 2 more in each 6m edge, then another two down the middle so you get Holes as big and deep as you can be bothered to make them (within reason)

. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .

(If that diagram works at all.)

Fill the holes with concrete, sling some pavers or blocks/bricks on top of the concrete to rest some nice big beams on a few inches above ground level. Then hang joists off the side of the beams on joist-hangers, so you don't end up with the floor too high.

 

[OLD]

The problem with light foundations is frost heave not load bearing in the example of concrete blocks there is 4 inches of gravel and landscape fabric beneath the fabric stops contamination of the gravel which takes any water away, no water no ice no heave so every thing stays straight and plum needs to be on a free draining site or concrete pillars would be required the bottom of which are below the frost line.
Its not finished but is this a tin tabernacle

 

[Scott]

Its also good to read non egotistical, non combative and measured sensible, often humerous advice.

Yes it is, but you'll have to make do with us. :wink:

Heh heh! :lol: :lol:

Welcome to the forum David. I'm afraid I've never heard of Tin Tabernacles either but good luck with it

Cheers

 

[PowerTool]

Welcome

The old stand at Feethams (Darlington F.C.) was known locally as "the tin tabernacle" - so you're not alone in using the term :wink:

Andrew

 

[-David-]

Many thanks for all your suggestions.

Digging pits and concreting in posts on which to hang joists is familiar to me as I have recently erected a chunky deck on a sloping site. Being the first time I had done this I somewhat over engineered it and it would happily take the weight of a tank.

My second option of spreading the load on a large footprint of spaced concrete slabs was not out of lazyness but I was trying to get away from me adding to more concrete in the garden and there was more opportunity of tweaking the layout. I did take the point of not laying them on earth but on a free draining foundation of protected gravel. There would also be a benefit here of leveling each slab, although there would be the problem of getting all the slabs level with each other - there might be too much individual packing to height to do. The post and beam method would avoid this.

The Americans have nifty cardboard collars which they pour their concrete into but I have not seen any for sale over here.

OLD - I like your tabernacle, mine would have iron sides as well. I do not want the corner angled strips which would make it look like a modern agricultural building. I 'days of old' they used to turn the iron around the corner which looked much more natural.

Anyway, there must be somebody around here somewhere who used to build tin sheds. Appart from the Tabernacles the MOD built thousands during the war.

David

PS
If I could learn how to post pics I could show you what I mean. I read a thread the other day - just need to find it again.

 

[llangatwgnedd]

Hi David,
Tin Tabernacles? Not many left these days, but this one is 1/2 mile from me at Cilffriw.

:arrow: http://www.tintabernacles.com/

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

 

[woodbloke]

Hi - have a look in F&C last year to see how I built mine, the build details are spread over 5 issues so its pretty comprehensive. - Rob

 

[Jake]

Or, as you are a member here now, perhaps you could enlighten us?

Otherwise it feels a bit like spam.

 

[-David-]

Sawdust Producer
I've got the book, your tabernacle is on page 139. There is one just up the road but the one I like the best is at Llanddewi Skirrid. Mine, if I go the tin route will be much more modest but use some of the design elements.
woodbloke
I will try and track them down, but first and to show my ignorance which magazine is F&C?

 

[woodbloke]

Or, as you are a member here now, perhaps you could enlighten us?

Otherwise it feels a bit like spam.

Could do, but it runs to about 9000 words.....

 

[woodbloke]

Or, as you are a member here now, perhaps you could enlighten us?

Otherwise it feels a bit like spam.

Could do, but it runs to about 9000 words.....

 

[Jake]

Well, presumably you can paraphrase some of it. Like maybe, what you did for the foundations, seeing as that was the immediate question?

 

[OLD]

You may be interested in the RIBA domestic award for 2004 'The Black House'
http://www.architecture.com/go/Architecture/Also/Awards_3253.html

 

[Chris Knight]

With those windows, it is presumably black inside too!

 

[Shady]

This one-off house is an exemplar to the house building industry of how to design a low cost, low energy dwelling, generous in accommodation, where every square quarter metre of floor space justifies its cost.

Hmm: I'm not surprised it's 'low energy' - it looks like a sealed up garden shed... I'm all for efficiency, but that's about as attractive a potential 'living space' as a nissen hut, for this punter... As you say Chris, looks lovely and light inside... Lose all the e-saving benefits by burning a gazillion watts of light each year, I shouldn't wonder...