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Building a backyard shed, recommendations


HotCarl

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Has anyone ever done this before? A neighbor and I were going to build one from a Menards plan. A lot of people are suggesting pouring a concrete slab but prices of concrete are crazy.

 

I was thinking of a small steel building on a gravel base, is this even an option or just a bad idea?

 

A wooden structure wouldn't be too expensive its the cost of the concrete that's crazy.

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I just did one of these behind my car port:

https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/sheds-outdoor-storage-accessories/sheds/arrow-euro-lite-lean-too-steel-shed/elphd104/p-1518420584359.htm

 

and all I can say is it was VERY tough for one person to assemble by themselves, and it filled up all too quickly. I wish i had more room for a bigger shed.

 

Cheaped our (shocking, I know) and got ground anchor stakes and usd some stone pavers for a floor. Critters burrowed into it from underneath between the pavers. Should’ve used a more solid flooring material like concrete.

 

glad I did it!!!

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Subscribing, as I want to do one too. I'd only do a concrete slab, personally. Gravel or piers always seem cheap and possible for critters to get under there.

 

this is exactly what I am dealing with and damp moisure. Even with adding insultation, thick osb walls, and aluminum foil, it still took 30 minutes to warm up the shed to be warm enough to get you to sweat. From what I found online, the shed needs to be off the ground to allow air to circulate. Mine is partially on the ground and always feels damp. I got rid of the work out area and just converted it to shelving that has a door to protect it from the elements even more because I couldn't imagine my electric bill leaving it as is.

 

The other problem is god knows what getting under the shed to live. I did two rows of bricks around the base of the shed and the next morning, something dug a football size hole under the bricks to get out. Yes concrete is pricey, but it will make it easier down the road to control dampness if you want to make it into a heated work area. To save money, you should be able to rent a cement mixer or mix it in a wheel borrow (which is a pain in the ass btw).

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Other option is to basically build it on a deck, up above the ground...downside is having to have a ramp to get up into it (if you are talking smaller sheds).

 

Could be as shitty as this...though Id post down to hole footings

 

http://brelock.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/medium-size-of-wood-storage-shed-kits-with-small-plans-plus.jpg

 

or are you talking something more garage sized?

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My recommendation is to pick the right size for you and build it.

 

There is nothing wrong with a wood floor. We dug down to harder soil and used concrete blocks as a foundation for the floor to sit on when we built my parents. 5 years or so and no issues so far. Concrete slab is nice but it’s just a shed.

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I built a few-all wood. Some Pre-Fab some Buy-wood-and-go. The DYI was always sturdier, but always more expensive. If you don't do concrete, you will always have some amount of moisture, or critter in and under your shed.

 

I will be building one next year but my Fancy pants HOA requires it MATCH the house-siding and roof- so I may be getting pro help for at least the siding.

 

Plan is something looking like iwashmycar with a 2nd floor. 10x14. 50/50 on doing a concrete floor.

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I had this one built by the cottage company out of Berlin. Its 10x20 with 8ft sides. Its not pretty but its large and holds all my lawn stuff along with wheels/tires, etc. I still need to paint it but its held up well. All I did was dig down about 5 inches and put weed mat down and have some gravel brought in. Then the company delivered and set the shed on my spot.

 

If I had loads more time I would have loved to have built my own but it definitely would have cost more and probably taken 2 months worth of weekends for me to build it myself. I did build the ramp myself from left over deck boards and the shelving up top for extra storage. I paid under $2400 for it delivered which included my choice of shingles and a 6ft wide door. That was quite a bit cheaper than anyone I could find locally out of Columbus to get one from. Its perfect for my needs.

 

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My dad and I built a 10x16 one last winter. We decided to built it from materials since he built one from a kit last year at his place and it was really a pain in the butt to deal with all the assembly compared to just working with 2x4's.

 

We built the floor just like the ones pictured above and anchored it to the ground since we're in a hurricane zone.

 

You can get away with pouring a thin pad 2-3 inches if its on a good base and you don't drive cars on it. In Ohio you would need to dig below the frost line and install gravel/sand whatever and it wouldn't crack badly.

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I had this one built by the cottage company out of Berlin. Its 10x20 with 8ft sides. Its not pretty but its large and holds all my lawn stuff along with wheels/tires, etc. I still need to paint it but its held up well. All I did was dig down about 5 inches and put weed mat down and have some gravel brought in. Then the company delivered and set the shed on my spot.

 

If I had loads more time I would have loved to have built my own but it definitely would have cost more and probably taken 2 months worth of weekends for me to build it myself. I did build the ramp myself from left over deck boards and the shelving up top for extra storage. I paid under $2400 for it delivered which included my choice of shingles and a 6ft wide door. That was quite a bit cheaper than anyone I could find locally out of Columbus to get one from. Its perfect for my needs.

 

That's probably the best deal I have heard so far and that's much more room than we need.

 

Like I said previously we just need to store lawn care items (mower, trimmer, seeder,etc...), maybe some camping gear and the kayaks which take up WAY too much room in the garage. We have a good size corner of our backyard to work with so I was thinking a 10'/12' or 12'/12'.

 

Another issue I completely forgot about, that corner of the backyard tends to pool water in heavy rain so I'm worried if its just earth or just gravel it will flood easily. I hadn't thought about just using cinder blocks but then there's the issue of critters digging under it.

 

So far we're looking at something similar to this https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/sheds-outdoor-storage-accessories/sheds/the-carmen-cove-10w-x-12d-yard-barn/m05-002d-450210x12yardbarn/p-1444422684182-c-9658.htm?tid=8887777299247296829&ipos=29

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That's probably the best deal I have heard so far and that's much more room than we need.

 

Like I said previously we just need to store lawn care items (mower, trimmer, seeder,etc...), maybe some camping gear and the kayaks which take up WAY too much room in the garage. We have a good size corner of our backyard to work with so I was thinking a 10'/12' or 12'/12'.

 

Another issue I completely forgot about, that corner of the backyard tends to pool water in heavy rain so I'm worried if its just earth or just gravel it will flood easily. I hadn't thought about just using cinder blocks but then there's the issue of critters digging under it.

 

So far we're looking at something similar to this https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/sheds-outdoor-storage-accessories/sheds/the-carmen-cove-10w-x-12d-yard-barn/m05-002d-450210x12yardbarn/p-1444422684182-c-9658.htm?tid=8887777299247296829&ipos=29

 

PM sent.

 

here's some of the basic units similar to what I bought for anyone else that's interested.

 

http://www.specialbuybarns.com/collections.html

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