D-I-Y Rustic Shed.

[Mick w.]

Any folks on here made their own rustic garden shed? My wife wants me to build one after christmas (I think more as a project to keep me busy!) so I'm after some pointers...
It's going to be on a budget, suspended off the ground to still allow drainage underneath, and probably with grass on the roof. Also, I'd like to include a wood burning stove of some sort for warmth, probably use bark-faced timber for the sides, and it'll be about 8' x10'. Maybe part of that will be a small verandah.
It's main usage will be as a little rustic workshop for me to bugger about in, but it won't have power to it unless I get my extension lead plugged in!
If anyone can give me advice, direct me to similar threads or other websites I'd be very grateful.
I should add that I'm looking at mainly using hand tools for the building - saws, hammers, an axe if I'm lucky rolleyes, maybe an electric drill...

 

[daveO]

Sounds like fun. Just be aware that the roof will be heavy so over-engineer to allow for that. I put a sedum roof on my girlfriend's rabbit hutch and you can't lift the thing now

 

[Mick w.]

Yeah, rooting around on t'interweb I'm beginning to realize that! I'm reckoning on a roof beam on either side of each upright (effectively doubling the number of them) and an extra one at the ends, too. Hopefully I'll get away without needing uprights right in the middle of my shed!

 

[Toddy]

As a guide; away dig out a wet turf and weigh it. Then multiply that across the proposed roof area. Beautiful though it may be, and warmer than felt, a grass roof can be a horrendously heavy thing, especially in our wet climate.

That said, if you look for 'small cabin plans' on t'internet, there's a lot of very appealing designs

cheers,
Toddy.........who has de-turfed for a living.

 

[Perrari]

Sounds like a great project, look forward to seeing how you get on.

 

[grey-array]

Hey Mick I do not know if it is of any use to you, but I designed a Shed frame not too long ago for Mark Baigent, username baggy
This is a link to the thread: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96724
A simple but strong design for a 8 by 8 foot shed, with a small porch
If you like what you see you can use it, I can send you the detailed drawings if you'd like, I made it such that only 7 or 8 eight different beams are necessary and of course you can adapt it so you can fit that soil roof, boy do I love that ^^
And frankly I would love to see what you would do with it.

Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[Samon]

Good luck mate, building the perfect man cave will be great! I knocked up a temporary shelter during the summer to keep off the random rain and to play in ..

Obviously building a real shed will take some time and I have plans to make a walled and roofed one at some point (as that one suprisingly got destroyed by the gail winds we ahd late summer), and I intending on either buying one or making one from posts, decent fence panels and felt covered osb boards for the roof. again nothing fancy but enough to drink beers in and store some garden tools!

 

[spiritwalker]

im half way through a wicked den for my boys build out of pallets and roof felt just use my axe and laplander not a tape measure in sight :-D.

 

[Mick w.]

Grey Arrey, cheers for that link - very informative. I think a fair bit of the rigidity for mine will come from at least six or more main uprights being stuck into cement but I might have the odd diagonal in there as well, now!
I'm off down to our local timber yard tomorrow to have a look at prices and the possibility of getting some planking for the sides with the bark still on it. Does anyone know if that would need treating in some way to stop the bark falling off over time?

 

[British Red]

It certainly will!

If you don't treat (most) wood in some way its likely to rot as well. Some woods (e.g. sweet chestnut) are naturally rot resistant - but likely to cost more. Normal basic softwoods are better of bought pressure treated to prevent rot.

As a thought, on a small structure, you could split shingles for the roof rather than grow turf.

 

[spandit]

There was a small caravan at Bentley Woodfair with shingles made from aluminium drinks cans - looked great!

 

[Mick w.]

I just fancy trying to get some flowers on the roof - for bees, flutterbyes and stuff. What (eco friendly if possible) stuff would you recommend to keep the bark intact?

 

[Baggy]

Hey Mick I do not know if it is of any use to you, but I designed a Shed frame not too long ago for Mark Baigent, username baggy
This is a link to the thread: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96724
A simple but strong design for a 8 by 8 foot shed, with a small porch
If you like what you see you can use it, I can send you the detailed drawings if you'd like, I made it such that only 7 or 8 eight different beams are necessary and of course you can adapt it so you can fit that soil roof, boy do I love that ^^
And frankly I would love to see what you would do with it.

Yours sincerely Ruud

It is an excellent plan, the detailed drawings are a work of art and well worth having.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Let's say a cubic metre of earth is about 1.5 tonnes. Given your roof dimensions with, say, a 15cm layer of earth, you're looking at just over 1.6 tonnes and you'll have to construct something that will support at least 2.5 times that weight - at least 4 tonnes.

 

[grey-array]

Thanks Mark ^^
that means allot, So might you wanna take a look Mick just send me a PM with your email
Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[Mick w.]

I'm thinking of a thinner layer of soil than that, more just a couple of inches or so. after all, the soil is vey thin in some areas like the downs and they get lots of flowers...

 

[Mick w.]

I'm thinking of a thinner layer of soil than that, more just a couple of inches or so. after all, the soil is vey thin in some areas like the downs and they get lots of flowers...
GA, I've PM'ed you...

 

[Toddy]

Aye, but the Downs are dry, not sodden wet. They also have a very different ecosystem that is constantly grazed.

West Yorkshire is inclined to be damp

I'm not saying you can't do it, but I do think you really, really need to consider not just the dry weight of the soil/gravel mix, but the wet weight of it, and the drainage, but the flexibility and stability of the roof when it's sodden wet *and* when it's roasted hot in the sunshine.
There are some total debacle's of turf roofs around to show just how not easy it is to get it right.

Sedums and the like manage on the roofs (indeed our native plant equivalent to aloe vera for skin conditions is called Houseleek since it grew on the roofs) but the roof needs tended like a garden, with windblown seeds weeded out, etc.,

How about something like this ?
http://www.sedumgreenroof.co.uk/?gclid=CNDytbrM3bMCFerItAodCHMAzg

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Mick w.]

I saw a thing about sedum roofing but it looked very expensive. I think I'm going to have to experiment a bit; my thought is that, as long as the structure is strong enough, if I don't get it right first time I'll just have to experiment.
Think of it as an elevated garden with a shed sheltering underneath it!

 

[Suffolksteve]

Kevin McCloud recently built a big shed thing on one of his tv programmes. He put in on wheels so he didn't need planning permission, then dug four great big holes for the wheels to go in. Might give you some inspiration.