Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders

Procrastinate no more: Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders will get you fired up and hammering before you're even back from a lumber-shopping spree.
—National Post

Even if it's never before occurred to you to build [a shed], reading this book may provide a sudden rush of inspiration.
—Globe and Mail

The fourth edition of this classic guide is expanded and updated to include 23 sheds to suit all needs and tastes. It covers all of the issues, from design principles, obtaining permits and safety to basic construction skills, precise explanations of what to buy, how to cut it, where it goes, what to do if it goes wrong and more. By following the book carefully with patience and care, even inexperienced DIY builders can succeed.

The how-to section is heavily illustrated with plans, assembly cutaway drawings, specifications and finished sheds. The projects list materials, tools, a daily schedule and step-by-step directions. A primer on construction covers framing, foundations, roofing, insulation, windows and more. The designs are based on a basic 8x10 shed.

In addition to the new designs are the basic sheds (e.g., gardening, firewood), and the more elaborate ones like the Irish Garden Shed, Japanese Boat Shed, a shed on posts and special-use sheds like a pool shed and a wood shed. The authors help the DIY builder think through all of the issues involved in the project, including intended use, size, cost, placement, degree of difficulty and much more.

This new edition will inspire homeowners to create the ideal functional addition to their property. It will help them decide on the right plan, finesse it for their needs and tastes, shop for materials, organize their time, and put together their one-of-a-kind shed.

1112609743
Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders

Procrastinate no more: Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders will get you fired up and hammering before you're even back from a lumber-shopping spree.
—National Post

Even if it's never before occurred to you to build [a shed], reading this book may provide a sudden rush of inspiration.
—Globe and Mail

The fourth edition of this classic guide is expanded and updated to include 23 sheds to suit all needs and tastes. It covers all of the issues, from design principles, obtaining permits and safety to basic construction skills, precise explanations of what to buy, how to cut it, where it goes, what to do if it goes wrong and more. By following the book carefully with patience and care, even inexperienced DIY builders can succeed.

The how-to section is heavily illustrated with plans, assembly cutaway drawings, specifications and finished sheds. The projects list materials, tools, a daily schedule and step-by-step directions. A primer on construction covers framing, foundations, roofing, insulation, windows and more. The designs are based on a basic 8x10 shed.

In addition to the new designs are the basic sheds (e.g., gardening, firewood), and the more elaborate ones like the Irish Garden Shed, Japanese Boat Shed, a shed on posts and special-use sheds like a pool shed and a wood shed. The authors help the DIY builder think through all of the issues involved in the project, including intended use, size, cost, placement, degree of difficulty and much more.

This new edition will inspire homeowners to create the ideal functional addition to their property. It will help them decide on the right plan, finesse it for their needs and tastes, shop for materials, organize their time, and put together their one-of-a-kind shed.

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Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders

Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders

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Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders

Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders

Overview

Procrastinate no more: Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders will get you fired up and hammering before you're even back from a lumber-shopping spree.
—National Post

Even if it's never before occurred to you to build [a shed], reading this book may provide a sudden rush of inspiration.
—Globe and Mail

The fourth edition of this classic guide is expanded and updated to include 23 sheds to suit all needs and tastes. It covers all of the issues, from design principles, obtaining permits and safety to basic construction skills, precise explanations of what to buy, how to cut it, where it goes, what to do if it goes wrong and more. By following the book carefully with patience and care, even inexperienced DIY builders can succeed.

The how-to section is heavily illustrated with plans, assembly cutaway drawings, specifications and finished sheds. The projects list materials, tools, a daily schedule and step-by-step directions. A primer on construction covers framing, foundations, roofing, insulation, windows and more. The designs are based on a basic 8x10 shed.

In addition to the new designs are the basic sheds (e.g., gardening, firewood), and the more elaborate ones like the Irish Garden Shed, Japanese Boat Shed, a shed on posts and special-use sheds like a pool shed and a wood shed. The authors help the DIY builder think through all of the issues involved in the project, including intended use, size, cost, placement, degree of difficulty and much more.

This new edition will inspire homeowners to create the ideal functional addition to their property. It will help them decide on the right plan, finesse it for their needs and tastes, shop for materials, organize their time, and put together their one-of-a-kind shed.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780228102465
Publisher: Firefly Books, Limited
Publication date: 05/15/2020
Edition description: Fourth Edition, Revised and Expanded
Pages: 240
Product dimensions: 7.90(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

David and Jeanie Stiles are the authors of 25 "how-to" books which have sold more than one million copies. Their work has appeared in newspapers and such publications as Architectural Digest and Better Homes and Gardens, and has been featured on HGTV, the Discovery Channel and "The Today Show." They divide their time between New York City and East Hampton, New York, and their one-room cabin retreat in the Hudson Valley.

Table of Contents


Introduction


Chapter 1: Designing Your Shed


    Building Permit

    Getting Ideas Onto Paper

    Drafting and Evaluating the Design


Chapter 2: General Shed Construction Primer


    Materials

    Timber Framing

    Setting the Offset Stakes

    Foundations and Footings

    Doors and Door Height

    Windows

    Skylights

    Cutting Rafters

    Eaves, Soffits and Rakes

    Slope and Types of Roofing

    Cupolas

    Insulation and Electricity

    Finishes

    Shelves, Bins, Hangers, Pegs, Etc.

    Safety

    Moving Sheds


Chapter 3: The Basic 8 x 10 Shed


    Materials Needed

    Tools Needed

    Daily Schedule

    Step-by-Step Instructions

      Groundwork

      Floor Framing

      Wall Framing

      Roof Framing and Sheathing

      Siding

      Track and Trim

      Roofing

      Shutters

      Door

      Shelf

      Ramp


Chapter 4: More Basic Sheds


    11 x 10 Saltbox Shed

    8 x 10 Shed with Wraparound Windows

    Simple Garden-Tool Shed

      Materials

      Step-by-Step Instructions

    Recycling Shed

      Materials

      Step-by-Step Instructions

    Firewood Shed

      Step-by-Step Instructions


Chapter 5: Irish Garden Shed


    Step-by-Step Instructions

      Cutting the Logs

      Groundwork

      Timber Framing

      Bracing

      Framless Windows

      RafterTruss

      Walls

      Roof

      Floor

      Door


Chapter 6: Japanese Boat Shed


    Step-by-Step Instructions

      Pole Framing

      Hip Roof

      Shoji Sliding Doors

      Double Doors

      Side Door

      Ornament


Chapter 7: 9 x 10 Storage Shed on Posts


      Materials

      Post and Beams

      Knee Braces

      Floor

      Wall and Roof Framing

      Sheathing and Trim

      Roofing

      Doors


Chapter 8: More Special-Use Sheds


    10 x 11 Potting Shed

    Work Shed

    Victorian Shed

    Pool Shed

    Play Shed

    Pavilion Shed


Chapter 9: Inspirations

Glossary of Shed Terms

Further Reading

Index

Preface


Introduction


I have had a passion for building small structures since I was a kid. My first project, a clubhouse, ended in total failure because I did not know how to plan joints. Since then, I have built numerous treehouses, huts and forts. Now I have graduated to building sheds. Sheds, after all, are simply small houses, and many of the same principles apply to building both. If you plan on building your own house, you should definitely start by building a shed. This will not only test your building skills, but it will also give you a place to put your tools so they won't rust or get stolen. Even if you don't have such lofty homebuilding goals, a shed tailored to your needs and built by you and perhaps family and friends is a long-lasting, satisfying structure.

Let me dispel some common myths right away. Don't be misled by your neighbor saying, "You can build a shed in a weekend." All sheds take longer to build than you may think. To build anything right means you have to build it carefully; that takes time. How much time depends on your skills and the complexity of the shed you choose to build. A safe rule of thumb is to figure out the time required for each step and double it.

Another myth is that if you build the shed yourself, it won't cost anything. Not true. Even a doghouse will cost something in materials. Lumber is not cheap. You may be thinking of scavenging used lumber -- be aware that using old lumber of different sizes and strengths can lead to problems later on and may add unnecessary building time.

The shed you build yourself can be built better than any you may buy. You can build it to last a lifetime, you can build it to meet yourexact requirements, you can build something you will be proud of. You can build a shed that will make you feel good every time you open the door and smell that unforgettable scent of real wood and see the shed that you put together with your own hands.

A recent study explored the success of home centers across the United States. The tool and hardware departments were getting a lot of business from "weekend carpenters." Most were business people who spent a large part of their lives in offices. The study found that what most of these people lacked in their lives was being able to have total control over a project and to feel the satisfaction that resulted from beginning the project and carrying it to completion themselves. Building a shed provides you with just that.

Building a shed is a big project and an activity that you should take pleasure in doing. In order to avoid mistakes and the frustration of trying to meet a deadline, allow plenty of time for completion. Make it an open-ended project that you can enjoy.

Any homeowner, especially those without a garage or basement, will be amazed what a difference a shed makes to their property. Not enough room for storage is one of homeowners' top complaints, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Once you have completed a shed, you may find that your awareness of sheds has been elevated. As you drive through the countryside, your eye will unavoidably be drawn to people's yards, and you may quite naturally begin appraising the success or failure of other sheds. You may even feel inclined toward replacing that silver-framed photo of your trusting family dog with a color photo of your shed!

Sheds is different from the few other existing shed books or shed chapters in more general books, because it helps you get started thinking through what you want in your shed and then helps you design a shed to fit your needs. I begin with a compendium of construction techniques -- it helps to get familiar with these at the design stage and to refer to them again during actual building. The book continues with simple step-by-step, illustrated instructions for building a basic 8 x 10 shed from the bottom up. A section on a few more basic sheds is followed by a sampling of more complex special-use sheds whose designs come from hand-crafted outbuildings all over the world. I have included plans for all the sheds described in the book. I have purposely chosen designs with very different construction techniques and architectural features so that you can actually combine elements from various designs to create your custom-made shed. Perhaps you want to include the pole framing of the Japanese Boat Shed in your work shed along with the window of the Basic 8 x 10 Shed. The possibilities are endless. Finally, for the confident craftsperson and the dreamer there is a section of inspirational drawings and color photographs -- ideas to incorporate and ideas to build on.

Sheds is written for creative, hands-on homeowners with do-it-yourself experience in weekend projects and basic home repair. You should have at least a few building and repair projects under your tool belt, be ready to tackle medium-sized, challenging projects and be willing to stretch your carpentry skills for worthwhile accomplishments.

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Home & Garden
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Sheds->Design and construction
Home & Garden
Gardening
House & Home
Garden Furnishings
Outdoor & Recreational Areas
Sheds->Design and construction

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