Shed basics—a
quick tour of building structure
The tasks ahead of would-be
shed
builders can be confusing. Whether you're looking at shed kits or plans,
if you're new to construction it seems like there are lots of pieces and
different materials. For example,
a "cedar shed" is not necessarily made entirely out of cedar—the siding,
and possibly the roof shingles may be made out of western red cedar, but the floor and frame may not.
However, if you've done any kind of
construction before, you may be saying "Duh…",
but hey, it's worth a quick summary for some folks.
Foundation and floor
The foundation provides a solid and level base on
which to build the shed. Do this right, and you won't likely see your
shed with sagging walls or uneven floor.
The foundation and floor can consist of:
 |
Treated skid timbers |
|
Paving slabs, or patio stones |
|
Concrete base |
|
Pressure treated runners, joists: |
|
Plywood floor, such as spruce, pine, or fir |
Frame
The frame is the bones of the building, be it a garden storage shed
or house. The frame supports the walls and shed roof.
Usually, wood framing consists of
|
Wall studs and roof rafters (2' x 4' or 2' x 6'), in
a softwood lumber such as spruce |
Some older style heritage or country-style
sheds are advertised as post-and-beam. This simply means that
thick, widely spaced vertical posts are used instead of many studs. The posts connect to
horizontal beams with mortise-and-tenon joints.
Siding
Siding is the final covering of a finished wall. Technically
speaking, siding refers to overlapping boards or strips, but shingles or
shakes can also be used as a covering.
Siding used on a garden shed can consist of:
|
Plywood |
|
Pine or cedar, western red, yellow |
|
Cedar shakes or shingles |
|
Vinyl |
|
OSB (Oriented Strand Board--a
type of manufactured wood in which wood chips are layered at right
angles and bonded together.) |
Roof
The roof can consist of:
|
Asphalt shingle |
|
Cedar shingle |
|
Aluminum or other metal |
|
OSB |
|
|
|
