An outdoor shack is a very resourceful and multipurpose structure that you can bring up on that space on your backyard. A shed is a single floor structure used to house livestock, store garden tools, or even act as a playhouse for your kids. A traditional shed is a small spaced wooden one-room structure, but one is at liberty to build to whatever size and of any material they wish. In this article, we shall give you a step to step guide on how you can make a shed all by yourself. We shall take you through the whole process of preparation all the way to the finishing of the structure.
1. Come Up With A Plan
It has been said before that if you fail to plan, you have already planned to fail. Therefore before starting up on the building part, you need to jot down an accurate and functional plan. You need to have all the measurements put down on paper representing the end product that you wish to have at the end of your project. For all your shed plan needs we recommend the king of plans – 3DSHEDPLANS.COM – free and premium shed plans included. Check it out.
2. Gather All The Materials
The type of materials you collect will solely depend on the kind of shed you want to build. That means if you are to build, you need to get wooden materials, for plastic shed get plastic materials. First of all, you need to write it down on a list then shop. Besides the primary materials, do not forget to buy nails, nuts, and bolts, door and window frames, cement, sand, and tools necessary for the building process. And start with the building process. If you’re not sure about that, make sure to check the latest and updated full version of a step by step professional DIY guide here.
3. Building The Foundation
The foundation is the most crucial part of any structure. Therefore this part should be done with high precision. First, you gather all materials needed for a foundation such as timber and all hardware. Secondly, mark and clear all the vegetation on the area you wish to erect the shed. Thirdly, you start by building the external foundation frame and fill in the interior spaces with well-calibrated timber skids to make bands and joints. Then on top of the skids, you start placing the flooring materials.
4. Building the Wall Structures
After setting up a stable foundation, the next step is to erect the front and back wall of your structure. Both the front and back wall are mostly similar, but that may differ according to your plan. You start by first erecting the front wall frame then the rear wall frame holding them in place with nails or nuts and bolts. Make sure to stick to the calibrations set on the plan. After setting up the frame, you can now proceed to fill in the spaces between the walls. You may use flat wooden sheets or nail individual timber pieces directly on the frame. You may also use iron sheets to go round the framework. Remember to leave window and door spaces as you fill in the framing.
5. Building The Roof
At this point, your structure is almost done. It should be in a position to stand on its own without external support. This is crucial considering a roof exerts its whole weight on the walls, and if the walls are not stable, the entire building will come tumbling down. First, start by building the roof skeleton by building rafters and separating them by blocking. After completing the beams, you apply a sheet of plywood followed by a layer of tar paper to make the roof water roof. Then finally you place a layer of iron sheet or tiles to complete the roof structure.
6. Install The Door And Windows
After the structure has been erected, it is now the time to install the pre-made windows and doors. Both of these materials should be pre-made according to the calibrations specified on the plan so that the installation is flawless and done without last minute repairs.
7. Finishing Touches
By now, you have a very functional structure that is stable, and you can already put it to use as soon as you want. Although there are quite a few things, you need to get done to ensure your structure will last longer. Some of the things you need to do are paint the structure to raise the aesthetics, add garters on the roof to collect water and tile or slab the floor, just to mention a few. This step will entirely depend on the use of the structure. Which means that if it is a storage space, you need not do much. But if it is to be used as a playhouse, extra steps of electrical wiring and safety measures should be considered.