Personal Finance

The corner of your garage is not a good place to store all your important “stuff”, like tools. But, you can’t just get rid of it. A better solution is to build a wooden shed in your backyard. And the best part – it can be easily done in a matter of only two day (assuming you already have all the materials purchased from the local supply store.) Here’s how:

Day 1 – A Solid Foundation and Framework

Site preparation is the first item on the list. Its OK if the site isn’t perfectly level as a slight downward pitch towards the back of the shed is optimum for water runoff. Make sure you now remove all large rocks and debris from the site where the shed will rest. Since this is only a one weekend project, instead of pouring a concrete floor, you will need to make a wood floor. If you really want or need a concrete foundation, allow a couple extra days for drying. Not only is a wood floor faster to build, it requires less skill, is less expensive and even portable. For this shed, rest the frame of the floor on cinder (or patio) blocks – making sure they are level.

Now, lets get started on the actual building. Once you have the first floor joist cut, use it as a template for the rest ” its way easier and faster. Here’s another tip, for strength, use deck screws instead of nails. A power drill makes screwing boards together very quick work. Once the frame of the floor is finished, make sure its square by measuring two corners diagonally, then the other two. The measurements should be the same. If not, take one of the corners with the longer measurement and adjust it by pushing in towards the opposing corner. Make small adjustments at a time. Nail on the plywood subfloor by staggering the boards (much like bricks). You don’t want four corners of four different pieces of plywood to end up in the middle of your shed.

Start building the walls by using the same process used for building the frame for the floor. Frame any desired windows at this time. Use T1-11 plywood for the siding. It has vertical grooves cut into it which gives the appearance of tongue and groove siding. But since it comes in sheets, it has a huge time advantage over nailing individual boards. Now place a piece of T1-11 (outside facing up) on top of one of the wall frames. Make the wall frame square by using the same method used to make the floor. Start nailing the siding to the frame by working from one side to the other. Trim down the siding to the outside of the frame by using a router. Now that you have all the walls put together, attach them to the floor and temporarily brace them with 2×4s to hold them up until you have them firmly screwed together. Take your level and check the walls for plumb. They should be perfectly straight up and down. Now rest up for tomorrow.

Day 2 – Roof, Door, Windows and Trim

Building the trusses is the first item for today. Using your plans, cut and assemble the pieces of your first truss but don’t nail it together just yet. Once you have all the pieces fitting together correctly, use each piece as a template for the remaining pieces of the trusses. Now screw (or nail) all the trusses together. Attach the trusses to the top plate of the shed walls. The trusses are now ready for the plywood sheeting that makes the roof. Installation of asphalt shingles is exactly the same as installing them on a house by first putting down roofing felt (tar paper). Be sure to start at the bottom and overlap each row as you go up. The top ridge is made from a couple of layers to add strength. When applying the shingles the seams should be offset. Just like the tar paper, work your way up from the bottom. Cut down a length of shingle into single shingles to make ridge cap. Shingles usually come in a line of three per sheet. Nail these down overlapping one another.

You should use a door on your shed that is prefabricated which will save you a huge amount of time since all you need to do is attach it with hinges. You will want to finish off the door with trim.

A few details have been omitted from this short article as it is simply intended to show you how possible and simple it is to build a wooden shed in only one weekend.

Donald Rickerby is has been constructing and consulting on backyard wooden sheds for over 10 years. If you are looking to build your own shed, make sure to visit his informative site: BestWoodenSheds.com