The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

My garden shed...

tananaBrian's picture
tananaBrian

My garden shed...

...or what I was building rather than baking last weekend:

 

 

Next come the roof joists ...then the walls.  The result will be a 14' by 12' combination greenhouse and garden shed!

 

Brian

 

Comments

pmccool's picture
pmccool

Good 'green' planning, too, by leaving space below for skunks, rabbits, opossums, raccoons, etc.  ;-)

Paul

tananaBrian's picture
tananaBrian

Works for me... I've got the roof trusses done and am now working on framing up the walls.  Probably won't get time to bake until 2 weeks from today.  I'm out of town on business next weekend (San Antonio, TX).

Pix later.

Brian

 

Sedlmaierin's picture
Sedlmaierin

It looks great! And in its current state also very inviting to flamenco dancing-I am sure the sound would be awesome!

;p

C

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Aren't I terrible?  Can you tell I grew up in tornado country?

tananaBrian's picture
tananaBrian

The pier blocks are buried as deeply as they can be while not making the wood on the highest point touch the ground.  Each pier block has wood (one or more layers) on it that support the joists, and each stack has a long galvanized lag bolt cemented deeply into the pier block.  I tried pulling one of the pier blocks out of the ground (and I'm a big guy) and neither the wood attached to it nor the pier block would budge.  Seems to be a good anchoring system.  The floor and rim joists are all nailed into the wood on the pier blocks to anchor the shed down. 

We do get high wind here, but no more than about 50-60 mph gusts on the worst days ...once every several years.  The house (and shed) is actually somewhat sheltered by a treed hill just upwind in the direction that wind storms usually come from.

No baking this weekend either and I'm out of town on business next weekend ...sigh.  Here's what I did yesterday (and for the whole weekend since today is Mother's Day and I won't be working on it):

 

Finished up the roof trusses.  Notice how they are designed to provide 'attic' storage ...5' wide by 14' long in this case.  There will be a 'second floor' 40" square door on the back end (requires ladder for access).

 

First two walls made and put in place.  The end you are looking at has a row of windows on the front and a window just around each corner.  This will be my seeding area for starting seeds and possibly a 'greenhouse' for smaller plants, maybe a tomato and pepper plant or two.  A wall (with door to the side) separates the 'greenhouse' end from the 'garden shed' end to the rear.  Don't ask me how I'm going to get those roof trusses to the top... Haven't figured that out yet!

 

Brian

 

 

Doc Tracy's picture
Doc Tracy

With a canning kitchen on one side and a WFO out the front. Of course the possible greenhouse would be a great addition as well for the peppers and tomato seedlings.

Would you like to come build one for me when you're done? I'll bake you a loaf of bread or three. I'll even throw in a free CROB.

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Which direction do the windows face, Brian?

Looks like a great combination shed/greenhouse.  Wish I had one - temps down to 20F tonight.  Not that a greenhouse would do much good for what's three feet tall in the garden.

As to the braces, pick up a keg and invite your neighbors over for a barn raising party - after the rafters are in place.  ;-)

What's the siding going to be?

tananaBrian's picture
tananaBrian

The window end faces straight south, and during the summer here in Alaska, the sun makes a long great arc across the sky so both the east and west ends get sun as well.  I'll probably end up insulating the 'seeding' end and will put an in-wall heater w/thermostate in there as well.

The siding will be T-111 on 3 sides, then lap siding on the side facing the street per neighborhood covenants...

I think I'm going to need a tall ladder for those rafters ...maybe rent one.

Brian

 

PlicketyCat's picture
PlicketyCat

Hey Brian, if you've got some fuel barrels handy you can lever the rafters up onto those upright to get the points above the top plate and then use your tow strap and a come-along (or a hefty ratchet strap) across the other side to pull the trusses up from there (this is where a winch on the truck or ATV comes in handy if you have one). Once they're on the roof you need to lay them down with the west ones pointing east on the bottom and the east ones pointing west on the top so they'll all fit up there... otherwise the last two will be hanging off in space with no room to work. I hope you have at least one person helping you raise the rafters, cuz even if you cleat nail the heels first, trusses are unruly and try to alley oop off the sides.

Of course you're going to need a tall ladder when it comes time to put the sheathing on the roof. Maybe rent a little cherry-picker crane and some scaffolding when you go for the ladder ;)

~Plickety

tananaBrian's picture
tananaBrian

No fuel barrels ...well, maybe 3 of them in the shop :)

What I ended up doing:

Nail uprights on the end of the building, then lift the end truss into place upside down, use a long 2x4 with 'V' cut into the end to rotate the truss upright while standing in the shed.  Screw that truss to the uprights, then continue placing the rest of the trusses onto the building:

Each truss was rotated upright with my long 2x4 and then stacked against one end.  Then I put the opposite end truss into place like the first (temporary uprights to hold it), then all the rest ...with scrap 2x4s nailed diagonally across them to hold them in place.  After that, it's all just a matter of squaring and locating, then the hurrican straps and fastener, then roof sheathing (7/16" OSB) and you're good.  Not sure I have a picture of the finished shed w/upstairs storage and what not ...but it's all done now (and full of junk already!) Oh ...I did end up buying a 24' extension ladder that I could lay on the roof while nailing shingles on.  It's been handy for my shop as well (2-floors, 26' to the peak).

Brian

 

PlicketyCat's picture
PlicketyCat

Good deal -- that works so much easier when you don't have a floor deck to worry about and are only trying to maneuver 2x6 trusses :D  Our 2x12 gambrel trusses for the 16'x24' cabin were so heavy that we actually had to built them on the loft floor and stand them up one by one using the tow strap and truck winch to help lift them off the deck... in December. You're so much smarter doing construction in the summer LOL

Make sure you put some deep gravel or stones in front of the door or you'll be wading through a huge mud hole come breakup... hauling heavy stuff out of the shed when you're knee deep in ice water is so not enjoyable.

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

make me homesick for Germany :(

 

tananaBrian's picture
tananaBrian

If you like birch, you'd like it here!  That and black spruce is what we have a lot of.  Too bad the local birch syrup making company is going out of business.  I think the fellow is retiring, and I think his was the last company making birch syrup in Alaska.  The business is for sale too...

Brian

 

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

Another company gone, so sad !