Hot answers tagged shed
11
Spiders are predators, they go where the food is. If spiders are attracted to your shed, it means prey insects are attracted to your shed. Get rid of the prey.
Remove nearby vegetation and organic matter that provides food/shelter for bugs
Remove any standing water (bird baths, puddles, soil that soaks up moisture)
Remove light sources (bugs fly towards ...
10
Take a look at your local Lowe's, Home Depot or even Amazon online book store. They have several books with lots of different designs. You can look them over and just buy the book that suits your needs. They will have diagrams and material lists. Also these books are fairly cheap. Good luck.
9
This should be a good starter project, here are a few tips I've picked up over the years:
Even pressure treated wood will deteriorate over time if it's exposed or in direct contact with the ground/moisture. Do what you can to protect it from the elements and get it raised off of the soil. Use a moisture barrier between wood and concrete.
Take care to ...
9
The problem here of course is that snow/freezing rain gets into the lock and freezes. With a house, this isn't normally a problem for a few reasons. First, you use it often enough that it doesn't get that bad, and second the inside of the house is warm, which prevents water from freezing inside the lock (unless it gets really, really cold I suppose).
You ...
9
I did a quick search for information about chestnuts and spiders and found conflicting advice. My take is that even it doesn't work, it can't hurt; the worst that can happen is that you still have spiders and some (apparently useless) chestnuts on the floor of your shed.
Caulking small gaps in the shed walls is a good idea in general, but the biggest gap ...
7
I'd use a foundation.
It doesn't have to be very deep - it could just be a set of paving stones covering an area slightly larger than the shed itself.
If nothing else it will keep the wood away from the ground and reduce the damp and moisture that will attack the shed, thus prolonging it's life.
It will also help keep the shed level.
6
This website has quite a few links for free plans. They're a mix of slab plans and elevated floor plans. You'll have to click through several levels down, but here are some direct links to some of the nicer ones:
Basic 6'x8' shed plan with cinder block base. (Expandable up to 8'x12').
Larger 8'x12' shed plan with double doors.
This site is also listed ...
6
Any place that sells pre-built sheds in your area would likely have advice on site preparation for delivery.
I don't know what the soil's like in your area, but if you're going to hit bedrock before 42", it'd likely be easier to put in a slab; If you're likely to hit lots of tree-roots, the slab might be a better choice (so you don't kill a tree, and have ...
5
The assembly instructions state:
Recommended surfaces for installation include cement or treated wood deck style surfaces.
So it should be installed on a level platform of some kind that will support the weight of the shed and its contents.
It wouldn't be a good idea just to use level ground as you'll have problems with moisture, rodents etc (as Eric ...
5
Wood in contact with the ground will always rot. Treated wood will do it slower. Depending on your climate, the shed might rot out in just a couple of years.
So yes, you need a foundation, but as @ChrisF notes, it can be simple.
Or if you live someplace like Tuscon and drainage is away from the shed, you might be able to get away without it, as the climate ...
5
Because the roof is metal it will get cold and when the (relatively) warm damp air inside the shed comes into contact with it, condensation forms.
You need to make sure that there is a thermal barrier between the inside surface of the roof and the outside surface.
So any of the things you suggest would do, but might cause ventilation problems (say). So a ...
5
For my on grade shed, I first built a bed of crushed limestone for it to rest on. This will allow drainage and breathing room below the shed. I used some landscape timbers and made a "retaining wall" for the limestone just slightly larger than the footprint of the shed (like 2' around each side). I then filled this rectangle landscape timber area with ...
4
If there is adequate ventilation, then the inside and the outside will be at the same temperature. So add ventilation. (Screen the vents as necessary to keep out all intruders.) Ventilation will also help reduce the humidity inside the shed. I would want to add several vents through the roof, and several more down at the base to allow for good air flow.
It ...
4
A block wall that is actually part of the original outside wall of the main structure is most certainly a load bearing wall or part of the foundation. It is possible to open a six foot section, but care must be taken to install a properly sized supported header or if block is still going to be above the opening, a steel lentil. You will need some temp ...
3
Gluing won't hurt, but it won't help either (in this application) so I wouldn't bother.
Where gluing does help is when you are doubling a beam by stacking two smaller beams on top of each other. (i.e. 2 2x4's to make a 2x8) Gluing will then help transfer the longitudinal shear stresses that develop when the beam bends slightly. (To visualize this shear, ...
3
Easy: Motion detection lights.
Difficult: Alarm system.
High maintenance: Guard dog.
Anything can be broken into by a determined thief, the idea is to make your place less attractive of a target than the next place.
2
Lamp on the left so that your work hand doesn't block your light, which is more probable to be the case than the other way around.
As far as the vice goes, I'd say it depends on how you orient it and if there is a wall on the left or right side. If there is no wall on either side, I'd put it on the front-left so that it is near the lamp, and because if the ...
2
You got a strange problem for an outdoor storage building. A dehumidifier is gonna cost you a mint to run if the moisture problem is that bad. Two things to think about. First, where is all this moisture coming from? can you mitigate the source? Second, look at the gables or sofits to see it you can install some good venting. You can put a ridge vent on ...
2
Just lay some tongue-and-groove OSB plywood on top of the planks.
For a 6x8 shed, you should only need two 4x8 sheets - which should certainly cost a lot less than the £120 you would pay for sealer.
Or for that matter, just have them use T&G plywood for the flooring in the first place.
2
Measure the 2 diagonal distances to the corners. If the measurements are not the same, the floor is not square.
Not sure what you are levelling to. A level, framing square, and careful measuring solves most layout problems.
16" spacing is fine as long as your sheathing is rated for 16" spans. Sounds like they are spanning about 6 feet? 16d common nails ...
2
Look at a flooring store for sheet vinyl also called linoleum, remnants (the end of rolls). They can be inexpensive and would be seamless. An alternative that would be more slip resistant is something we call locally porchpaint. It covers many New england porches. It is only available in gray and is an oil based enamal. You can spread sand on it while wet ...
2
For the R-Value of your walls and roof, it will depend on the depth of the framing, but assuming you're using 2x4 studs in your wall, then R18 is pretty standard. For your ceiling, again depending on your framing, R30 or R38 is typical for batts. Remember that you may be able to squeeze a higher R-Value batt in between the framing, but compressing the ...
2
Honestly, your best bet may be to re-build the structure using an exterior grade plywood.
Whatever solution you come up with to "weatherize" the MDF will only be temporary. Soon enough, there will be some damage done to the protective coating that you apply, and then when the next storm comes by you will have a soggy pile of sawdust instead of a shed.
Do ...
1
I would try construction adhesive before drilling any holes in the wall.
The MSDS for Liquid Nails states that the shear strength is 240 psi (1 week cure), and will withstand -18 to 60 C. Should be more than sufficient.
1
It probably depends on how much effort you're going to be putting into it.
If you're just planning on slapping something together quickly, then sure, go for untreated, and if something goes wrong, you can rebuild it in a couple of years.
I'd personally use pressure treated, as I'd have to make a larger structure due to local ordinances. (I can't store ...
1
Long, cold winters means the ground will freeze deeply. The frost will heave your structure. Snow is a good insulator, which will reduce freezing. But a wet autumn followed by a cold, dry winter will make the frost heaves deep and strong. Your local building department can tell you the specified frost depth, which leaves a suitable safety margin.
The ...
1
I looked at your profile, but don't know what part of the country you are in. Where you are makes a lot of difference. The building you are considering is a wooden structure, fairly heavy and can hold some cargo. Any building that size deserves a decent foundation. If you don't support it right, it will warp, shift and bend with the seasons, resulting in ...
1
Clad the sides in treated Feather-edge boards and cover the top in roofing felt.
Raise it off the ground to prevent it from standing in water and soaking it up from underneath.
I suggest getting a few concrete slabs and putting it on top of them, making sure that the edge of the shed (cladding) sticks out over the edge of slabs a little to prevent rain ...
1
Because a shed is generally subjected to temperature extremes you need to consider that its floor is prone to expansion and contraction. You therefore need to allow for some movement and whatever you use to fill the gaps needs to remain at least slightly flexible. Something I haven't tied myself but think might work is the dense foam rubber strips that are ...
1
I had a problem in my shed and I ended up using expandable foam in and around all crevices that would allow a spider or insect to come in from the outside. Before that, I had to clean out the entire shed and kill a bunch of spiders. After I cleaned out the shed and sprayed with Black Flag Home Defense really well, the spider problem subsided. Make sure you ...
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