shed design

[Denis M]

How much snow can the roof take? Denis M

[mjmwallace]

Thanks all who responded.

I have a 3 car garage that I'd like to organize and if I can get the wood and garden tools out, that would help a lot. One of the stalls in the garage is my workshop - so I'm not using the shed as a workshop.

After I started this thread, the architect who designed our house came by on a unannounced visit. He suggested that I build a small retaining wall (the property is slopped) of about 30 inches, slab it with concrete and then build a 10x12. Of course he would design it for me for $1200 or so. That was funny, I thought!

I'm going to hold back a bit and take look around as to where I could stick this shed and not have it be so obtrusive to the property. The property is narrow, long and slopped, which forces the siting of the shed to specific areas.

Thanks again!

MJ

[Jack Stein]

Yes, it turned out nice. I saw a 16 long by 14' wide commercial jobs, but none that were wider than deep. It looked good on paper, and it looks even better live.

Up to 3' so far, and it's built of 2x4's on 24" center's. I made the trusses myself, but used those metal truss plates to connect them. They were flimsy as all get out until I got some structure on them.

I'm not a builder but knew these are commonly used in houses, but I am a woodworker and after I built the shed, and even though the trusses seemed strong as hell, the next year I made wooden plates out of scrap plywood, cut them on the band saw and glued and nailed them to every joint, right over top of the metal plates. I figured the only thing that could go wrong is the joints spread as the roof transfers all the weight onto the side walls. I imagine it could take quite a bit of snow.

The biggest snow we've had in the past 25 years was supposedly 3' about

10 years ago. I measured it because no where did I see 3', and the media always lies through their teeth, and best I got was 2 feet, so they were off by about 33%, about right for the lame ass media.

Last year we got 2 feet, which I measured to about 19 inches. The shed is nestled in trees, and gets less snow than out in the open.

[Jack Stein]

Thats good, build the shed and you have two stalls for the workshop. Park the car outside, and you have an ideal size workshop:-)

Yeah, my shed cost exactly $1200 when I built it, 25 years ago. I knew the local lumber yards put sheds, and everything needed to build them on sale every spring, so I drew everything up in the winter, and bought all the material when it went on sale. Saved a ton of money.

I built both my sheds on 6x6 Wolmanized posts. My first shed was not on level ground, so the front posts were short, the back posts were longer:-)

[Nova]

Where did you get the truss plates? I couldn't buy them as I'm not certified to design wooded trusses. From the Simpson Strong-Tie web site:

"Can I use your mending plates for truss fabrication?

The mending plates shown in the Simpson Strong-Tie catalog are not intended for structural use. They have not been tested for structural applications and are not load rated. Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses require specific design criteria as outlined by the Truss Plate Institute and in the current ANSI/TPI documents. Software specific to truss design is available through a number of truss plate suppliers. For more information regarding truss plate suppliers, contact the Truss Plate Institute at [phone]. "

[Denis M]

Thanks for the information. This year in New Brunswick a few commercial roofs did collapsed under the weight of snow and ice. I like to idea of re-enforcing the trusses with wooden plates. While driving to the ski hills I noticed that the Gambrel roof (like your) does not accumulate snow and ice as much as the traditional roof design. That will the design that I will be using for my shed.

Denis M.

[Morgans]

"Jack Stein" wrote

Interesting. Around here, if you build it stationary, as is on posts, they add it to your property tax values and it has to have a building permit. If it is on skids, it is not subject to inspections or taxes. Mine is on 4 x 6 skids, then with a couple trailer tie down straps. I use truss to wall connector clips to make sure the skids do not pull loose from the floor when it is moved by dragging it with a chain.

[krw]

That's not unique, but I'm sure not universal, either. Some time back a neighbor built a pole barn in his yard. He set it on 6" of gravel and used PT two-bys, raised off the ground, for flooring. As long as it was sitting on the ground, no inspections and no taxes.

[Jack Stein]

Probably at 84 lumber. This was around 25 years ago, and I can see absolutely no reason anyone couldn't use them. Are you still allowed to use nails w/o certification?

A quick search shows

them, and they look the same as I used. Looked like anyone could buy them but I didn't look into it.

[Jack Stein]

Yes, that is a nice design, uses little material and it is easy to build, particularly with the truss plates. I said they were "flimsy" but they are very strong and will not spread vertically. They bend easily horizontally but their is no pressure on them to bend once the roof is on. I put the wooden plates on because mentally I couldn't handle thinking about those little hunks of tin holding up my roof. I doubt the wood did any more than give me piece of mind:-).

I gotta tell you again though, you really want bigger than 8x10 and you might as well put on a second floor. The second floor is the only thing that keeps the first floor semi-uncluttered. There is not much extra cost, and it does not have to be built like a house, it's just for storing junk, not car engines or pianos. More like deck chairs, a lawn seeder you use once every 20 years, kids toys that you know will be worth a fortune 25 years from now, tents you will never use again, that kind of stuff. You will thank yourself for the rest of time.

[Jack Stein]

Building codes vary from community to community. I can't see me wanting to move my shed anytime, ever, but if I really had to, I could unbolt it from the posts, jack it up, put it on dollies and roll it anywhere. We did that once with a cottage on an island that was a lot bigger than my shed.

[Larry Jaques]

I hold that kind of thing in the same contempt I hold stick-in connectors on light switches and wall outlets: They're fatal errors just waiting to happen.

-- The more passions and desires one has, the more ways one has of being happy. -- Charlotte-Catherine

[-MIKE-]

Really? So the guys who engineered and spec'd out those switches were all idiots? I suppose there are thousands of houses burning down every year and the government's hiding it all because of the powerful Leviton lobby.

[Morgans]

"-MIKE-" wrote

I realize they are not burning down houses, but I don't usually use them on my own work. I have had to troubleshoot non working circuits, and traced the problem to a stab connector not making reliable contact. Both times, the failure happened at around 7 years, in an outlet that had not been disturbed.

[Jack Stein]

I think if you look at your circuit breaker you will see a stab type connector.

[Jack Stein]

Oops, you were talking about the stab type without a screw. I was thinking the stab type with a plate you screw down vs the wrap around screw type. Sorry bout that...

[Larry Jaques]

I've never even -seen- a circuit breaker without screw terminals.

-- "Human nature itself is evermore an advocate for liberty. There is also in human nature a resentment of injury, and indignation against wrong. A love of truth and a veneration of virtue. These amiable passions, are the latent spark. If the people are capable of understanding, seeing and feeling the differences between true and false, right and wrong, virtue and vice, to what better principle can the friends of mankind apply than to the sense of this difference?" --John Adams

[-MIKE-]

I've had similar situations where I found something not working and swore off using it ever again, but one guy finding two bad outlets isn't exactly overwhelming evidence.

FWIW, I've gotten bad switches straight out of the box. I chalked it up to a bad lot... I didn't swear off switches. :-)

[Morgans]

"Jack Stein" wrote

In the US? Nope I have only used screw down terminal breakers. I have never seen a stab type.

[Morgans]

"-MIKE-" wrote

True. and if I wired for a living, I would probably use the stabs to be profitable. For myself, I will take the time to screw down the wires and eliminate on possible source of a problem.