Garden sheddesign

[The Natural Philosopher]

I am up for puuting up a slightly more 'permenet' garden shed to house gardenequipment than the normal run of the mill flatpack stuff.

I have more or less settled on an uninsutlated timber frame, with lap board cladding. and a tiled roof.

Its only really to keep the rain off stuff, and prevent rot and rust, so it will be unheated and unpowered. Its outside buiding regs also I think, though planning may need to be asked about.

However some design issues are bothering me.

1/. I would like a solid concrete floor to enable me to roll the lawn tractor in easily...I am worried about that getting wet and damp and rotting the base of the timber structure...not sure whether to lay it on a DPM or not...I may even simply lay concrete blocks on a sand/cement bed and infill the gaps...

2/. Or should I leave it 'below damp', build a brick plinth with DPM and then put the wood on top of THAT? That feels 'right' to me at the moment.

3/. The roof will be pantiles probably - I have these on a garage as well, and there there is no sarking or insulation, yet things remain dry...is there any reason to bother with those?

4./. Again, I am not interested in guttering - more a large overhang to clear the wood walls and let the water piss down onto the ground...not that guttering would be a big issue anyway. There is a ditch right by it to divert water into.If SWMBO didn't demand a water butt..

Fell free to tear the idea to pieces. or comment in any way.

[Nigel Molesworth]

I've got a timber stable built just like this, it's fairly standard for this type of building. If you are concerned about rising damp, you can treat the floor.

[Rob Morley]

You'll probably want to lay a bed of gravel where it splashes.

[Andy Hall]

I had a concrete base laid and then arranged treated wooden bearers slightly inside from the walls. The bearers sit on DPC strip and the walls go down to about 20mm above the concrete which is also slightly in from the walls. I put a strip of gravel is a trench all the way round. This prevents water from getting onto the concrete from rain running in from the edges and the only way is soaking upwards - DPC stops that.

You could. Another way would be to put plastic sheet over the entire base and use two layers of concrete. Then the whole floor will be dry.

Could water blow in if it rains and blows hard? Do you care if it does on the odd occasion?

Does seem a shame to waste it

[The Natural Philosopher]

Thanks guys. Seems its all very much 'standard'

[AlexW]

I put the slab for my 5x2.5m garage on DPM sheet , then built a course of blockwork off the slab. The studding was then placed on DPM tape on the blockwork. The outside of the studframes are flush with the blockwork which allows the Shiplap to go all the way to the floor with a DPM sheet "skirt" behind (alhough the last two course need to be plugged not nailed). I missed a trick and did not fold the skirt up from the slab DPM, so the skirt is not continuous with the slab DPM sheet.

Its dry except for the doors which get a little water blown in etc (no biggy). Get some prob's with condensation in cold weather.

See dodgy ascii section below.

SFF SFF SFF SFF S+-- S|BB S|BB

+--+BB |CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC// |CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC// +-----------------//

+-| = DPM S = Shiplap F = Stud frame C = Concrete slab

[The Natural Philosopher]

No need for ascii art. I understood it perfectly.

I might want to have a rather higher plinth tho. SWMBO will instantly regared a blank wooden wall as a horticultural challenge, and the thing will be covered in carbon negative greenery probably before its finished.

I am concerned that that will bridge a low level DPM...inability to mow near...collection of dead leaves and so on over the years=rising ground level etc etc.

[Rob Morley]

Treat it with nasty chemicals and anything that touches it will die :-)

[869999]

[The Natural Philosopher]

Deleterious to the marriage old boy.

I am quite happy to see it carwling with russiian vine or what have you, provided it doesn't rot in ten years dong it.