# Project Shed!



## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

I moved into a house around 7 weeks ago. The previous tenants left a massive shed at the top of the garden, which was rotten through. It was approximately 16' x 6' and bright red - it was an eyesore!



















They must have used the space behind the shed as a tip as well with the amount of junk I found there. There was old washing machine doors, rusty BBQ's, furniture panels, old toys and random bits of rusty metal, plastic and wood.










I started pulling it down, with some help and we had it finished after an hour, most of it just collapsed once we started to dismantle it though, so it was an easy job.



















This shed had also been homemade and I have no idea why but they had packed the underneath of the floor out with soil! The floor was also made from a mix of laminate and old furniture panels (chipboard). The whole thing just crumbled as I tried to pick it up. It was quite time consuming clearing and bagging it all.



















I bagged all the crumbled wood and soil/dirt, I had around 35 bags full. Then the shed panels were stacked up until I had time to cut them down ready for the tip. Skips aren't cheap so didn't really want to hire one but we managed to clear most of it with 10 car trips to the tip, although I still have a few more bags to do.










This is how things look now, it's alot better 










The new shed will be going on the right hand side and I want to get a 10 x 8. I will have to extend the concrete out into the grass by around 3' or 4'. I'm going to leave a 3' gap behind the shed and to the side for access. The bricks in the middle of the photo is all the hardcore I've managed to source for this so should have enough hopefully.

This is where I need some help. If the existing concrete wasn't there I would've laid a DPC membrane first and then done the cement. I'm not sure if there is anything to stop moisture under the concrete that is currently there but I will put some down where I extend it.

My original idea was to put paving slabs on top of the concrete with DPC in between, until I worked out how much they would cost me! Is it possible to lay the DPC on top of the concrete and place the shed on top of this?

A timber shed would've been nice but I am most likely going to get a metal one. I am concerned about damp getting to a timber one and I don't want to spend too much doing the base as I'm renting.

I may get this metal shed from Homebase as they're doing 15% off this weekend, plus it comes with a floor support frame. I was thinking of putting the DPC on top of the concrete, the frame and then line it with plywood so hopefully air can circulate underneath. Rather than having a shed with no base so you just have the exposed concrete.

Any thoughts to help me decide as I need to crack on with this?


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Jesus, that thing was a right ugly bugger. Looked a bit of a death trap too.
A lot better rid if it :thumb:


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## dandam (Apr 10, 2011)

I recently got a Keter plastic shed, bit more expensive but very good and straightforward to assemble.


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## djgregory (Apr 2, 2013)

The metal one looks just as bad, a well looked after timber shed will not rott or be exposed to any moisture providing its looked after well.


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## cleancar (Sep 21, 2006)

get a metal one , maintenance free i would never buy another wooden shed they stink and let all beasts in, need paining every year and the wood warps, felt rips off in the wind

need i say more ?! 

seriously i really wouldnt buy a wooden shed , the metal or plastic ones are worth the extra money


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## shudaman (Sep 12, 2010)

Tood project u got there!

In regards to the dpm u could lay a wide dpm strip under the frame were it sits, like under the first course of bricks in a wall 
Or buy some polythene and wrap around the bottom of the frame like a sock

And please dont buy a metal shed it wont look right with ur summer house and would stick out like a sore thumb imo
Plus its in constant view of the house


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## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

I knew this argument would start, it's amazing how opinions on sheds differ so much! :lol:

Timber is definitely the nicer looking one but I just want something I don't need to maintain and I'm really not fussy about the looks. I have seen this timber one on ebay but I'm not sure how good it will be for that price. It also includes the floor.

I have seen a brown metal shed here, which is easier on the eye. I know they are a sod to put up but once it's done I can forget about it. I still haven't decided on what I'm getting but I think it will be a metal one.



PugIain said:


> Jesus, that thing was a right ugly bugger. Looked a bit of a death trap too.
> A lot better rid if it :thumb:


It was! The roof was collapsing, it stunk of damp, holes everywhere, the corners of the shed were being supported by tree branches! To think the amount of time they would've spent building that only for it to rot. It had been up for 10 years so not that long really.

Some inside photos







































dandam said:


> I recently got a Keter plastic shed, bit more expensive but very good and straightforward to assemble.


I have looked at these before and not sure I like the look of them TBH, plus in the size I want it's £700+. Do they fade much cos some plastic outside storage I've had before weathered very quickly? Are they rodent proof as well?



shudaman said:


> Tood project u got there!
> 
> In regards to the dpm u could lay a wide dpm strip under the frame were it sits, like under the first course of bricks in a wall
> Or buy some polythene and wrap around the bottom of the frame like a sock
> ...


Thanks, I think wrapping the bottom of the frame may be the easiest thing to do and possibly insulate the inside as well.

The summer house was already there as well and I'm using that as my shed ATM. It's only a childs one though so small inside and the panels on one side have dropped so there are gaps in between them.


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## cleancar (Sep 21, 2006)

this is what you need

http://www.shedstore.co.uk/garden-s...r/yardmaster-green-108geyz-metal-shed-10-by-8

more expensive , but more 'shed like'

http://www.shedstore.co.uk/garden-s...rdmaster-balmoral-1012wgl-metal-shed-12-by-10


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## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

cleancar said:


> this is what you need
> 
> http://www.shedstore.co.uk/garden-s...r/yardmaster-green-108geyz-metal-shed-10-by-8
> 
> ...


I've been thinking of the Homebase one with floor frame, same as the first link. How do you find the doors on your metal shed as I've read some of them can be pushed in and off the rails? That doesn't sound very secure to me but then if someone wanted to get in they would regardless of the type of shed and security.

I am now possibly looking at getting a 12 x 6 shed so I don't have to extend the existing concrete out into the garden. I only need to extend it by 2ft after measuring last night and it's alot of messing around for not much space. Don't really want to extend it too far into the garden when I have all that concrete across the width of it. I will probably just raise it slightly though for the shed to sit on so when it rains it's not pooling around it.

I am going to look at some before I decide what to do just in case a 6ft wide shed will be too narrow. I will mainly be having shelving in there with a set of wheels and trolley jack on the floor.


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## triggerh4ppy (Jul 15, 2011)

Build a brick shed. Single skin. Job done. Future proof


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## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

Well after alot of thinking I decided I didn't want to extend the base out, it's just too much work for me ATM as I have the whole house to decorate as well. I decided to go for a timber shed in the end and getting it delivered within the next 2 weeks hopefully. One of the reason is because they don't make metal sheds in 12 x 6 but I do agree a timber one is nicer looking.

The problem I'm going to face is the base that's there slopes down towards the garden so I will need to pack the underneath of the floor to level it out. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to use? I've had ceramic tiles, bits of timber and cement/sand suggested to me so far but I don't know what will be best


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## shudaman (Sep 12, 2010)

Pezza4u said:


> Well after alot of thinking I decided I didn't want to extend the base out, it's just too much work for me ATM as I have the whole house to decorate as well. I decided to go for a timber shed in the end and getting it delivered within the next 2 weeks hopefully. One of the reason is because they don't make metal sheds in 12 x 6 but I do agree a timber one is nicer looking.
> 
> The problem I'm going to face is the base that's there slopes down towards the garden so I will need to pack the underneath of the floor to level it out. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to use? I've had ceramic tiles, bits of timber and cement/sand suggested to me so far but I don't know what will be best


If the shed floor plyed? 
If so you will want the base raised off the ground and you could plane some bearers done to suit the slope, only if its not to much of a slope though


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## swish (May 5, 2011)

Just posted my Shed project, I used concrete bearers.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=4290468#post4290468


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