Loglap Summerhouse as a workshop

[Spence]

I have recently moved to a mid terrace Malvern, Worcestershire. It's great but the current shed in the garden would have been ideal if not for it being placed on a loose pile of bricks without any maintenance for several years.
It's not very stable and I don't think it would be worth trying to repair or electrify the whole thing when the bones of it are so poor. The house is a typical terrace with a very long, very narrow garden with an easement. I will need to have an armoured cable run up the garden from the house to the shed, I think its about 30 metres or so.

I have toyed with the idea of building my own shed, but I currently have very few tools which would be useful to build a shed with. I mostly do woodturning, and my lathe capacity does not extend to a 10 x 12 shed (if only!).

So with that in mind I have looked in great detail at the sheds sold by local companies and I've noticed that the majority are of very poor quality unless they are very expensive. Most have 12mm T&G which I could need to insulate and then board the interior. I have since seen the Marlborough 10 x 10 28mm T&G shed for roughly the same cost as a 19mm shed from a local guy.https://www.trade-point.co.uk/departments/10x10-marlborough-28mm-tongue-groove-timber-log-cabin/653029_TP.prd

In order to have this summerhouse and use it as a workshop I would need a base, I had calculated the concrete I might need and then realised that access to the rear of the house is a problem and have since looked at the 'Eco-Grids' which are essentially an interlocking grid of plastic trays which are placed over a level gravel base and filled with 10mm pea gravel to allow drainage. I feel that this may be more appropriate for my location, budget and tenancy.

Any ideas or recommendations would be welcome, I'm hoping to begin after Christmas.

 

[Yojevol]

I built my workshop in the log cabin style of construction about 14 years ago and with hindsight it was not a good choice. It's a larger cabin than you're thinking of - 10 x 6m made of 2½" untreated pine 'logs'. The main problem has been that prevailing winds have blasted rain into the corner joints where it is difficult to dry out and caused rot. I have had to clad the whole of the SW facing wall for protection.
As you're thinking of something smaller with 19 or 28mm 'planks' you have a better chance to thoroughly treat them before construction. Ideally they should be pressure treated after cutting the notched joints.
The other point note is that the timber will probably be from fast grown young trees and so the centre of each joint, ie, between the notches, will likely be soft heartwood - not good for durability and just where strength is required for integrity of the joint.
In all I would recommend some other method of construction.
Brian

 

[Graaz0r]

You don't really need all that many tools to build a reasonable she-d.

Only tools I think would be essential are a chop saw and an impact driver. Skill saw would be nice but you could make do with a jigsaw (to rip the cladding at the top of the roof line and cut plywood for roof)

Nailgun you'd need but just hire one for a weekend... then a cement mixer, hire one for a weekend and you can make up the concrete base with 25KG bags so no issue on access (I did the same at my last house, mid-terrace)

Then just pay a chap to torch the roof on the ply and job jobbed?

*may have over simplified, but good luck either way!

 

[That would work]

Have you considered thermalite blocks? Probably quicker and warm too.