Shed from fenceing boards

[Hugo_Wolfwhistle]

I have been pricing up timber to replace a crumbling overlap panel fence with a more substantial close board fence or shadowbox fence. I found a place locally that will supply good pressure treated timber specifically aimed at building fences (e.g. boards in standard fence lengths, fence posts and profiled fence rails). The timber seems very cheap and pretty substantial for the intended purpose.

I was also planning to get a garden shed soon so that I can clear stuff out of the garage (so that I can make room for woodworking in the garage). Since most of the sheds on display at garden centers and B&Q look really flimsy, I was thinking I would build the new shed instead.
Originally I had planned to build the shed out of T&G timber and standard construction timber, and then treat the wood to protect it, however having seen how much cheaper the fencing timber is from this local supplier, I was thinking it might be a good idea to build it out of that instead.
I was thinking of using 4"x4" fence posts to construct the skeleton frame, the roof trusses and also in a grillage type arrangement to support the suspended floor. Then I would clad it with the fence boards and roof it with a load of clay pan tiles my parents have spare from years ago. The floor would probably still be normal T&G floor boards.
I was thinking that this would mean that the whole shed was pressure treated, so would last longer, and it would also be cheap.

As an added benefit I was thinking that instead of having to level the ground and lay a concrete or paving slab foundation for the shed, I would be able to just drive some of those metal fence post spikes into the ground and build the skeleton up from them, thereby having a suspended floor. This gives me the advantage that I will be able to put the shed right in the corner of the garden where there are slight embankments without having to do a lot of digging.

Since the fence boards are not T&G, I was thinking that to make sure there are no gaps between adjacent boards, I could just run a bevel cut up the long edges of each board to make them parallelograms so that they can push together tight and be nailed down.

Does this sound reasonable, or have I missed something? I haven't built anything that size before, so any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[chipmunk]

Hi Hugo,
I'd be tempted to use overlapped feather-edged boards in place of the T&G rather than bevelling the edge of every gravel-board. They do warp though and can gape if you're not careful so some form of lining (tarred paper) would be advisable if you're trying to keep it weather-tight.

On the use of the drive-in post fixings I'd spend a bit more time and invest in some post-fix in dug-out holes. If you are planning on a raised floor, there will be a lot of weight on top of a small cross-sectional area which will slowly sag over time. The bigger you make the cross-section the slower the sag (principle of driven piles).

HTH
Jon

 

[Higon]

HI Hugo
Another alternative that I have had a lot of success with might be to lay some sleepers with joists at 90 degrees to them, build on top of that. Digging in is minimal 3 or 4 inches and sand can be used to help level the sleepers. Shims between the two can be used to fine tune the heights and level the floor.

The size of the sleepers can be anything from BR size to something more manageable depending on time, cost, and facilities you have available. I used some DPM, (damp proof membrane) between the joists and sleepers. I'd also bought a second hand shed from evilbay but without that, I'd have used treated carcassing, (47 x 75) to build the stud walls for the main structure. YMMV but all the feather board I've ever used has eventually been replaced with PTG!

Membrane between cladding and studding, insulation and choice of interior finish.. You'll probably spend the same if you bought one of the overpriced rubbish examples from the retail outlets.. However the quality and resilience from all that North east weather will be worlds apart!

 

[wallace]

I wouldn't use fence boards, even doing what you mentioned would not make it water tight and there would be a lot of movement. I've used a paving slab with blocks on top as a pad for a shed. Are there any sides that are not visible? If so a quick and easy way to buil is to use ply. I did it on a wendy house about ten years ago, 3 sides ply and the front in T&G. I think using 4"by4" is a bit overkill. Fence rails would be plenty strong enough.

 

[John15]

Hi Hugo,

For cladding a shed I have used feather-edge but not the 150 x 20 fence material which is very thin and can split badly. I used the next size up 175 x 25 with a 30mm overlap - this size is more suitable for cladding sheds and barns etc. Something to be wary of are boards delivered saturated from the pressure treatment. It's important to leave them to dry before using otherwise they will shrink and warp. I also screwed, not nailed, the boards every 600mm to minimize any tendency to warp.

Hope this helps

John

 

[Woodchips2]

If you do decide to use feather-edge boarding a tip given to me by a chap who made sheds was to only use one nail per support to fix the boards. Apparently there is less chance of the timber distorting by not nailing across the grain.

Regards Keith

 

[JonnBoy]

If you do decide to use feather-edge boarding a tip given to me by a chap who made sheds was to only use one nail per support to fix the boards. Apparently there is less chance of the timber distorting by not nailing across the grain.

Regards Keith

just to add we did are shed the over week has been up for 10 years made it up myself from good ply
but have just used 150mm feather edge around it has come up a treat next re felt the roof

 

[foxhunter]

I built a shed recently almost entirely from gravel boards. The gravel boards were nailed onto a 3 x 2 treated timber frame. Each wall was made separately and screwed together after providing for overlap on the corners. The boards were fixed vertically and the butt joints were covered with 2 x 1 treated strips. For the door I used treated ship lap to keep the weight down. Roof and floor also gravel boards. The result was a very expensive shed but one which will certainly outlast me!

 

[busy builder]

This is how i made a shed for a mate, make a frame up from 3x2, incl pitched roof, apply breathable membrane, then affix fence rails (38mm thick) then affix 6" fence boards vertically to fence rails, overlap joints with 4" fence boards. All treated timber, I used 18mm Sterling board for the floor, all suspened about 4" off the ground. I finished the roof with fibreglass profile sheeting as he wanted mostly natural lighting, otherwise I would fit 12mm sterling board then metal profile sheeting to roof.
This will outlast any shed you can buy.

 

[Hugo_Wolfwhistle]

Hi,
Thanks for all the tips. I hadn't realised that the treated fence boards were that likely to warp.
Just out of interest, does that mean that before constructing the fence with them I need to lave them a while to stand too? or is the warping OK for fence purposes?

I wasn't

If you do decide to use feather-edge boarding a tip given to me by a chap who made sheds was to only use one nail per support to fix the boards. Apparently there is less chance of the timber distorting by not nailing across the grain.

Sounds like a good tip to remember!

I was wanting the cladding to be fairly weather proof on its own, although I was thinking I would probably still apply some sort of sealant between the boards or weather proof membrane underneath.

The boards I was thinking of using were these, http://quaytimber.mamutweb.com/Shop/List/Fence-Boards/55/1 and they are square edge boards rather than the feather edge type. Do they look OK? they seem cheap.

The boards were fixed vertically and the butt joints were covered with 2 x 1 treated strips.

Sounds like some of you have had some success with fence boards, and other not due to warping. I don't need the shed to be absolutely bomb proof, but I would like it to last and look reasonable. I like the idea of using thin strips to cover the square but joints too.

When I was talking about beveling the edges of the boards, I wasn't really meaning to make feather edge type boards, I was just talking about like a 45 degree taper or similar and then just but jointing the boards. I thought it might be better than square butting them.
If you think that won't work well, then how about beveling both edges of the board inward at about 45 degrees so that it makes a trapezoidal shape. I could then alternate the boards but deliberately make the space between them a little too narrow so that there is a small gap between the board and the frame so that as they are nailed/screwed in the middle of each board, it would spring load the joint tight (see the picture to hopefully explain better.) Do you think this would work better?

If you are planning on a raised floor, there will be a lot of weight on top of a small cross-sectional area which will slowly sag over time. The bigger you make the cross-section the slower the sag (principle of driven piles).

Cheers for the heads up on the piling idea. I will probably use either paving slabs or Higon's sleeper idea instead as the foundation.

 

[busy builder]

Why do you insist on making work for yourself ? just butt them with a small 2mm gap then cover gap with whatever you like 2" or 4" boards, forget about warping, nailed about avery 400mm and they won't move much. As long as what you are nailing them to is substantial they won't move.

 

[dickm]

No need to butt the fence boards - use vertical 6" boards with a 3-4" gap, cover each gap with another 6" board and nail through both. Result is b****y heavy, but has been totally waterproof for me. If you are really concerned, put a polythene membrane on the frame before fixing the boards. Even allowing for the overlap, the cost in fence boards from our local supplier was at most 2/3 of any alternative.

 

[Hugo_Wolfwhistle]

OK, thanks again for all the advice. I will build it the way you suggest, saves me having to do the bevel cutting if its not needed.

Cheers

 

[John15]

I imagine cladding a shed with vertical gravel boards and a 3" closer over each joint would be a lot more expensive that 175mm featheredge - more than twice the amount of timber.

John