Larger shed based on 8x4 EPA design?

[rayfield]

Not particularly handy, but my friends are good at supervising me: I want to build this EPA shed design - see attachment - but twice as deep: 8' instead of 4'. Can I just double the pertinent measurements for the wood, or is that a bad idea? Would the same roof angle work? All suggestions welcome!

Also, I'd want to add an additional 2' of plywood roof at least across the center width - maybe also the roof length - to create an overhang. Not averse to using liquid roof, unless it's not advisable. And probably going to repurpose some of my better to use as flooring.

 

[ericm979]

If the ceiling inside is shorter than you are, loading wood into the back is going to suck because you'll have to walk in there bent over. If your location permits you to have access to the front and the back, leaving the back open will let you take out the oldest and driest wood first. The slats across the back add stiffness to the structure so you may need to add some frame members to compensate.

I think plywood or OSB makes a poor roof. It's not really water proof and will come apart. OSB is especially bad for that. Roofing panels (or underlayment and shingles) would make a more durable roof. I used clear plastic patio panels so the sun shines in.

I think the EPA design does not have enough overhang. In a lot of places I've lived the rain sometimes comes down at an angle. Where I am now it's extreme due to the local geography. We sometimes get rain at a 45 degree angle. I put roofing on one side of my shed to block that.

 

[rayfield]

Thanks for a most helpful reply. I am not terribly tall, so height is not an issue - in addition, the shed will back up to the edge of a bulkhead sitting four feet high, so will only be entering it from the front - now that you mention it, maybe I'll cover that up.

& since I can see plastic roof panel comes in 12-foot lengths, that should provide two feet overhang front and back.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I have 4 wood sheds.. Going 8ft deep is a no no.. Your better off doing it 4.5ft wide if your splits are 18" and making the shed 8 ft long. Go as high as you can stack like 7' in the front to like 6.5' in the back. The roof overhang as also wrong. You want like 20" of overhang inthe front a minimum of 12" on both sides and back. You dont want any water hitting the wood at all. this will speed up drying and no babysitting.. Really this shed is small and if you do the math not holding much wood 4.5x 8. 6.75 is 1.9 cords.. not alot.. mu smallest shed is 4.5x 12 x7 = 2.95 cords or just about 1 seasons burning. All in total I have over 14 cords under roof. Id do cheap asphalt shingles.. not hard to do..at a minimum.. id do a 4.5x12x7

 

[ericm979]

The plastic roofing I used turned out to be not as sturdy as I expected from working with corrugated steel roofing. I think it would support itself for two feet if screwed down to the manufacturer's specs but might break if hit by much of a branch or maybe even the wind. But maybe its stronger than I think. I built mine with rafters and purlins out to the ends of the roofing- 8' panels on a 6' deep shed.

I'm not sure how effective the clear plastic is for making a warmer shed. On a hot day in the sun I measured about 5 degrees hotter inside my shed when it was complete and sitting on my driveway. I moved it after building it. Since I have one wall mostly blocked off, the wind direction would make a difference.

 

[EbS-P]

Building 16x4 will be easier, faster, and more useful. The roof rafters stretched to 8’ might represent an issue, read that as a sagging roof. You could easily make it 12x4. As for roof. Just tar paper and add asphalt shingles. Easy enough. You really want to be able to store 3 three years worth of wood. I find stacking above my head difficult.

 

[rayfield]

The site:

In the photo on the left, it's about eight feet from the bulkhead to the edge of those stack of pallets, and the bulkhead area is about ten feet wide - so 8x8 would go in there perfectly - but if the consensus is that the roof will sag, I guess I could extend a 4'x16' along the side to about where those logs are, though since that's where I park my car in a short driveway it's not optimal.

Not finding plans that I especially like, for sure nothing I like enough to pay for, so I'm thinking if I do have to go 4x16 I'd just basically use that EPA design with longer frame elements.

Whatever dimensions I settle on, now I'm thinking a corrugated tin roof extending front and back. Problem is the sides - would prefer not to have to put a frame around the rafters in order to extend two feet each way, so maybe would just close up the sides (with old pallet wood?) and only have the air circulate front/back.

House is about 1,000 sq ft and the Woodstock Keystone does a superb job, so I can get through the winter with about 2 cords - credit to my wood guy who though he's late this year, delivers a very generous decently seasoned cord.

 

[EbS-P]

Do you have the space to make two 4x8 with space between them( the 8’ sides that is). Not ideal but looks like it might fit the space. Alternatively landscaping timbers on cinder blocks woth 2x4 ends, with tarps or roofing tin made fast cheap racks that fit about any space. Many people have made nice pallet sheds too.

 

[rayfield]

Is 8' deep really that bad? Or, if it is, couldn't another post in the center mitigate the sagging? I admit I'm skeptical for one thing because the weight of a tin roof is pretty insignificant isn't it? If you tell me the hazard is more from weight of the wood on the floor pulling it down, I'd counter that I'll be putting slats across the rafters to fasten the tin onto.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Is 8' deep really that bad? Or, if it is, couldn't another post in the center mitigate the sagging? I admit I'm skeptical for one thing because the weight of a tin roof is pretty insignificant isn't it? If you tell me the hazard is more from weight of the wood on the floor pulling it down, I'd counter that I'll be putting slats across the rafters to fasten the tin onto.

8ft deep is not great, What you want is something you can get into easily, and replace what you burned that year. Lets say you built it 8ft deep, you only burn 4ft of it and have still another 4ft left.. your stuck with option 1 remove all the wood and fill the back with the fresh split or opting 2 put the fresh split in front on the already seasoned wood.. none of the options is anything Id be willing to do year after year. you want a setup that will allow you to burn your wood and Immediately replaced it at the end of the season.. with out any additional work.. sure its a little more work right now building the shed correctly.. saving a ton of time in the future

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Heres a couple pictures of my sheds.. the first is over 25 ft long and 4.5 ft wide.. allowing me to burn one section and then refilling without having to move and weed around. The 2nd shed id 12 ft long and 4.5ft wide. same concept.. one section of the shed is 8ft the other being 4ft. Burn then refill. no doubt wood heat is hard work.. I dont mined it though.. I do mined moving the same wood more then I should

 

[rayfield]

Ok, I hear ya. But my routine is a little different - I like gathering and splitting, but my back is making it a little tough these days. So every summer I get two (really at least 2 and a half) cords from this guy, and will burn it, or 90% of it, and that does a great job of heating this little house. I've also got racks around my front and back yards where I'll stack wood from trees I or my neighbor have cut down, and I'll leave those to season for a couple years. Every once in a while I do have to move wood around but it's not bad, also I don't mind putting tarps on those racks come the fall once it's dry - it's not a ton, usually from one good-sized locust or oak or two small ones. So, access/rotating isn't a big thing for me.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I haven’t read the whole thread but, if not mentioned already, I’d modify the design to have a sturdier roof structure for snow.
I’m not incredibly handy either- but you can accomplish a lot with 2x4’s, deck screws and a power mitre saw. Im attaching a design for covered wood racks I have used that I took from a couple different videos online. It may help. The racks were made for NW Maine weather so I know I had to build for heavy snow. RI is not as bad, but you don’t want one big Nor’easter to ruin your set up.
Rhode Island winters- could be next to no snow or 3 ft. Plan on more than less.

 

[Max W]

A longer shallower shed has all the advantages stated. You sound like an 8x8 will fit your space and thatis really what you want. If you do go that route I suggest you make a few design changes. First replace the 2x4 rafters with 2x6s and extend them front and back for overhang. Make your posts taller than what is shown. Cut from 8 ffooters make the back post a little over over 6 ft And keep the same roof pitch. Use joist hangers along those 2x6 rafters with 2x4s spanning the bays side to side 2 ft on center to give the needed roof support. Yes osb is turns to crap when wet. Use plywood. I dont know what wet covering is. Rolled roofing or shingles wood be good. Boarding the sides with good gaps would help keep out the rain and snow but add to the cost. If you could find some way to access the shed from the back you will appreciate it.

 

[EbS-P]

How about two 4x8s back to back access each fe a different side. Seems like the best of both worlds. Keep the rafters short with a bit of a peaked roof in the center.

 

[Max W]

Couple of other thoughts. Building either eight or four foot deep, roofing with tongue and groove boards and not plywood should span the space between rafters just fine and save the work of adding the hangers and 2x4 support. The front posts now should be a foot higher than the back not six inches.

 

[Max W]

How about two 4x8s back to back access each fe a different side. Seems like the best of both worlds. Keep the rafters short with a bit of a peaked roof in the center.

Missed this post. Looks like access from both sides would be a good solution.

 

[lml999]

The plastic roofing I used turned out to be not as sturdy as I expected from working with corrugated steel roofing. I think it would support itself for two feet if screwed down to the manufacturer's specs but might break if hit by much of a branch or maybe even the wind. But maybe its stronger than I think. I built mine with rafters and purlins out to the ends of the roofing- 8' panels on a 6' deep shed.

I'm not sure how effective the clear plastic is for making a warmer shed. On a hot day in the sun I measured about 5 degrees hotter inside my shed when it was complete and sitting on my driveway. I moved it after building it. Since I have one wall mostly blocked off, the wind direction would make a difference.

I used clear plastic roofing on my 8x12 shed. The main part of the roof has a minimal pitch, while the front has a larger pitch (and now covered with the clear paneling as well). With support every two feet, it's plenty sturdy for southern New England snow loads and the occasional branch bouncing off it. This summer I covered most of the back and side with a tarp and the front with clear tarps, and even though it's partially shaded, the shed showed temp increases of 10-20 degrees over ambient.

 

[rayfield]

voila

ramp coming before the spring so it can double as a cage for the Moto Guzzi

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I used clear plastic roofing on my 8x12 shed. The main part of the roof has a minimal pitch, while the front has a larger pitch (and now covered with the clear paneling as well). With support every two feet, it's plenty sturdy for southern New England snow loads and the occasional branch bouncing off it. This summer I covered most of the back and side with a tarp and the front with clear tarps, and even though it's partially shaded, the shed showed temp increases of 10-20 degrees over ambient.View attachment 315483

This is a good looking shed

 

[lml999]

I used clear plastic roofing on my 8x12 shed. The main part of the roof has a minimal pitch, while the front has a larger pitch (and now covered with the clear paneling as well). With support every two feet, it's plenty sturdy for southern New England snow loads and the occasional branch bouncing off it. This summer I covered most of the back and side with a tarp and the front with clear tarps, and even though it's partially shaded, the shed showed temp increases of 10-20 degrees over ambient.View attachment 315483

With clear plastic on the front, a tarp wrapping the sides, and the clear roof, my shed (solar kiln) is showing 105 air temperature right now with an outside air temp of 71!

 

[bbuszard]

I'm a bit late in replying, I s'pose. I've recently built the larger version of the EPA shed and it looks great. I've been using the smaller original version at my main residence for a couple of years and I like it. I built the expanded version on our property out in the sticks and plan to use it for water harvesting as well. For that reason, I've gone with a translucent plastic roof. I've just started filling it, but if the home version is any indication, it should hold up well.

This one is also a foot taller than the original specs, so it will hold a bit over a cord.