Wood Shed Build on the cheap

[KindredSpiritzz]

Since im a poor man i needed to build my wood sheds cheap as possible. I have a friend in the garage door business so he let me have old aluminum garage door sections they tore out to replace. The new ones came on regular and 10 ft pallets which he also gave me. Then another friend gave me some lumber from a deck he replaced. So all i actually had to buy were some 2x4s and some OSB for the floor, caulk and wire.


I ran a bead of caulk in between the door section for the roof and then used some metal screws to connect them. Hopefully that makes them water tight. I should probably run another bead along the top now too.


I know you're thinking a heavy snow load will cave the roof in but it seems pretty solid across that 8 ft span and since its at my house i can keep an eye on it thru the winter and brush snow off once or twice if need be. I may run a few cross braces at each post section now that i look at it.


A little wire to finish off the partitions and ends. I may have went a tad bit to high at 7ft for the front and 6 1/2 ft at the back. Wood stacked that high tends to lean so i have to stack carefully. My carpentry skills suck but i tried to do the best i could and im pretty happy with it so far. Each bay holds 3 1/2 cords. I need to build one more section like i have on the right to the left of this picture and then im done. Should hold about 21 cords when all is said and done. Probably got $100 into it.
Neighbor came out the other day and said, " what you gonna do with all that wood ? " Just shook his head when i said im gonna burn it. Kind of wonder if i needed a building permit for this. I didnt get one cause its not permanent and i figure its none of the cities damn business.

 

[Lake Girl]

Good repurpose on the garage door sections. Definitely run some cross bracing on your end sections. May be stable as new built but expect shifting over time - cross bracing will prevent that. Might want to consider support down the center of the roof and/or front to back ... big span for snow load and not sure what the garage door sections will handle.

 

[markam]

I would have sloped the roof to make it easier to remove snow, but nice job. Are your supports and flooring pressure treated?

 

[Lake Girl]

Appears to be up on patio blocks so not in direct contact with the ground...

 

[mass_burner]

Have you thought about blowing sideways snow, that's alot if open space. I'm planning a roof for my wood crib, but worry about blowing, not overhead snow due to tree cover

 

[Enzo's Dad]

I did something similar, no problem with cross blowing snow , but I did use a lot more support on the roof.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

the edge of each door once screwed together acts like a support beam and if the wood is stacked high enough it supports the roof too. I did put patio block sections under to keep the pallets off the ground. The roof is sloped 6 inches to the rear to drain water, those pine trees kind of hinder getting behind it to rake off snow tho. I didnt consider sideways blowing as i didnt see this as much different than the guys that stack and just top cover with a tarp. None of the lumber is pressure treated, i figure as long as it stays dry i shouldnt need it. the roof over hangs a few inches front and back. Guess if i made some design errors mother nature will let me know soon enough. Won't be the first time i had to redo a project because of poor construction i guess.

 

[mass_burner]

Yes, but open stacks aren't seasoned, ready to burn now wood. Are you planning your shed to hold ready to use wood?

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

Yes, but open stacks aren't seasoned, ready to burn now wood. Are you planning your shed to hold ready to use wood?

Yeah, technically it should be ready to burn having already sat in that shed for more than a year. The stuff i actually use for the winter goes in the basement. I can fit about 5 cords down there. The stuff in the sheds will go down to the basement eventually. I think after it sits all summer it'd dry out enough there wont be a problem. It's funny, 2 years ago i ran out of wood during the winter, now i have it everywhere it seems. My neighbors think me a bit odd.

 

[brenndatomu]

I like it!
I agree, some bracing on the corner posts in each direction is a good idea. Stacking wood clear to the top (at least in the center) for some roof support is too. If that is OSB on the floor I'd seal it, Thompsons or maybe Poormans (used oil )
What can be done with pallets is pretty much only limited by your imagination. I have been building wood crates using pallets and and wood obtained from disassembling pallets/crates

 

[mass_burner]

Yeah, technically it should be ready to burn having already sat in that shed for more than a year. The stuff i actually use for the winter goes in the basement. I can fit about 5 cords down there. The stuff in the sheds will go down to the basement eventually. I think after it sits all summer it'd dry out enough there wont be a problem. It's funny, 2 years ago i ran out of wood during the winter, now i have it everywhere it seems. My neighbors think me a bit odd.

OK, in that case I don't see any issues.

 

[billb3]

With the heavy wet goop snow we get here I'd have to run a hefty support right down the middle of that the whole length, plus it would have to have some pitch ! LOL
But I like the garage door panels for a roof.

Rich or poor a shed from repurposed materials only requires a bit of ingenuity.
Doesn't need to be the Taj Mahal of wood sheds.

 

[Lake Girl]

BTW, How much wood do you burn in a year? Should be a little ahead with that shed...

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

last year i went thru about 5 cords, maybe a little more. I'd like to get 5 yrs ahead so i don't have to worry about where my next wood score is coming from.
Im fully infected tho, i don't think i'll ever be satisfied with "having enough on hand".

 

[billb3]

Did you say city ?
I hope there isn't a one cord per lot maximum.
You might be raising eyebrows.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

Well i FINALLY got the wood shed completed and all the wood split, moved & stacked. Working 12 hr days it was a tough task to find time for. Each bay holds about 3.28 cords and i figure i have about 13 cords in there now. I was kind of surprised i had room left over and you know nature abhors a void so we'll have to fill the rest of it this fall. With whats in the basement and behind the house i should be ahead 4 yrs now. I need to run some roofing tar along the joints on the roof to prevent leaks. Total cost probably around $100 for lumber.
Course i see one of the stacks is getting the dreaded lean already so im trying to muster the ambition to restack those 2 rows. I may hang heavy plastic sheeting along the front to keep the snow and rain out. Im very pleased with how it turned out for the money spent.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

well that didnt work out like i had hoped. The dreaded lean got worse over winter. In hindsight i guess i stacked it a little to high to begin with. Had i not tacked that 2x4 across there mid winter it'd all be laying too. Not looking forward to restacking all that.

 

[billb3]

heh, just build a little detention center shed for all the escapees.
Burn them first for their attempted absconsions.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

Burn them first for their attempted absconsions.

I would like to, that'd be simplest but i don't think they are ready to go in the basement yet. I cut that section last fall and it'd need to sit out at least all summer yet. Course the section i am ready to burn on the other end is all nice straight and tight standing. Guess i shouldnt have procrastinated when it first started leaning. Lot of weight there now pressing out.

 

[kennyp2339]

I like the pallet flag

 

[weatherguy]

I like the shed, good use a what would be junk. How did it do on snow loads this past winter?

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

I like the shed, good use a what would be junk. How did it do on snow loads this past winter?

no problem. I don't think there was more than 1 ft of snow on it at once all winter. I forgot to tack down the end roof pieces so 3 of them blew off in high wind this spring.