Building a workshop in the garden.. Advice?

[Lankytim]

Right..

Ive got no proper working space so when I have to do any work I use a pallet in the garden. Not ideal at all. Theres also engines perched on other pallets on the lawn, theres nowhere else to put them. It looks a mess and makes doing work a real ballache.

What I need is a big shed!

Ive worked out ive got room for something 14ft long by 8ft wide ish and can easily suppy power to it. Really needs to be wooden on cost grounds although I don't want to go down the FOCUS/B&Q thin curse word stuff route. The existing shed is a FOCUS special and is pretty curse word.

Ill need to build the foundations, presumably some concrete affair, no idea how deep though.

Anybody done this kind of thing before and can offer advice?

[MrT]

Yep, when I built my garage a few years ago.

I laid a concrete base (14' wide by 22' long), a single course of engineering bricks (except at the doorways, obviously, and this outfit made a garage for me at my size, etc, and delivered and installed it for £3,400.

www.warwickbuildings.co.uk/index.php

Can't fault the quality...

[MrT]

Should add that I used an entire (knackered) concrete sectional garage, suitably broken up, as the hardcore, and covered that with about 8" of concrete mixed with my very battered old mixer...

[lewist123]

I can design you a shed FOC mate. I am a timber frame consultant for a large timber industry big boy.

You will need some foundations, but depending on what you are doing, you can easy get away with pad foundations or walls.

What i would do is build three walls. Dig some treches 300 mm wide and pour in 200 mm or so deep concrete and level. Then use either bricks or blocks and build 3 walls on these treches, one on either long side, and one in the middle. build the walls so that they stick up 100 mm or so above ground level.

Then build a shed with a timber floor, with joists bearing from side to side over these walls (i.e. each end of the joist is on the two outermost walls, and bearing mid point on the middle wall).

Give me a few more specks like ridge height, window and door requirements etc and i will knock you up a full design that can be constructed in panels like a flat pack, then fixed togther. All the timber can be got from a local timber merchant supprisingly cheep!

Let me know!

[kevfromwales]

can't really offer any tech support tim, but I do know there are planning regs to be considered

however, if the 'tim's shed concrete laying session' needs some barrow work, give me a shout!!
- kev

[Graham]

i got myself a lorry box body 22ft long works great as a workshop

[ezzysi]

I,ve got 2 sheds both on council slab bases.

one's 6 x 8 for storage the others 10 x 8 and thats my workshop, its well sized for most things car related but obviously biggers usually better. on the plus side the base was cheap n easy to put down and theres no planning worries.

[Lankytim]

Thanks for the input guys!

I was hoping on spending considerably less than £3400 but maybe its a case of you get what you pay for.. I don't mind a bit of hard labour to save a few quid!

Lewis123, Its very kind of you to offer to draw up a shed for me. Ill get some vital stats on the weekend when we measure everything up. Theres a timberyard over the road, literally 100 yards away. My Grandfather-in-law used to work there and gets a good discount (i.e he walks in, says hello, picks up some wood and walks off) so obtaining wood wont be a problem. Ill be keeping some heavy items inside, engines and the like. Would a solid slab of concrete be better than a timber floor supported on the side walls? I wouldnt want anything falling through!

Ive got loads of hardcore and bricks, enough to make a good start on any foundations and walls that need building, Kev I may take you up on that offer of Barrow work! I saw a wheelbarrow on the hard shoulder of the A1M near Gateshead yesterday. Knew I should have got it.

Ill have to look into the building regs... I'm tempted to say plums to them but knowing my luck id have to pull the thing down if I don't check it out.

This is great, I can almost smell the freshly cut timber!

[Datsun4Life]

Planning regs vary, but typically, you can build anything which is less than 30m2 (I think), and less than 4m high provided it is a certain distance away from the boundary, and not right up against the road, or in front of your house.

You don't need building regs either if you're not going to live in it, and it's below a certain size (again, 30m2 I think).

Look up your local council for more info.

[Ratters]

you might have to look into planning - i'm going for something 6m x 3m & that doesn't need planning [it does seem to vary though] & the only building regs that apply due to it use is the part p section for the electics afaik

[Davenger]

Build one bigger than you think you need, so you've got room to fill it full of spares/tat

[Lankytim]

I think I need an airship hangar, but I'm restricted by the size of the garden.

[angle]

Always worth checking with your local council, but off the top of my head you don't need planning permission as long as:

- Its no more than 3m high (flat roof) or 4m high (pitched roof)
- It doesn't extend past the front of your house
- It doesn't take up more than half your garden

And building regs don't apply if:

- The internal floor area is less than 30 sqm
- Its more than 1m away from the property boundary

HTH

[Autofive]

the only advice i can give is: stay friendly with your neighbours when building ( and afterwrds if possible) and NEVER EVER trust a Gateshead wheel barrow

[captainmatt]

Couple of shipping containers side-by-side with the touching sides cut out and then welded together.

Thames, any pics of your lorry box workshop? Would love to see that!

[goochi01]

This thread might come in handy:

retrorides.proboards86.com/index.cgi?board=othrmod&action=display&thread=37972&page=1

[Oldbus]

Would a big carport not be a cheaper option?

Not as bulky as a shed, les wood needed and still gets you out of the weather....and you can always promise the missses that she can park in there too!

[Lankytim]

Theres no vehicular access into my garden so it would be a workshop/storage only building so a car port wouldnt be of much use. For the same reason a 20ft shipping container couldnt be used- it would be too ugly anyway and would really annoy the neighbours!

What I need is a smartish solid shed thing- smart to impress/appease the neighbours and wife, solid so I don't break it.

[Carter]

Cheapest and easiest way, as has been mentioned, is a custom built shed. Can be done on small budget if you shop about. You wont need planning permission. Build it on a concrete pad, about 6" deep should be fine, lay down some hardcore first.. but you don't need too much unless the ground waterlogs. You may want to put a damp proofing membrane down too.
If you want it insulated, take that into account when designing it, just some thin insulation board should be fine slapped on the inside, cover that with some thin ply for that wood panelled posh effect. Make sure the shed can breathe though, vents or gaps near the roof will do, nothing worse than a condesation trap.. and it aint good for old car parts etc.. If its going to be heated steer clear of gas fires for the obvious reasons, plus they cause condensation too.

[akku]

another vote for Warwick Buildings here. I used them for my Ubershed and they were excellent. My smaller shed came from Porchester Fences & Buildings in Nottingham but I don't think they go outside the town really. Again, great quality shed