Anatomy of a Storage Shed. It started with the concrete piers – hand mixed 40 bags of Sackrete (80#). There are six piers, the corners ones have two bolts and the one in the middle of the front and back have one bolt. The floor system is made of 4X6 pressure treated (ground contact) pine. We put some lattice around inside the outer band to keep critters from getting under there, because it is a few inches off the ground. Floor joist are hung with HUS46 joist hangers.

The floor deck is 3/4 inch tongue and groove pressure treated plywood fastened with ring shank galvanized gun nails.

The wall framing is pressure treated 2X4s. The end walls are balloon framed and went up first. The back wall went next and then a 4X6 was hung at the top of the front wall. It provides a continuous header the full length of the wall – over the two openings that are 50% of the front wall (a wind load limitation). The front wall studs were put in after the 4X6 beam was up. The second top plates were interlaced at the corners so that they tied the corners together.

Sheathing is ½ inch CDX pressure treated plywood fastened with the #8 ring shank galvanized gun nails.

Break Time

The roof framing is stick built with 2X6s on 16" centers. The front and back wall height is only about 90 inches but allows a full height door under the 4X6 header. The head room under the collar ties is about 8 ½ feet. The roof decking is 4" T1-11 pressure treated siding with the grooved side down (it gives a finished look to the interior). The rafters are fastened down with H10 Hurricane connectors. Notice in the far corner the tow ½ inch bolts that run from the concrete pier thru the top plate where the nuts sit on a 3X3 steel plate to hold the whole thing down. There are a total of ten of these holding the building down.

Inspection time – notice that the Permit is now posted on the side of the shed. This was for the “Nail and Strap Inspection.” Here in Bay county the inspector wants to look at the hurricane clips and see how the deck and siding are nailed on before anything is covered. We passed.

The next thing was to get some shingles on the roof. That was done by a subcontractor – it was less expensive than if we had done it ourselves.

These are the two final views, taken after the ramp was built and the siding on. The siding is the same T1-11 that we used for roof deck (except this time the grooved side is out). The ramp is strong enough to drive a tank over – if the owner ever decides to buy a tank. We had a final inspection and then came back and built a partition in the middle and put some shelving on it. The partition is just visible where the double door is open. We also put some conduit in so that the owner can come back later and add electricity for lights and outlets.

October 2002