I am preparing plans to build a shed in my back yard and have clear the site that I will be building on.

First, regarding the bare ground on which it will be built, do I need to put anything on it such as gravel, etc.? It is sloped a bit but I had planned on using the garden hose on the area to simulate rain to see if it puddles up and to see where the "rain water" flows to. I don't want either a lot of weeds to grow on it nor it to become muddy.

Second, I am concerned that the shed have adequate support for the weight of the wood. Short of providing pictures via a scan or in .dwg format, here is what I am proposing:

The shed will be 10' x 12' and will sit above ground, probably by 6" or so. I will be using three treated 4x4x12' supports, space 3'-4 apart. Each support will sit on three concrete piers on 3'-6 centers.

Upon these 4x4s I will build the 10'x12' base frame of the shed consisting of treated 2x4s with 2x4s on 16" centers. The frame will have 3/4" cdx plywood for a floor.

Walls, approx 7'-6 high, will be built using 2x4 (non-treated) and T111 for siding.

Trusses will be fabbed from 2x4s and on 16" centers.

Roof will consist of either shingles or metal over 5/8 chipboard.

Height of the shed at the peak of the roof is 10'-6.

I will be adding two windows and will be using a pre-hung 36" wide steel entry door.

PLease feel free to comment on any aspect of the shed as this rookie could use all the input I can get before my project starts. I have not begun material purchase yet.
Primary concerns are an adequate foundation, no or minimal give to the floor, tips for roofing, and does the 4x4 on pier have to be directly under the walls?With my spacing, I have a 1'-0 cantelever of the floor (see spacing dimensions).

Thanks to all that may have input.
Thanks!

 

With the 4X4's sitting on pier blocks, you don't need to be overly concerned about water standing under the shed, as long as there are big holes for it to stand in. There's no reason to rock or gravel completely under the shed, but I would do it around the edges just to keep the grass away from the walls and to make it easier to mow. Beyond that, your plan sounds fine for a shed with a wood floor.

 

Thank you Lefty for your input. Being a novice, I wanted to err on the side of over-engineering rather than under.
The helpful wood guy at Home Depot suggested staggered bracing between the floor joists to reduce the give to the floor
when walking on it.

 

Your trusses could go 24" OC instead of 16", unless you have some local code requiring 16".

DWC

 

I built a shed several years ago using the following method: I dug six holes about 3.5 ft deep and 12" in diameter put in those tubes (forget what theyre called) filled them with concrete and embedded j-bolts in them with the threads protruding from the top. I then bolted Simpson brackets onto the top of each concrete column that would accept a 4x8 PT beam 10 ft long. So I had two ten foot 4x8s paralell and 8 ft apart. On top of that, I built the floor and shed. It is solid as a rock and will be there probably longer than the house.

 

Your plan is fine. Set the piers in a concrete footing. That doesn't have to be overly large if frost is not an issue -- about 15" square and 6" deep. A 4X4 post up to the 4X4 beams so you can level the beams, and use Simpson BC4's to connect the posts to the beams. 2X4 floor joists with 2 rows of blocking between the joists. (Make sure that the blocks are flush with the top of the joists or slightly below!!)

The rest of your plan is perfect. I would use metal roofing rather than comp. Metal will last many times longer.

 

To tell you the truth, I have no idea what the code is. I guess I am over engineering it.

Speaking of the truss, it will be made of 2x4s with a 2x4x12'-0 that will span the 10 foot width of the shed horizontally leaving 1'-0 overhang per side for the eaves. I will enclose the soffits.
I don't exactly have a pitch in mind yet.

I am at the material purchasing stage now... boy will a shed cost a lot to build!

Instead of 5/8" chipboard (OSB), I purchased 15/32" plywood for the roof. Can I use either architectural shingles or metal on this?

Hopefully this is okay?

Thanks!!

 

Wow... 3-1/2' deep? Why so deep?
I know what you are talking about... the tubes are a heavy cardboard type of material.
I am only using the type of 12x12 pier blocks with a hole in the center of the that accepts a yoke that has a treaded stud with a washer and nut. I figured that having them adjustable would help me in leveling the PT 4x4s out.
The pier blocks are just setting on the ground. What are your thoughts on that?

 

Frost is not an issue in Western Washington. A cold winter day here is anytime it goes below 35 degrees or so.

Concrete footing? I was only going to use the 12x12 pier blocks that have a yoke that fits the horizontal PT 4x4s. The yokes (for lack of a proper name) have threaded studs with a nut and washer for ease of leveling... bought these at Home Depot.

Can I get away with just using these blocks set on the ground?

THe plan I drew up does include two staggered rows of blocking between each of the three PT 4x4s which are spaced at 4'-0 apart.

I have never installed a roof on any thing before but thought I could stumble through a comp roof. Any ideas on how to get ref info on cutting and installing a metal roof?. My wife though that a metal roof would be a better idea too since there will be alot of mess dropped from nearby cedar trees.
I bought 1/2" plywood for roofing instead of the 5/8" chipboard (OSB) that I previously mentioned.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

I gathered that you are in Western WA, rather than Eastern WA. Frost is certainly not an issue!

You really want to dig a small footing and set the pier blocks in the wet concrete, just to keep them stable. Doesn't have to be much -- about 15" or 16" square and 6" deep.

24" centers on the 'trusses' is fine. (That's what you house is!) Pitch should be at least 3/12 if you use a comp. roof. (15 degrees works really well if you want to keep it simple and make the cuts easy to do.) 1/2" plywood will work just fine, and there's no problem putting metal roofing over it if that is what you choose to do. The metal roofing will go much faster than comp., and you can order it cut to the exact length you need, which makes it even faster.

 

So it I were to make a 15x15 box out of 2x4s stacked two high, making the box 7" high, I woould need to do this for a nine piers?
I was hoping to do it only on the low side but I want it done right.
Regarding the metal roofing, does the big box stores cut this to size? I would still need roofing felt too right?
Thanks!