Some more shed building questions.

lukabrazi

I am going to insulate and drywall this shed and heat it with a small woodstove. I will use T111 siding on the outside and am thinking about maybe a metal roof but am unsure. The ceiling trusses for the most part will not have cross beams. I think I will probably put them for the first 4 feet in the front and put a small loft storage area in. I feel like I can build the frame, put up siding, and drywall no problem but am getting lost in some of the details. I checked with my township about building permits and won't need one because of the small square footage. Here are some of my concerns/questions.

I plan on building it on 6x6 pressure treated skids. I would just lay the skids on the ground but don't want the ground to shift from frost and crack my drywall up. I am considering putting these on cement piers that I pour inside of cardboard sonotubes below the frost line. I'm not sure how to attach the 6x6 skids to the piers. I don't know if I would lay the 6x6 skids on top or put a 6x6 vertically in the tube and attach that to the skid maybe with mending plates.

I want to insulate the floor. I am thinking that maybe I could build the floor on 2 x6 floor joists. Then put something like a furring strip 2 inches down in between the 2x6s and lay 2 inch rigid foam between them. Then lay the subfloor on top. Does this sound like an okay way to insulate the floor? Would I need to put something under the rigid foam or could it just be exposed underneath? I think I had read that mice will chew that rigid foam but then couldn't validate this anywhere.

To insulate the walls and ceiling (the roof will be unvented) I am looking for something with a degree of noise reduction. I'm not trying to sound proof this shed but I thought if possible I would insulate with something like Green Fiber that will reduce sound by 90%. Seemed better than fiberglass bats because of the mold resistance. It would be nice to be able to play some music without bothering anyone late at night. Then I was thinking that sound is just going to lost through the wall vents anyways so I don't know if it's worth it to worry about this unless there is a wall vent out there that won't just let noise escape.

I have read both that you need a moisture or vapor barrier and that you don't. Some people say you have to have it and some people say that it will trap more moisture. If I do need one I don't know anything about them.

I have had trouble getting pictures to work. I will post links.










http://www.flickr.com/photos/59011068@N04/5406492002

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59011068@N04/5406492070

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59011068@N04/5405885541

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59011068@N04/5405885737

Ron6519

I'd install standoffs on the concrete so the wood was not in contact with the masonary.
I'd plywood(pressure treated) the bottom of the floor to keep critters out.
I would slope the ground away from the shed so water doesn't pool under it.
Ron

mem

Sounds like it's going to be a nice little shed, but you may want to double check your building code requirements. Around here it's not so much the size of the building that determines if a permit is required, but rather the fact that it is built on skids and therefore considered moveable. Once you attach it to some kind of foundation, or piers in your case, the requirements may indeed change.

lukabrazi

Is this what you mean by a standoff?

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

I didn't see any for 6x6's that looked like they would be embedded in wet cement. Are 6x6's overkill? I won't be keeping any heavy equipment in here. Would 4x4's be good enough? 4 x4 x 16s are easier to find (along with being a lot cheaper) than 6 x6 x 16s.

With two people do you think I could frame the floor, put down the pressure treated plywood, and then flip it so that the pressure treated plywood is now face down?

If I put pressure treated plywood on the bottom could I just set rigid foam between the joists (2 x4 or 2 x 6?) onto the plywood or is it better to have it on furring strips flush with the floor?

Thanks for the help and good info.


i live in a very rural area on a secluded property. Just to give an example the school I used to work at in Philadelphia had about as many kids as my entire district where I live now which covers about 350 square miles. When I called the township building and told them what I was doing all he said was "Git er done."

mem

By all means then, git 'er done! Sounds like you have their blessing.

I would use 4x6 skids. Set the skids in place with the furring strips in located so the plywood bottom rest on top of them. Rip the plywood to fit between the skids and attach to the furring strips. Add the insulation to come flush with the top of the skids, and the nail down your top flooring. Kinda like this:

lukabrazi

Thank you for that. That is what I will do. Much easier than trying to manhandle the floor.

mem

No problem luka, I've gleaned a lot of useful information from this site and am just glad I could return the favor. Best of luck.

lukabrazi

Here are the plans I made up.

Attached Thumbnails

       

mem

Unless you're planning on moving some heavy machinery in there, your floor joist pattern looks like overkill. It would be less expensive to add a few more skids on the bottom to get 24" OC and cover it with 3/4" T&G plywood for the final floor. No need for the 2x6 joists at all. You would also get better use of your materials if you could kick out the width to twelve feet instead of ten.

lukabrazi

I'm fine switching to 4x4s. I wasn't sure what I would need. As far as adding more 4x4s, I was going to put this on poured piers and if I add 4x4s I would have to add piers right? If thats the case I don't really want to do that.

Gary in WA

You don't need the jack studs on the gable (non-bearing) end, or the 2x6's header, a single 2x4 flat will work. Waterproof the p.t. in contact with the ground or it will rot from water.

Gary

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