Building Sheds
by Joseph Truini
This week’s review is for a new book from the ever-popular
stable of the Taunton Press, which has a great catalogue of woodworking and
hobby titles to choose from. The first thing to understand here is the title and
aim of the book. The term “shed” has slightly different meanings around the
world. This can be a wooden building in the garden for storing the lawnmower
and assorted household junk that can’t be accommodated anywhere else. Equally
it’s a refuge from regular life gainfully employed as a workshop for making or
fettling objects or small projects of all sorts. This book is very much aimed
at the former, concentrating on the design and construction of a range of
storage sheds, with some innovative features that make them easily adaptable to
a range of uses.
This is a really well-illustrated book with a very
hands-on style beginning with the basic principles of methods and materials.
Keeping in mind that there are different rules and regulations around the world
with regard to permitted development and building codes, there is a lot of
ground covered here with good levels of detail. Getting a great foundation is
important for any project so whether you need to put in frost-proof deep-level
piles or a simple wood skid frame, this opening chapter gets you off to a great
start. With sections on walls, cladding and roofing, the basic design and
choices of materials are laid out with good images of most of the options. There
is certainly enough information here to inspire you to design your own shed.
If, however, you want a bit more guidance in
building a quality shed of your own, then there are five full projects to
choose from where you can follow step-by-step guides from the foundation to the
rooftop. Each project has illustrations with key timber dimensions as well as
lots of photos of the entire build process. None of them look like a quick
weekend project -̶ in fact, a couple
look substantial enough for a small family to live in. These are all achievable
given sufficient time and budget. None of the projects requires a great number
of specialist tools, although an impact driver, a circular saw and a nail gun
are really going to take some of the pain out of it for you.
These are all pretty impressive structures that
would be a really positive addition to your property. Some of the design
features mean they not only look great but have some well-considered
practicality built in. It would have been great to have a compiled cutting list
and materials list consolidated for each project to make it easier to work out
the budget. However, there are links to websites where the full plan can be viewed
and purchased from third-party vendors who make these sheds commercially.
If you are planning or dreaming of building your
own purpose-built stylish shed as your ideal workshop or garden store, then this
book is well worth a browse. A serious case of shed envy is guaranteed.
Building Sheds by Joseph Truini is available from www.thegmcgroup.com and other
retailers online. ISBN 978-1-62710-770-9
Our latest Master of Wood is Marc Besnier a craftsman whose
business Au Fil Du Bois is based on a beautiful hill top in Ardecshe, Southern
France. Marc creates high performance
dog sleds and wooden luges. Some are bespoke creations, fitted to the user’s
size and weight, destined for use in the harshest sub-zero environments as a critical
element of a polar expedition. Whilst the smaller luge can be seen in smart
resorts across the Alps and beyond. Though many modern composite materials are
available, the use of wood primarily Ash coupled with the skilled hands of a
craftsman such as Marc still provides the high performance, durability and flexibility
that is required when you are operating in the toughest conditions.
