[Closed] Garden bike shed/workshop/gym.

How competent with a Saw and a Screwdriver are you? I built my own and it turned out a Lot cheaper and frankly better (better quality timber etc) than most of the ones I looked at. Happy to talk through design and cutting lists etc!
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

Quite possibly be doing stuff to new house so hoping to not have to diy it. Also my wood skills are more hack and slash than your rather nice work!

I've worked in construction for 25 odd years, variously surveying, estimating and running a joinery shop. My background before that was Joinery for about 5 years, so did have a bit of knowledge going in to it. As I said, happy to help design and set you up with cutting lists etc if you do want to have a go.

Thanks for the offer, I'll bear it in mind but might be a bit ambitious for me. Thinking if we can move before stamp duty goes back up then I can spend the money saved on something nice.

You might be surprised just how far that saving doesn't go!

Proper "garden buildings" are quite expensive.

I know of these folks from vans and the like, no opinion on them or experience but remembered they had prices for the basic ones at least when I was considering something.

https://www.horto.co.uk/prices/

(I ended up with a Dunster house warmalog cabin which was ample for my needs if a little less glamorous)

In the spirit of STW in recommending what you have - get a log cabin. Much more sturdy and resistant to thieves than a shed. Ours is 28mm thick wood and 14' x 8' from tigersheds.

Keep an eye on EBay - I bought a cedar double garage second hand for £500 which is completely rot-free and was already dismantled.

I built one in the garden, makes a huge difference as being in a terraced house we don't have a garage etc.

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/4208/35322908040_a2af81d80c_4k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/4208/35322908040_a2af81d80c_4k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/VPn8VS ]Workshop[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/7816/40436124113_ab0d7dab14_4k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/7816/40436124113_ab0d7dab14_4k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/24BcGVF ]Workshop gym[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

Yeah think all the self builds might be bit beyond me. Hoping for double garage then maybe just smaller gym room but will wait and see.

@footflaps - to help with the visualization, what are the internal dims of that lovely space you've made in the 2nd photo?

@footflaps – to help with the visualization, what are the internal dims of that lovely space you’ve made in the 2nd photo?

Externally 8m x 4m.

Walls are 100mm concrete blocks and then 1500mm of Celotex, then skimmed, so roughly 3.6m wide at a guess....

The Structural engineer's back of a fag packet drawing..

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/8191/8101096375_e4abb024f1_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/8191/8101096375_e4abb024f1_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/dkSeHr ]Workshop Structure[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

1500 or 150mm?

think all the self builds might be bit beyond me.

I'd say it isn't, basically as you're a cyclist, so attracted to mechanical things.

Maybe you're looking at wildcards gang hut as an overall picture with multiple lengths of wood, crossing this way and that.

All start under a basic set of rules, and that is to construct each section, then like modern lego(yes, yes it is a slur) you put those pieces together.

Each 'wall' consists of 2 long horizontal bits - Top and Bottom, and several uprights, with smaller sections known as *Dwangs

Lay out on the garden top and bottom, then add uprights to make a square. Honestly chap, thats two sizes of wood and you cant really make a mistake.
The other uprights as you see are just evenly spaced.
Add the *Dwangs in between. you offset them so you can nail in from each side.

Congratulations, you have just created your first stud wall 😀

This can now be used indoors to partition or divide, or hide that body. Or outside as with a hut,garage or summer retreat.

You want forearms of iron, you pick up a hammer.

*
This is the correct name for the short connecting pieces. Apparently lesser and unprofessional carpenters call them 'Noggins' of all things......

Obviously a made up word 😉

Think my build would technically count as a shed but it wouldnt be pretty. Also would possibly fall apart....

When I looked into it pre-built sheds were pretty flimsy, and substantial ones were expensive.

I'm a software engineer, never built anything before, but I made one on a 3mx4m corner of the garden a few years ago, after watching a few you tube vids.

It's never leaked or disappointed me in any way, and is frequently being tweaked - give it a go.

I built one of those 3m x 4m log cabins (35mm from memory) in the garden of my last house about 12 years ago. Came on a big pallet that was offloaded onto my drive. Made sure it was properly level, heavyweight concrete slabs, got some treated bearers and laid them on thick DPC strips. Put some insulation in the floor. Built the 4 walls up in a day and finished it on the second. Used proper roofing grade boards for the roof, taped all the joints and then used cedar shingles. Insulated and boarded out the roof. It was virtually rot-free after 12 years - didn't get cold in winter or too hot in summer.

I'm having one built for the new house, 6m x 5m with 3 big windows that look across open countryside and across the sea to the Morvern peninsula.

Nordic Timber Buildings have been recommended on here a few times. Very competitive pricing. We've ordered one, but a long wait currently however.

Have a look at Ali dymock on YouTube he gives a really comprehensive guide on building a garden room, I managed a small one this summer with no previous experience and was pretty pleased how it turned out

Looks good there wildc4rd, wondering why you didn't use ply on the floor rather then the SB in the pics?

I remember your build thread footflaps, a few years ago now I guess....

I remember your build thread footflaps, a few years ago now I guess….

I was just thinking that, with the climbing plants on the front it's looking a lot nicer now!

OP: ignore footflaps, his build was immense and if you're concerned about building a shed... 😀

I built a 4.8m x 2.4m workshop in my garden on an old garage concrete pad. Turned out pretty well, have also helped my mate build one along the same lines in his garden. I suspect it's better built than my actual house! When I looked I reckoned it would cost about 12k or so to get something similar spec (it's fully insulated with a 32amp supply inside etc).

I remember your build thread footflaps, a few years ago now I guess….

I was just thinking that, with the climbing plants on the front it’s looking a lot nicer now!

2013 IIRC, that photo is a few years old now, re-landcaped the garden in front on the workshop since and planted a load more shrubs / trees since.

It has made a huge difference to the house, just so nice to have a large space to work on bikes and use as a gym, was very handy during lockdown, gyms closing didn't make the slightest difference to us. Best thing we've done to the house by far in terms of increasing our enjoyment.

Think I need to wait and see whatever house we buy and what I have to work with. Current favourite has garage in garden but it's a bit run down and needs work or possibly extending, also has summerhouse that could make good gym. Not sure extending a brick garage is within my skillset.

Not sure extending a brick garage is within my skillset.

Be a good STW supported project, you'll get all the advice you need from people on here.

Well you'll have to explain to my wife after it collapses on me when a tubeless tyre explodes. Off to Google about bricks.....