You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Having been quoted about £5000 to put a new roof on my outbuilding I've started to think about the DIY route. The floor area is about 4m x 3m and I just want to put up a simple trussed, pitched roof with the option for a bit of storage for light camping gear and such like.
I'm relatively handy and my thoughts are that I can even out the supporting walls with a good depth of concrete (using a temporary wooden trough to shape it) as the walls are thick but old and I want to start from a sound, level base.
I then want to put trusses on top which seems to be the simplest method. Having strted planning I was wondering if anyone has a good resource for truss design (lots of conflicting advice online) as I think I should be able to build them myself. Happy to be told by a professional that this is a non-starter but, with care, it looks doable to me.
you can easily build your own trusses. It's not complicated.
You can get hardware from local builders merchant to make it easier.
Depends on spans as to what design you use. Smaller requires far less cross bracing. You dont need to fill the truss with wood.
You can also buy bitumen/fibre corrugated roofing sheets. Including matching clear plastic ones. They are easy to fit, lightweight so your trusses dont have to be massive.
[img] 
[/img]
With purlins.
[img] 
[/img]
Camping kit storage:
[img] 
[/img]
I actually boarded and tiled that roof, but the garage I did in corrugated sheets:
[img] https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-upJzSX99x0U/UGF3U4lJbKI/AAAAAAAADEA/Rr8QJY53XJ8/s640-Ic42/IMAG0221.jpg [/img][img] https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--abw0zBr0mc/UGFlhSrUQiI/AAAAAAAADDM/d6q_ER23NK0/s640-Ic42/P1010681.JP G" target="_blank">
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-upJzSX99x0U/UGF3U4lJbKI/AAAAAAAADEA/Rr8QJY53XJ8/s640-Ic42/IMAG0221.jpg [/img][img] https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--abw0zBr0mc/UGFlhSrUQiI/AAAAAAAADDM/d6q_ER23NK0/s640-Ic42/P1010681.JP G"/> [/img]
Thanks Stoner, very useful. Did you obtain any plans for the trusses or just do it by eye? I'm planning on covering mine in slate tile as it would look out of place not to. Also, I'm a one man band, is it possible to hold the trusses in place during construction (I'm thinking about a temporary brace attached at an angle to the joists)?
Certainly can be done on your own but it'll be 100 times easier with a friend. If you can make them on the deck on your own you'll only need extra pair of hands for an hour or two to get them up.
I wouldn't go with a concrete pour for evening out the top of the walls. Some slips of concrete blocks in mortar will do the worst of it. Then just put a 2x4 wall plate on top of that on a mortar bed. You'll need to tie the wall plate down to the walls with some restraint straps but then you can just nail or screw your trusses to the wall plate
Like this:
[img] 
[/img]
Nick, I presume that the wall plate could be screwed down into the concrete blocks. I only ask as my slate blocks and lime mortar don't really work when you try to nail stuff into them.
Sorry to hijack the thread, but related to your question I’m struggling with the roof/insulation.
Does this sound daft? Working from outside inwards.
Roofing material (tiles/rubber/metal)
OSB
Rafters (8x2 or 6x2) packed with 4” of insulation so that there is a good airgap.
Membrane – I was told that thin asphalt works well to allow the building to breathe).
That crossbraced concrete rebar stuff for security
OSB internal walls.
Having looked at Stoner's post, my replacing of 10x8 flat shed felt last week seems a little lame...
*backs out thread*
It can. That wouldn't be good enough for house roof under building regs but you'd probably get away with it for a shed. Still could potentially blow off in a big storm, though.Nick, I presume that the wall plate could be screwed down into the concrete blocks.
I did nearly all of the timber work myself. It's not too tricky if you use temporary supports. Always handy having a few spare long lengths of 3x2 or lath lying around to pin to trusses or joists to hold things in place while you flap about somewhere else.
I did beg my mate to do the tiling as I was rubbish on the roof on my own (it was very frosty and slippy up there. That's my excuse), and it needed someone spotting the ladder. Swore never to tile again though.
[img] 
[/img]
Building a wood store on the side using lots of timber supports
[img] 
[/img]