Provide an education on possibly building a shed

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

N2 had to eat a bag of Hennessy Honda Snacks.

Here is what I'm working with. As I said, my initial idea is to tear it down and start over, salvaging as much as I can out of it. I don't think I could ever get a roof that good, though.

Can't believe we haven't had an Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson joke, yet....

I wouldn't necessarily tear that down, but I would consider a re-floor/re-side putting in windows and a new door in the process. SVREX is the guy to talk to about this, but you need to think of ventilation/moisture control if you're going to be treating the space like a living space and expecting things inside to stay clean/dry like in a living space. 

In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :

I'm glad you were able to get a discount on your building.  The discounts in NW SC don't exist.  

In reply to spitfirebill :

That's what they told me in Central SC too. 
 

But I got one. 

Brett_Murphy (Forum Patrón) said:

Here is what I'm working with. As I said, my initial idea is to tear it down and start over, salvaging as much as I can out of it. I don't think I could ever get a roof that good, though.

Looks like a reasonable start to me. Any rot at the bottom of the walls?  Framing?  What's the floor?  Is it the size you want?

Remodeling that shed shouldn't be too hard.  Unless the floor has significant rot.  Then it's probably a basket case.

In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :

It's good to see that SVreX is on board with the pre-fab sheds.

I'm all for doing things the DIY way. I designed and built my whole house, but the Amish built sheds are really good.

If it stops raining, I'll investigate the floor. I was thinking of pulling up the particle boards that are over the actual flooring and seeing what the condition is. They *seem* dry, but the initial design of the floor itself is under question. 

In reply to Brett_Murphy (Forum Patrón) :

Is it really particle board?

To the untrained eye, particle board, OSB, and Advantech are all the same, and are all called "particle board", or "chipboard".
 

OSB is really large flakes and most often used in 1/2" thickness. It has a stightlybporous surface and rough to the touch.  It's inexpensive and reasonably strong. For a shed it's ok if the subfloor under it is in good shape, but it doesn't make good underlayment for finished flooring. 

Advantech is medium sized flakes and usually in 3/4" thickness.  It is much denser than OSB.  It is so dense it is hard to drive a nail through.  It's an exceptionally strong subfloor- probably the best you can buy.  If you have Advantech over something else, you are golden.  Other brand names include SturdiFloor, and there is a product that looks a lot like OSB but thicker.  If you have any sheet material that is 3/4" thick, you shouldn't need to worry about it.

Particle board is really fine chips. It looks like sawdust glued back together. Particle board is total E36 M3 and serves no useful purpose whatsoever. 
 

The picture you posted doesn't look like any of those. It looks like a plank floor- maybe T&G. 
 

Reach under the outside of the shed and poke at the ends of the joists with a knife or sharp point awl.  If you can't sink it deep into the joist, you are probably fine. If you can, it's rotten.  Jump up and down inside and see if it bounces.  If there is not much bounce, and minimal rot, you're good.  For what you are doing, it won't really even matter if it's 24" on center. 
 

It's easy to overlay the floor with a 2nd layer of good decking  to make it significantly stronger if you have any concerns.

Just looked again...

That's OSB.  If the floor passes the bounce test and you poke at it and don't find soft spots, then I would suggest ripping out the OSB and replacing it with Advantech.

It will last forever.

In the picture you can see the planks with (whatever it is) on top of it. I suspect that was done to cover up some issue with the planks. 

I'll stab the joists when it's a bit drier.

Thanks for keeping up with the thread and giving advice.

In reply to Brett_Murphy (Forum Patrón) :

It really depends on what you want. I would go to a local saw mill.  Buy some timbers and boards.  And have a rustic shed  done in a week with a few windows. Electricity,  and customized bench or two. 
    The windows I would buy at Habitat for Humanity surplus stores along with some cabinets. Maybe even a door if they have one I liked.  I'd have less than a grand in it. 
      
But I'd go a little over the top. Build it craftsman style. With stone floors, exterior stone walls, slate roof,  heat & A/C and a bathroom with character.  Oops,  now  I'm at $10,000 and have a year of part time work.  But Doing it that way She would really use it and show it off to her girlfriends. 

So, the shed completely stalled. Other unplanned things got in the way- like replacing the floor in the bathroom and things related to my job that just ate up all the weekends.

It's funny this came to the top, because my wife and I were talking about our plans this year. So, the shed completely stalled. Other things got in the way- like replacing the floor in the bathroom and things related to my job.

Things now in front of the shed:
1. Tear down the deck on the back of the house and put in a patio. 
2. Finish clearing the trees and brush from the site of where the pre-fab metal garden shed is going to go. The metal pre-fab is crucial to the overall plans for the rest of the yard and outbuildings. 
3. Build a base for the metal garden shed and set it up.

When those things are completed, I'll be able to set into she-shed and get it sorted out. The floor is sketchy, but the joists and frame seem to be in good shape, so it'll be mostly a re-skin.