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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2009
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    Hobart, TAS
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    21

    Default Building a shed - long time viewer, first time poster!

    Hey everyone,

    Long time viewer here, I've got some awesome tips here so far - thank you already!

    Ive decided to bite the bullet and build my own steel shed, rather than going the kit route. It's 15x10m and will have a workshop, couple of horse boxes and a carport. The shed will be built in southern Tasmania (yep - cold!)

    I've just received the first engineering sketches, so pretty eager to get cracking.

    I'll add some more detail about the welder I bought, etc shortly. But I'm very much a beginner!

    So just dropping by to say gday, keen to hear from anyone who's embarked on a similar project

    Cheers, Bart.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    133

    Default

    Best of luck with it

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Hobart, TAS
    Posts
    21

    Default

    Thanks Doc!

  4. #4
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
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    7,182

    Default

    Welcome aboard Bart.

    Really jealous of the size of your new shed - but I'm glad I don't have to share mine with horses and vehicles

    Keep us posted.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Hobart, TAS
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    21

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    Really jealous of the size of your new shed - but I'm glad I don't have to share mine with horses and vehicles
    Always a negotiation with the minister for finance

    Didn't come out of it too badly I don't think!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Mackay
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Welcome Bart, I have also gained a lot of experience from this forum. so on that enjoy your build and post photos as you go.

    Thank Gary

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Hobart, TAS
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    21

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Opelblues2 View Post
    Welcome Bart, I have also gained a lot of experience from this forum. so on that enjoy your build and post photos as you go.
    I certainly will! I've also kicked off a Blogger account (I always find I do these projects and never have anything to look back on!).

    Check it out for some progress so far on the little prep things: Project: Shed

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
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    1,910

    Default

    As a matter of interest, how will your shed compare price wise with a kit shed?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    77
    Posts
    9

    Smile

    Bart,

    Congrats on your successful negotians with SHMBO!

    Looks like you will have a great blog.

    Good size shed! How big is the main entry door?

    My shed is 12 x10 with a 6M high 30 deg gable - no competing pets allowed! Main roller door 3.8M x 3.2M.

    Since you have some good metal / welding gear, have you considered increasing the strength of several trusses to carry a gantry crane?

    Always handy when nobody's around to help lift heavy things. The apex of my gable has a full length Uni Beam gantry and 2.5M - 3.5M adjustable carriage with two 2T chain blocks (for lifting boats) as well as other heavy things (rated, tested & certified for SWWL 2T).

    Anyway you can design your own ganrty specs, but best to include the option before building your trusses. I can vouch for how handy it is to have both the lifting & moving capability.

    Will monitor you blog with interest - best wishes for success.

    David



    Quote Originally Posted by bj_dove View Post
    I certainly will! I've also kicked off a Blogger account (I always find I do these projects and never have anything to look back on!).

    Check it out for some progress so far on the little prep things: Project: Shed

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    241

    Default

    Having access to a couple of gantry cranes at my job, I second the suggestion. Come the day I can rebuild my shed, it'll be based around having a gantry crane, they are incredibly useful.

    If your build starts turning into a bout of engineering (And envy!) like View topic - RCV Supertourer 6.0 V8 TDi | Australian 4WD Action I will burn many many hours reading through your updates

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Hobart, TAS
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    21

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Robbers View Post
    As a matter of interest, how will your shed compare price wise with a kit shed?
    Difficult to tell until all final specs come back - but I don't expect it to be much cheaper.

    I do expect it to be much stronger though - too many tec-screws in place of welds on kit sheds for my liking!

    The biggest thing I wanted to get out of it was experience, hoping my welding / general fab skills will be pretty good by the end of it

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Hobart, TAS
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Young Flyer View Post
    Good size shed! How big is the main entry door?
    Main roller door is 2.7h x 3m wide. Thoughts on if it'll be enough? Will be general workshop, want to have room to work on a car etc.

    A big reason of mine to not go too tall was building it - you're a brave man to be 6m off the ground doing roofing!

    Mine is 3m at the eaves, with 19 degree pitch.

    As for the gantry crane, it'd be good but not sure I can afford to factor it in. The actual trusses are supported by centre columns, so I'd assume they could take a decent load (will confirm with engineer). Because of the way the shed is divided, the columns will be hidden in walls! I'll post up a floor plan soon, it'll all make sense

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    77
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    9

    Default

    G'day Bart,

    3M wide door gives plenty of room for trucks to deliver heavy stuff.

    My door height set to clear yachts on trailer with mast stowed. Your 2.7M door height should be good for general purposes. But if you can, I would go to 3M height if other design factors permit. Check out the height of horse floats & caravans with airconditioners on top.

    Nuh! this boy don't do high wire gynmastics. I'm a retired engineer, designed the shed myself, but had it all certified by a structural engineer for insurance purposes. Shed built by contractor.

    You may have a problem installing a gantry & chain block if the lower web of your trusses are at eave height. This would leave little room for lifting slings etc. If you were interested in a fixed chain block, you could just replace one truss position with an "I" beam portal frame. May require side wall hoop iron braces, plus fabricated knee brace & collar tie to the portal frame.

    May sound expensive, but so is mobile crane hire, or medical costs for an injured back.

    Cheers,

    David

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
    Posts
    1,910

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bj_dove View Post
    Main roller door is 2.7h x 3m wide. Thoughts on if it'll be enough? Will be general workshop, want to have room to work on a car etc.

    A big reason of mine to not go too tall was building it - you're a brave man to be 6m off the ground doing roofing!

    Mine is 3m at the eaves, with 19 degree pitch.

    As for the gantry crane, it'd be good but not sure I can afford to factor it in. The actual trusses are supported by centre columns, so I'd assume they could take a decent load (will confirm with engineer). Because of the way the shed is divided, the columns will be hidden in walls! I'll post up a floor plan soon, it'll all make sense
    I too, believe that many kit sheds rely far too much on Tek screws and C section purlins as structural members.
    My shed is 18X12M with 4.6M doorway height. I have one 6M sliding door in the back corner on the 18M wall and another 6m sliding door central on the 12M wall at the other end plus a PA door.
    If you have only one door, then I would rethink that if it were mine. If you envision putting a car hoist in at any stage then make sure that you have sufficient slab thickness and headroom to allow for this. 3M eave height does seem very low , even if a hoist is not in your plans, particularly if you plan on fitting a gantry.
    On the subject of roofing and other work at height. Protect yourself. Don't work off ladders if you can avoid it, (under the Tasmanian regulations and most other jurisdictions, ladders are only to be used for access and work of a short duration) and familiarise yourself with working at heights rules and regulations. They have been created for a reason. The old definition of working at heights, (2.4M+), has been replaced with this definition, "any time there is a risk of falling from one level to another."
    While highly unlikely, a worksafe inspector can serve a stop work order upon a private citizen. Fall arrest/fall prevention gear is not all that expensive either.
    All the legalese aside, pain hurts far too much and should be avoided at all costs.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Hobart, TAS
    Posts
    21

    Default

    Bit of excitement!

    Just noticed that my engineer had emailed me the PCT specs yesterday (attached).

    Excuse my chicken scratch handwriting on there, was just working out how long the top chord needed to be.

    It's a 10m span - so half for each truss.

    Less 90mm post, less 10mm endplate and less another half of an endplate (5mm, on the centre column). My rusty trig. skills say that the top chord needs to be 4970mm (with 10 degree roof pitch).

    Can anyone see any major gaps with my maths before I go make the jig?

    Trusses.pdf

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