Making a shed on the cheap

ADDON

I need to erect a cheap shed, mainly to keep my tractor in out of the elements. I have f**k-all money, so want to do it as cheap as possible. It will be in a sheltered spot and doesn't have to be a "work of art".

I was thinking of using old telegraph poles as uprights and just sheeting it with corrugated sheets. Have any of you got experience of building this type of thing? Is it easy? And recommendations, advice, cautions, photos, etc very welcome....

mayo_lad

it all depends on the height of your tractor ADDON if it is under 9 FOOT telegraph polls would be fine but for any thing higher i would go for an rsj as it would be less likely to fail compared to old telegraph polls which would have some inherent week points in them

bbam

Obviously in the past sheds "on the cheap" were common on nearly all farms (all farms round here anyway)... With larger farming operations and easier credit there has been a move away from these, some were woefull and some were real nice budget options which lasted many years (even decades) if looked after...

Here's a link to a US site with ideas and plans for many "pole barn" sheds along with some other stuff... I'm not particularly recommending them but you may get some ideas to help you...

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/departments/Biological_Ag_Engineering/Features/Extension/Building_Plans/List.htm

ADDON

It's an old MF 165, so the 9 foot thing is fine, Mayo LAd.

That's a great website bbam....... I think a smaller version of this shed is what I'm looking for ...

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonlyres/1FDD727F-A7DE-4091-A833-F2EAAAB2A309/12205/6168ImplementShed1.pdf


Any more ideas, comments, etc?

mayo_lad

well if you have any shed / high wall that you could lean it ageist would make it cheaper (less materials needed ) sleepers come in the lengths you require as well , also if you made it 12 foot wide you could use a gate as a door on it

ADDON

mayo_lad wrote: »

also if you made it 12 foot wide you could use a gate as a door on it

Good thinking.....

Now I just need to get my hands on some old (but good) telegraph poles . What do you think.... concrete floor, or just gravel?

mayo_lad

it depend on what your using it for if your just using it to store the tractor gravel if your going to be using it to repair and service the tractor/ machinery concrete is better as it gives you a nice surface to work on

JohnBoy

It all depends on how big you want to go.

But I'd say a 3 span shed could be built to somewhere close to 48x16 easily enough.

Do a lean to design.

8 poles, 10 foot at the back, 12 foot at the front (yellow)
4 16 foot 12x3s running front to back bolted onto the side of the poles (blue)
12 16 foot 6x3s running across the shed giving 4 purlins (pink)
15 16 foot 4x2s running around the walls, bolted to the poles (green)
5 16 foot 4x2s diagonally inside the horizontal 4x2s (green)

Sheet the whole thing in seconds box profile and you should have a fairly decent shed there.

Take the time to soak all your timbers in creosote, or better yet buy pressure treated and it should last a hell of a long time.

Cheap doesnt have to mean crappy

JohnBoy

Ok, I may have slightly oversized based on what you're saying, but the concept can scale down quite easily to a single 16x16 span..

if it's pure storage you need then compacted millwaste is perfect, if you want to work in it then you're gonna need a floor.

ADDON

Jasus JohnBoy..... You've got a great plan set out there. I'll probably go for something inbetween the first and the second suggestion.

Would you recommend old telegraph poles or buy new treated square poles?

JohnBoy

It's based off a shed I saw before, slightly beefed up, the two drawings are the back wall, and the end wall.

I dunno what to say about poles. if you can get creosoted square timbers then maybe, but I wouldnt put plain pressure treated pine in the ground in ireland.

Ideally I'd suggest new telegraph poles, but I dont know where you'd get em, and they're probably more expensive than steel anyway

pakalasa

If it's for a tractor, you might want to put some insulation on the inside. Add an electrical socket and a heater for the really cold weather.
She'd start on a touch !;)

johngalway

Definite + 1 on the insulation. Local man, very tidy, good with tools, got it from his Dad. They built a shed, which turned into a workshop of sorts. No insulation, not a tool in the place which could rust that hadn't some amount of the red stuff on it. Got it reroofed this year, plenty of insulation included.

lionela

Is there any Transport companies near you that would have an old 40 ft trailer that has seen better day's or that is beyond putting back on the road.
or even a steel container.

Just an idea ....for what it's worth.
Cheers

ADDON

lionela wrote: »

Is there any Transport companies near you that would have an old 40 ft trailer that has seen better day's or that is beyond putting back on the road.
or even a steel container.

Just an idea ....for what it's worth.
Cheers

Interesting idea..... but would it be big enough to drive a tractor into?

JohnBoy

insulation does not prevent damp, a dpc in the floor, a vapour barrier under the roof and some good ventilation will do a lot more.

Insulation will however make it nicer to work in.

Containers can suffer from awful condensation problems because of the lack of ventilation, they can also be arkward shapes, and when I've costed em in the past they're not as cheap per square foot as they first seem.

they are damm fast to get up and running though

5live

Great stuff guys. But the missus is going to crucify me when i bring up 'I was thinking about building.......' How much is a divorce these days:eek: