Backyard cinderblock shed

Igotadose

We have a nice 9'x12' concrete pad in our backyard, and no shed. Apparently one was planned but never built.

And, we need a shed, badly. I've looked into a couple steel sheds, at least 1 requires a new pad, which seems a bit excessive since we have the existing pad. Plus none of the steel sheds fit the pad exactly.

I've never done masonry in my life, but I'm intrigued by the idea of learning enough to build a shed out of concrete blocks. I would be reusing the foundation. It will need some kind of roof - there are 70 concrete roof tiles in the attic, presumably leftover from the house build in 2004, maybe those can be reused somehow. And a nice wide door, wide enough for an eventual riding lawnmower - 40 inches?

Suggestions on where to start? Should I simply hire someone? I asked a local builder to quote a price for a cinderblock shed with a door, and it was way out of our budget (nearly 4000 Euros...)

Thanks!

Calahonda52

The "pad" may be all right for a shed but not for concrete block walls.
Buy a steel shed to suit the existing pad
re this
I've looked into a couple steel sheds, at least 1 requires a new pad, which seems a bit excessive since we have the existing pad
So who is the victim here, you, the pad or the shed, or perhaps all three?

mgbgt1978

http://www.waltongardenproducts.ie/

....this crowd usually work out the cheapest for metal sheds. Unfortunately their largest (that will fit your current base) only has a single door.
They do a couple of 12 X 9' 10" sheds. You could extend your base by a foot using cinder blocks and a bit of concrete.
They also have a 10 X 8 wooden shed which might suit you better as it has double doors (if you do decide to buy a ride-on).
Their metal sheds are a bit on the flimsy side but can be easily reinforced by screwing some 3X2 lengths of timber vertically at the corners and diagonally along the sides. This would still be far cheaper than anyone else selling sheds in Ireland.

Igotadose

Calahonda52 wrote: »

The "pad" may be all right for a shed but not for concrete block walls.
Buy a steel shed to suit the existing pad
re this
I've looked into a couple steel sheds, at least 1 requires a new pad, which seems a bit excessive since we have the existing pad
So who is the victim here, you, the pad or the shed, or perhaps all three?

Thanks for the reply. How could I tell if the pad is good enough for concrete block walls? It seems pretty well built, has a pipe in it with a string going through for eventual wiring, several inches thick at least, the wooden forms were still around it when we moved in. Really odd they never used it, though. They had a wobbly wooden shed that's since collapsed and been removed nearby.