Shed under Deck

MLB3164 · 08-22-2006, 07:20 AM

Has anyone built a shed under a deck? The deck on the back of my house has about 9' - 10' clearance. I had a concrete pad poured under the deck and now I need to build the shed. BTW the shed is to hold all the lawn tools to make more room for woodworking. I was thinking of using the corrugated fiberglass or metal ceiling material screwed to a framework under the floor joists of the deck. I was going to offset the width of the framework to allow proper water run off. I also need to attached the side walls to the roof/ceiling. Anyone have any ideas? Anyone up for a shed building party? Thanks for the help.

Marty

Ray Martin · 08-22-2006, 08:31 AM

Marty,

You've got a concrete pad already there? Sounds like the perfect place to grow a shed.

If the roof of the shed will be under the deck, water and debris could be a bit of a problem. If you slope the roof 1/4" per foot away from the house you should get an adequate runoff. The challenge comes when you get some dirt, pine straw, or old Cherios down there. Make sure you consider cleaning the roof... maybe enough space at one end to stick the business end of the leaf blower.

I'm not sure what your shed building experience is, so forgive me if I suggest what you are already familiar with.

Any wood that will be in contact with that concrete should be pressure treated. There are loads of methods of attaching the base to the concrete. You can use a hammer drill to poke holes that will hold bolts. Powder actuated fasteners are also an option. Any fasteners that will be in contact with concrete or pressure treated wood should be hot-dip galvanized.

You mentioned attaching the side walls of the shed to its roof... what kind of walls are you planning? Whatever the roof material, I think it should be sitting on a roof framing. This can be as simple as some 2 X 4s. The roof framing is what gets attached to the top plate of the walls. The roofing material gets attached to the roof framing.

Since the whole thing will be under the deck, I'm guessing that there won't be much room between the shed roof and the bottom of the deck. The roof frame and roof material can be assembled on the ground and then lifted / slid into place.

Tell us more about the space you have to work with and the materials / design you have selected and we can chat about this some more. Photos always make it easier to see what you're saying. What kind of siding do you plan for the shed walls? I've build a few of these smaller buildings with T1-11 plywood for walls. The texture give the building a nice finished look.

Ray

MLB3164 · 08-22-2006, 09:15 AM

Ray thanks for the in depth reply. The more I think about it your suggestion of leaving the roof of the shed not attached to the deck sounds like a better plan. I am fine with using T1 siding as the deck is on the back of my house. I will post the dimensions of the pad and some pics this evening. Thanks for your help.

Marty

Ray Martin · 08-22-2006, 09:25 AM

Marty,

One comment about the T1-11; make sure it is well fastened to the wall studs. Properly nailed in place, it's terrific siding. If there are loose seams, it will warp rather quickly.

Ray

FIVEBYFIVE · 08-22-2006, 06:42 PM

Marty,
If you decide to nail the sole plate to the concrete slab, I have a tool which uses 22 cal shells to blast the nail into the concrete. I live outside of Salisbury. I could take a road trip up to lexington. You can either borrow it, or a tool trade is possible. Not sure what the tool is worth, but think about it. Might there be a problem with water standing around the building? Is the slab sloped?

dozer · 08-22-2006, 07:32 PM

Just cut a trap door in your deck so you can get to the roof of the shed if needed.

FredP · 08-22-2006, 08:47 PM

why noy build it out in the yard and move it under the deck when finnished? slide it in and fasten it down.

fred p

Ray Martin · 08-22-2006, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by FIVEBYFIVE

Marty,
If you decide to nail the sole plate to the concrete slab, I have a tool which uses 22 cal shells to blast the nail into the concrete. I live outside of Salisbury. I could take a road trip up to lexington. You can either borrow it, or a tool trade is possible. Not sure what the tool is worth, but think about it. Might there be a problem with water standing around the building? Is the slab sloped?

These powder actuated fasteners work great... but do require a lot of focus and care. You want to wear the really good safety goggles for this tool (b/c you're going to shot a hard nail into concrete). They are generally available in .22 and .38 cal. In each of the calibers, there are different charges or loads. There are, of course, different size fasteners. You have to take the target material and the size of the fastener into account. This is the time that even real men have to read the directions.

Ray

SteveColes · 08-23-2006, 08:52 AM

Gee, I wish they used standard NATO rounds. BTW, what's the cyclic rate of fire

Originally Posted by Ray Martin

These powder actuated fasteners work great... but do require a lot of focus and care. You want to wear the really good safety goggles for this tool (b/c you're going to shot a hard nail into concrete). They are generally available in .22 and .38 cal. In each of the calibers, there are different charges or loads. There are, of course, different size fasteners. You have to take the target material and the size of the fastener into account. This is the time that even real men have to read the directions.

Ray

Ray Martin · 08-23-2006, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by SteveColes

Gee, I wish they used standard NATO rounds. BTW, what's the cyclic rate of fire

Well Steve... if you use the new Binford 4570...

Considering what you can do with these and the fact that it's folks like us who use them, it's a good thing these are breach-loading single shot implements of destruction.

Ray

Joe Scharle · 08-23-2006, 09:36 AM

Here's what I did, but you'll need footers for this load.

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Mark Anderson · 08-23-2006, 09:24 PM

wow blade burner, that looks like it is built like a brick shiiiii......house

Travis Porter · 08-25-2006, 09:18 PM

Isn't there some stuff that the BORG sells that you attach to the bottom of a deck to keep the rain out? Sort of like tin that fits between 16" joists? Decks are normally sloped anyway (I think). I have been meaning to look for it myself to put under my deck, but I haven't had a chance. Just a thought, I may be totally confused.

Ray Martin · 08-26-2006, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by Travis Porter

Isn't there some stuff that the BORG sells that you attach to the bottom of a deck to keep the rain out? Sort of like tin that fits between 16" joists? Decks are normally sloped anyway (I think). I have been meaning to look for it myself to put under my deck, but I haven't had a chance. Just a thought, I may be totally confused.

Travis,

The concrete should be sloped away from the house, albeit only slighty. You want just enough of a slope on a concrete pad to move water away from the foundation, without looking like it not level. Decks should be slopped away as well. You just don't want watter sitting at the edge of the house. A deck might slope away from the house 1/8" to a 1/4" per foot. (Depends on the builder.)

There are a couple of materials that could be attached under a deck to keep rain from hitting the patio / slab below. If you want to use something like that, you have to think of where the rainwater will go. You might just be gathering a whole deck's worth of water and pouring it at the edge of the deck or patio. That might give you a splash or erosion problem. Depending on how much of a problem the water is, there are some ways around it. You could cut a length of PVC in half and use that as a small gutter.

Ray