Your shed looks great. You did a very professional job.

I made our shed a part of the garden by surrounding it with flower beds. If your looking for planting ideas ~ I have a few pictures. I don't know what growing zone you are in so the same plants may not work for you. I'm in zone 8A. These photos were taken in 2006 and I've done lots of plant relocating since then but you can see the general layout.

Be sure to post pictures of your finished project. I'm really courious to see how the mirror's work for you.
Vikki

OH WOW! I just looked at your blog. You are an extremely talented craftsman. You DW is lucky. ;)
However you finish it, it will be prefect. Like all your other work.
Your 'building the shed' posts reminded me of when my DH built ours.

{{gwi:684606}}

Libby
ps. be sure to post a follow up.

We are so not handy. We've hired someone to repair our shed. You all have good looking sheds. I brought up the thread asking about cute sheds for you, ttfweb. There are some great pics in it.

Sue

Vicky & Libby - thanks for the great pictures and kind words. I will post pictures once I get it painted and the windows in.

Salut,

Vikki, its pictures like yours that make me feel incompetent. Envy isn't a strong enough word to display my feelings. I was very pleased at all the progress I had made with the rebuilding of my mother's cottage style English garden, but now im too embarrassed to take pics.

THANKS FOR RUINING MY WHOLE SUMMER! LOL jk.

Very nice job, cool shed, and lovely garden.

Ciao,
Mihai
(Resident grumpy Romanian)

Here is an update on my garden shed project. We are almost done with the shed itself. Early in the spring we will put terraced planting beds down the hill below it.

Sliding door side

Window arbor side
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Most of the construction details are posted at the link below...

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Shed Blog

That is a very nice looking garden shed. It's so darn pretty that it's almost an insult to call it a shed.

I noticed that you have only fairly high-set collar ties on your low-pitched (4/12?) 2x4 rafters to prevent the walls from splaying out at their tops. Are you pretty confident in that arrangement? I wouldn't dare do that in Michigan, but maybe you are lucky enough to not have to worry about snow load. Do you know what your local building code calls for as a minimum roof loading strength? In my county it is 70 psf.

You've done a lot of very nice work there. Congratulations.

ThinMan

70 psf? Yikes! Around here, snow loads are more like 30 psf, plus drifting. I'm guessing you get more lake effect snow on that side of the lake.

Once again I have to say, you're a great craftsman.
Love the pergola above the window.
I'd like to grab a corner of your shed, give it a little shake and say "that's not goin' anywhere".
A job well done.

Libby

Good idea using a sliding door on your shed, never even thought about doing that. Can a person still buy the rail and other bits, or is that an old piece?

The whole shed blog is incredible, such fun to read. I'm going back and start at the bottom to see it in chronological order.

The shed color turned out so well, and then I read how you arrived at the color. So green, just great.

We'll be anticipating the terraced beds in spring. I look forward to the next installments.

Nell

I enjoyed looking at the blog, too. Your shed is awesome! I'm excited to see the flowers, as well!

Sue

Thinman,

The most snow we ever get is about 6 inches (Portland, Oregon), and it lasts a day or two. Spec for here is 30psf. Our main concern around is things getting and staying wet, then rotting - hence I paid lots of attention to flashing, caulking and overhangs.

The 2x4's are well within spec for the region. The collar ties work together with side-wall stiffeners to hold the roof solid. The high shelf around the parimeter functions a box-beam - the OSB is glued and screwed to 2x4's to make the shelves, and these are glued and screwed to the sidewalls. I have been really happy with this design so far, since it provides both storage and a pependicular stiffener.

I wanted to keep the ceiling area open for storage. I am keeping an eye on it through the winter (I measured the side-wall to side-wall distance and wrote it down) and if there is any flex I will put a ceiling joist at the center.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Shed Blog

It sounds like you've thought it through. I hadn't thought about your shelving acting as a wall stiffener and I was thinking "hmmm, no ceiling joists, and the 2 x 4 ridge board wouldn't be strong enough to act as a ridge beam, so what's keeping those walls up?" Now I know, and I think it's pretty clever. I don't think I would have ever come up with that idea.

Here's hoping your glue and screws hold. :-) Sure seems like they should.

Thanks for explaining.

ThinMan

Thinman - thanks. I am pretty sure the screws will hold (when in doubt, make it stout...)

Schoolhouse - the sliding door is new hardware. It's called "box rail" or "trolley rail" hardware. If you google these you will get all kinds of products. I bought these at Coastal Farm and Hardware store, and I know the other farm/ranch stores in the area carry them as well. The whole set-up - rail, supports, rollers - cost a bit under $100. It ended up being very easy to install.

Thanks to all the rest for the kind words. I will post again once we start on the garden beds.

I am following up on my shed project... I finally completed all the details and finished the project (as much as a garden project can ever be done). In the spring my DW and I will be putting all raised beds.

I am very happy with the pergola over window.

We may paint the steps the trim color, but that decision will need to wait for drier weather.

Not a great picture of the shed itself, but a nice picture of it in shadows with the woods beyond.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Shed Blog

I love the window!
The last picture reminds me of summer. Thanks for posting.

Libby