Building an urban storage shed for preparedness

I am going to replace a small decrepit metal tool shed and want to maximize it for a few garden tools and for a growing inventory of preparedness items.

An online search has turned up some ideas, but I'm hoping the forum might have some recommendations, caveats, etc.

My general specifications:

• plans that I can use to build with my beginner/intermediate building skills or that I can hire someone to build for me
• I expect I'll get a building permit
• want to collect water from roof and collect in two 55-gallon food-grade drums
• may or may not run electricity to it (for lights and limited power tool usage)
• located in a climate with four seasons, high of 35 C, low of 0 C
• plan to store garden and hand tools, bicycles, some camping gear, lanterns, fishing gear, parts bins, etc.
• approximate dimensions desired: 10'wide x 12'deep x 10' tall
• needs to be well-secured - I'd like vents to help with temperature extremes but maybe just a door otherwise to reduce points of entry. (love the idea of skylights, solar panels, barred windows
• I'm currently saving for this project but haven't fixed a budget yet.

With no basement, garage or attic, I have very little indoor storage, which I am using mainly for additional food storage and items that need the moderate temperature/humidity environment of my home. The shed is going to be a real boon to my organization and improving my being "equipped to survive."

Thanks for any ideas or tips you can share.

Go to Home Depot, Lowes, Orchard Supply and at least check out their outbuildings and tool sheds. If nothing else, it will give you some ideas.

Great project!

Perhaps plan to build the basics with room to add more expensive stuff, like solar, later?

Nobody ever had too much storage. Can you build with the idea of adding to the shed down the road?

Will you need or want to be able to shelter yourself [doghouse] or others in the shed if the house becomes uninhabitable?

Good luck!

Hm, hmm, lots of ideas but it's hard to say anything specific without some pictures of the site and maybe a very basic drawing of what you're looking for.

Would you prefer to build a new shed from scratch or buy a prefabricated shed (and possibly modify it later on)? Either way, lots of options, largely depending on your budget and whether you want a permanent or just temporary structure.

In terms of construction...
- metal frame & sheet metal shed
- metal frame and wood
- just wood
- brick
- reinforced concrete TEOTWAWKI bunker w/ basement a.k.a. underground nuclear shelter
- ...?

If you want to do most of the construction yourself take a good look at what skills, tools and machinery you have already. Some options might be easier than others. Either way, best of luck with your project!

Ideas: Tiny Houses by Lester Walker
http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Houses-How-Ge...4361&sr=8-2

And this seems a step up from the steel storage shed, but it caught my eye - http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2009943992_prefabhomeoffice27.html.

I've built two sheds almost exactly like you describe.

Just a couple of things to think about

What are you going to build it on? Concrete slab, dirt, grass, slope, etc? That's probably the first thing to think about. Most important thing is to keep everything level and square, it'll save you a lot of headaches later on. If you're building on flat concret, that's a lot easier than on a grassy slope cuz you won't have to make a level foundation.

Once you have the foundation set the actual construction is fairly easy. Total cost (about 6 years ago), came out to maybe $1200? +/-, I don't remember the exact cost but it was roughly half of what you would have paid at Home Depot for the same size, and much better quality.

Didn't really follow any plans, just estimated how much materials, then started building. 2x4's on 16" centers, 2x6 rafters, exterior 3/4" plywood panel walls w/1x3 molding around the exterior edges to give it a finished look. Roof was just plain asphalt shingles over plywood. I think it took about 2 days for actual construction with 6 people, then another couple weeks to finally get around to painting and finish roofing. Added a couple of wall vents and a roof ventilator to help with the temperatures in the summer time, it does get very hot inside. Doors were also 2x4 and plywood construction. Most importantly, while you're designing it keep in mind plywood comes in 48" widths, so plan the stud locations carefully so you don't need to do any extra cutting. That might mean the final wall sizes might be something like 9'10" x 11'9" (for example), but you won't end up with a lot of odd size scrap pieces left over that are 2" too short to use anywhere. If you have the room to make it taller, you can also add a couple of rafters up top to store really long bulky items to conserve floor space.

If you plan on collecting water off the roof you'll probably need a certain type of roofing material, then you also have to install gutters. Shouldn't be too hard, but will probably add more cost.

Also, unless you build it out of brick/concrete, there's only so much you can do to make it secure. Anything more than a padlock or two on the door, and thieves will just cut through the wall to get it in. I'd skip the windows if this is just for storage, your stuff doesn't need to see out, and you don't want people seeing in. Plus it will take up valuable wall space inside if you want to install shelves or stack boxes. If you alredy have an idea of what you are going to store in it, you can build shelves into the wall during construction.

Not being familiar with your situation, I don't understand why you don't just fill your water drums with tap water. I could see collecting rainwater for use in watering crops and the like.

JohnE: good tip re: checking out the readymades at the DIY/Home Improvement stores in town.

dweste: yes, I actually could approach this as a Phase 1/Phase 2. I hadn't thought of that and like the idea alot.

Tom_L: good questions; I hadn't really thought enough about different construction materials and their pros/cons. Also I definitely need to take a cold-eyed look at my current skills and tools. Should be a fun project, especially with a sidekick helping me.

UncleGoo: Wow, nice tip. Opened my mind to new possibilities. Thoreau's cabin might be just the think to make the shed into a Man-House or "Fortress of Solitude".

Lono: wow, the Modern Cabana. If I make my space this nice, it might be more comfortable than my home. Then I could put my work shop in the living room. Sweet!

ducktapeguy: excellent info re: foundations and leveling. Thanks for sharing budget range and process from your experience. Very good to have the sizing tips because I'm leaning toward the materials you mention, with perhaps a tin roof if I can address the heat issue. Good points about windows and security. (The biggest obstacle aside from budget is accepting that my bicycles and tools will be merely padlocked in a shed rather than stuff around my house.)

Thank you very much to each of you.

Try to make the sheds match the style of the house.
You know, similar siding, roofing and trim. Same colours of paint if you can.
It is just for aesthetics but if you ever decide to sell the property it becomes a feature.

Don't forget local zoning laws, especially set backs from adjacent property lines.

Depending on where you live, the size may affect your property taxes.

If you just need electric for lights, a solar/battery setup may be easier than running a line. If you run a line and conduit, consider running a low voltage conduit as well, for alarm/phone/internet/cc tv/whatever.

If you might store a riding mower or other large device in it, make sure to make the door big enough.

Consider building it far enough away from the house so that if the shed goes up it won't take the house with it, and vice versa.

Chat with your zoning people. Where I live, we don't need a permit for anything under 200 sqft (12x16 = 192 sqft). You'll fill up a 10x12' shed in no time. If you have a 200sqft max, you might go for the 12x16'.

Check locally for a company who provides formed powder-coated steel roofing to roofing contractors. There's one here that will take your dimensions and provide materials (steel sheets, ridgecap, edging, screws, etc) and instructions for doing it yourself. If two women can put one of their roofs on, you can. Again, talk to a ROOFING MATERIALS company, NOT a roofing company. IOW, shop where the roofing companies shop for materials.

When you add gutters, make sure they tip in the right direction. Allow for spillover with your rain barrels.

Most thieves go through the window or door. If you don't want to invest in a strong metal door, get a cheap one and then ask your roofing materials company (where you got the roof stuff) for a sheet of unformed (flat) metal in the same color as your shed roof, and face the outside of your cheap door with it.

If you aren't putting in windows for light, you'll need power run to it. No light at all will get old really fast.

Plumb, level, square.

Sue

Sue you summed it up very well with those 3 words. I'd simply add "Nahm's" from This Old House advice, "measure twice, cut once". Such a simple thing and so easy to forget when you get caught up in trying to finish a project.

Had a 10'x20' wooden shed built on galvanized metal skids so I can relocate it as I clear my back lot. Installed translucent roof vents that allow light and air in, enough light to easily move around in the shed during the day, also opted for the traditional barn type roof (gambrel?) so I would get more usable cube inside.

I installed double doors to facilitate loading/unloading and it allows a lot more air and light during good weather, also ran metal channel across the headers with a 1/2" plywood floor to give me a loft that I could use as a nice living area should the house be compromised.


Kona1

For security against both fire and thieves I would recomend brick or concrete block construction, not timber.
I would certainly avoid windows.

I would install both grid and solar powered lighting.

Consider storing your supplies in crates topped with a large piece of plywood, this may be utilised as a workbench or table, and in emergency as a bed.

In case you need to hide/shelter/live in the shed, ensure that the door can be locked or bolted from the inside, some types use only a padlock on the outside.

If casting a concrete base for the shed, consider making this bigger than required so as to provide a water/mud/dust free hardstanding.
Consider casting into the concrete a couple of steel hoops or very large eye bolts.
Valuable but portable property such as generators, motorcycles, lawnmowers and the like can then be secured with a padlock and chain.
If under normal circumstances you store such articles in the shed, you may need to secure them outside in an emergency if the space inside is needed otherwise.

Consider a lockable cage of steel mesh against one outside wall of the structure.
A generator could be run thus and provided with ample ventilation, but secure against theft or tampering.

Consider building a bench seat against one outer wall, made of concrete blocks and topped with paving slabs or similar.
This could make an attractive feature whilst providing safe storage for gasoline or propane.

Nothing a couple of LED lights won't fix...

Consider a couple of very small, high "windows" on the walls with best light exposure. Typically this type of celestory [upper] window just under the roof eaves is too small to be an entry point, too high to allow passersby to look in, easier to install without creating leak potential than skylights, and do not interfere with other uses of roof real estate - like solar or water collection. Even putting in a couple small rows of glass blocks will do the trick.

http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/miscplans.htm

Lots of plans there for just about anything you might need, courtesy of the North Dakota University Extension Office.

Wow, folks these are so many excellent ideas and insights.

This weekend I'm going to start a notebook to help me zero in on what I want to build and how.

Zoning and tax implications, lighting, electricity, roofing materials, locking systems, additional storage ideas, safety issues -- thank you each!

Good find! Thanks for sharing it.

No problemo, fellow Okie

I would build it on a concrete slab with room to add/extend it later.

IE: Don't build it where you can't poor more concrete easily, or that it requires you to grade it to add more concrete/building.

I have a pump house that's probably 8x8 (max!) and the slab out front sloaps downard, almost like a driveway it's about 12' long, and it baffles me why the original owners did not move the pump house back 5-10' (TONS of room) and make the slab 100% flat out front so that we could add-on later... oh-well.

I would insulate, and drywall it, or OSB if you can (code?). My pumphouse is not finished and there are spiders, webs, etc, all over... finishing it may cost an additional 200-300$ but IMHO well worth it, and adds tons of value not to mention better temperature control.

If it's near your bedroom don't go witha metal roof or you will here clank clank clank all the time from rain, snow, leaves, etc... Home Depot is clearing out their 30yr comp shingles right now for a killer price, and for a building that big the shingles will be around $75 total $25 paper = $100 to roof.

Go with 2' eves so you can lean stuff under it so it doesn't get wet.

You could add whirly-birds for vents to keep air flowing too, attic or not good idea.

I would def. add electric if it's affordable to run it out there, if not and it gets sun you could add a cheap panel and a CFL or a couple LEDS inside to light it up.

Make sure it's sturdy and has a deadbolt

Home depot has steel doors for <$150 (prehung).
They also have security metal braces for around the deadbolt... make sure you use 3" screws, and they go into something not air (space door good).

Instead of making this I suggest checking on craigslist and putting a nice shed on a concrete pad.

My folks scored a nice shed that was delivered on flat bed (used) 100% finished inside, with a loft, for <$3k.. T111 siding, comp-roof, extremely heavy duty. I think it's 12x16.

+1 on Todd W's suggestion to insulate and finish the inside of the shed. Makes a big difference.

You might also check with your local tax authority before you build. Around here if you pour a slab and stick build your shed you will have the value of of the building added to your yearly tax bill. If it is a "portable" building, a stick built building on skids it adds no value to the property and no added value to your property taxes.

I wouldn't worry too much about using simple cost-effective materials like plywood and standard stud construction. There is a good reason why standard stud construction is popular.

Yes, if someone is very determined to such construction can be sawed into using a chainsaw. Fortunately chainsaws are noisy, fairly expensive, and few thieves are organized or motivated enough to bring one. If your really worried someone might break out a saw and saw their way in find yourself some old chain-link fencing and use fencing staples to loosely fasten it to the inside of the sheathing. Power saws don't like chain link fencing and a reciprocating saw won't cut it easily if it is loose. All tools and materials have weaknesses.

Brick and block walls are quite easy to break into with a hammer. It doesn't take much time or cause much noise to break a hole big enough to step through. I worked at a machine shop, standard mesh reinforced block walls, where someone broke in with a hammer. The way around this would be to pour and reinforce each stack of cells in a block wall. Surface bonding can help and save money but the method is controversial. Bricks can be made tougher by laying them up and pouring fiber reinforced concrete behind. But all masonry is heavy, slow and tiring to work with, and expensive. Start pouring cells and adding rebar and things get really costly.

Try beating your way into a well constructed stud wall and your going to create a lot of noise and take a lot of time. Plywood glued and nailed, screwed if your a fanatic, often has to be reduced to splinters before it comes apart. OSB is less robust.

If plywood is applied vertically it can be used as a replacement for many of the normal metal reinforcements. You still need straps to hold rafters to top plates and floor to rim joists but with a 4-6-12 nail pattern the plywood is stronger than the steel straps for holding top plate to rim joist. With careful design the entire 8' length can be used so there is one less thing to cut.

Wow, more excellent information and ideas to consider. I definitely need to gather some local information regarding property value and tax implications, local building codes and permit issues.

The ideas about construction, materials and security are also particularly helpful to me.

Thanks again.

It may not technically add value or cause an increase in taxes but if you go to sell a buyer will weigh it when they compare your house to others.

Around here a portable building, one not built on a permanent foundation or slab, but one which may be fastened to the ground with dead-men or screw anchors to prevent it from blowing away, don't require building permits and aren't taxed. The kicker is that skid mounted portable buildings can be moved short distances by dragging and long distances by being winched onto the back of a flatbed.

An acquaintance lives next the the river and he has a guest cottage and storage shed out back near the river. Very picturesque and convenient to be able to pretty much paddle right up to the guest cottage and fish the river from the back porch. Of course being in Florida when the rains or hurricane comes the river rises. So he unbolts the tie-downs, backs up his tractor and drags them to higher ground on his property. In the last five years he has done it twice.

If and when he sells the property he can take the buildings with him. Handy that.

There is a Mennonite business here that builds sheds and can deliver at least a 12x16' one on a truck, and nicely made.

If you have a place like that locally, ask about repossessed ones. They may be cheaper than buying the materials and doing it yourself. All you would (likely) have to do is insulate it and add the bits you want.

But don't forget about access, which is my problem. I couldn't get a 12' wide shed through a <10' gate.

Sue

That is a good point.

Another one on that same topic is winter... some places in winter you won't be able to take delivery, and other places it could be near impossible to build.

(I`m rushing to get my projects done prior to winter! Some people won't even drive up here in winter to do work.)

I discovered this tidbit of cold-war nostalgia doing some research a while back. Aside from the obvious intention, it make an excellent hurricane, tornado or earthquake shelter.

See attached .PDF.

I was thinking a small cargo trailer might be a good replacement for a shed. You can store what you need, and in an emergency that requires you to leave, just hook it up to the truck and go.

-john

Unfortunately a lot of urban areas prohibit storage of trailers on one's property. Sure the answer is to move to the country but that can't happen until the kids are out of school now since the area in the country that we have land has a corrupt school system.

I've built a couple of storage sheds, a big one and a smaller one. Here's the big one:



It's 10 X 12 feet and 16 feet high at the peak and is of my own design (no permits were required). The framework is 4" X 6" douglas fir using basically post and beam (Amish barn style) construction. The roof rafters are 4" X 10" douglas fir, and both the roof and floor are 2" X 6" tongue and groove spruce. All joints use galvanized steel brackets and are screwed with deck screws rather than nailed. The shed is built on a post and pier foundation (3 rows with 3 piers each), each pier being 2 X 2 X 2 foot poured concrete to get down below the frostline. There is an additional row of piers out front for the deck. The siding is 10" beveled western red cedar over standard sheets of 5/8" marine grade plywood. Inside, at each end, are 4 X 10 foot lofts (used for storage, sleeping platforms, etc). There is 6 feet of headroom in the lofts at the roof peak. Since the shed is at 8000 feet in the San Bernadino mountains, there is a snow load on the roof in the winter time. Therefore, there is a four foot drop from the peak of the roof to the lower back edge of the shed. The roof faces directly south, and at some point I'll add solar panels to the roof. For now, the sun beats down on the roof and helps reduce the snow load. For security, the door is steel and there are no windows. The exterior has been painted twice with Behr brand cedar stain since I built it in 1992, except for the south facing wall which bears the brunt of the winter weather and has been painted 3 times. It is lit and heated by non-electric means. This shed was expensive to build because of the materials, but it will last more than a lifetime. It can hold a lot of stuff, and could be lived in for a long time if need be.

The smaller shed I built exactly like this big one only about one-third the size. It was much cheaper to build using 2 X 4's and has a plywood roof and floor. The walls are just the standard grooved plywood exterior siding, and they've been shingled over entirely with recycled license plates fastened on with stainless steel screws. This is mostly for decoration but actually protects the plywood and reflects heat admirably. The smaller shed also has a steel door and no windows.

Here's a picture of the small shed:

Sotto - On your large one what did you do for the top edge of the roof to prevent water from going under the shingles? I don't see any caps up there just what appears to be the start of shingles.

Did you just put tar under that last row and call it good or what ?

I have a similar structure and that is what I`m trying to figure out now.

Also, how come you did not do any eves?

More pictures of that inside/out during construction would be awesome if you have them... maybe a new POST or PM me ??

Todd W: There is metal drip edge applied over the shingle edges at the top edge and sides, and underneath the shingles at the bottom edge. You can see the drip edge clearly at the top front of the little shed. The roof is a sandwich with the following layers top to bottom: drip edge as above, shingles, thickish tarpaper (with two layers with roofing tar in between along the bottom edge), 1/2 or 5/8 inch plywood, 2 inch thick styrofoam board insulation, then the 2 X 6" spruce tongue and groove boards for the ceiling of the shed. As I recall, the plywood sheathing covers everything underneath and, although you can't see it, probably overhangs everything by maybe a quarter or half inch, including the red cedar facing boards that you see running around the edge of the roof line.

I didn't want any eaves, thinking that this would basically prevent the formation of any ice dams and icecycles (sp?) caused by melting snow running down the roof and freezing at overhanging eaves. This design prevents that entirely. It hasn't leaked a drop since 1992.

As far as I know, I don't have any digital images of the construction.

Why not a shipping container for the simplicity, and then you can cover it up with paneling or such for aesthetic purposes.

I didn't see where you live in your profile, but if you're near a port or a shipping hub, you may be able to get for cheap.

All metal, large doors, some pre-vented, nearly indestructible I would think.

The 20' containers are quite inexpensive since shipper's want the biggest they can get. There are schools here in the Northwest that use them for cheap earthquake shelters, they are low,stable and offer good protection from falling debris. Placement is a lot easier than you would think.

For about twelve years the ranger station on San Miguel Island was two 20 foot shipping containers placed next to a wooden deck. They were outfitted with windows and doors by a commercial company and airlifted in place. Not a very aesthetic setup, but I spent more than one stormy night inside, snug, warm, and dry, and extremely grateful for the shelter. They are inherently rodent proof, unless you leave the door open. That should be a major consideration for any storage unit.

Never buy one of those containers sight-unseen. Many of the ones they want to get rid of are seriously damaged and rusty, and many of the worst have carried garbage (rotting stuff garbage). Look beyond a cheap coat of paint.

Here's some info with some price ranges: http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/10102006_Shipping_Container_Housing.asp

Sue

Shipping containers can be quite good. But they can leak and be difficult to reseal, rust and be more trouble to correct than they are worth, difficult to insulate and extremely cold if uninsulated. Living for any time in shipping container can be uncomfortable unless you essentially build a room inside the steel shell.

It also has to be noted that even though they are made of steel the load bearing capacity that allows them to be stacked is all in the corners and in specifically reinforced areas of the walls. The ceilings on them are not structurally sound enough to carry a lot of weight. If you are planning on burying one underground and covering it with any significant amount of dirt you would need to reinforce the roof structure.

A shipping container placed underground in most areas will also need to be thoroughly sealed, rustproofed inside and out, and provision made to keep it from floating if the water table rises.

All that can be done, and it has been in quite a few cases, but it isn't quite as simple and easy as many people think.

I agree with Art- the corners are the load bearers.

I've known several people that have converted them to living spaces- they insulated inside and outside the steel, covered in paneling inside, had man doors cut/modified at each end, solatubes or skylights added, etc.

Here is a web site that you might want to peruse,

http://www.shedandshelter.com/index.html

Has different types of buildings and shelters, lots of good information.

Since first reading this thread, I have had a shed constructed on my Mothers propoerty.

About 11 feet by 17 feet, built of concrete blocks on a cast concrete base.
Three walls only being required as the structure is a lean-to against an existing stone wall.
The door is substantial hardwood, fitted with a mortice lock and outward opening.
No windows are fitted, ample light being provivded via the roof which is of transparent polycarbonate.

I chose concrete blocks rather than timber for both security and fire safety.
The type of substantial timber construction disscussed in previous posts, is almost unknown here in the UK. The choice is between blockwork or very lightweight prefabricated timber that is very vulnerable.

Fire risk concerns me somewhat since most of the contents are flammable, and the location is in a small town with other structures nearby. No electrical installation of any kind is used, again to reduce fire risk. The shed is for long term backup stocks, not for items that may be required suddenly in the dark

How is it for temperature with the clear roof?
I wonder if the sun might make it a bit to warm.
Cement blocks are pretty good construction and we would use them more here except for frost.
Usually we don't bother with foundations under a storage shed here. A wooden shed flexes enough that it stays together when the frost heaves it in the winter.
With cement block shed we would have to put foundation 3 or 4 feet deep underneath it and that would cost more than the shed.

The roof slopes towards North, which limits solar gain a bit, but yes it does get rather warm.
I may cover the roof in white canvas during the summer, removing this in the winter.

The concrete base was cast on an existing hard surfaced area, no additional foundations being considered to be needed.

We do get frost here, but not severe enough to cause damage in most cases.

The total cost for having it built, not DIY was £2,700.

I have an outbuilding that was built to store firewood.
I converted it to two closed rooms with floors and doors. One side is heavy tools: chainsaw, floor jacks, 5 foot prybars, shorter prybars, full sized axes, sledgehammers, carpentry hatchets, rakes, shovels of every style I use. There's also cargo strapping systems in there that can be used to raise heavy objects. Plus general rope, wire roap, etc

Probably need to move a framing hammer and duplex nails out here as well if I'm going to support a damaged structure.

The second half is filled with scrap wood also known as dunnage. I keep hard hats, gloves, dust masks, glasses, and knee pads for extrication here too. The wood is a variety of sizes and cuts. Just the sort of stuff you'd need to reinforce a building.,

Should the main house collapse this is the wood and tools that are going to be used to access mu house "safely" and get the rest of my stuff.

I've also got a 24' extension ladder in back, a large wheelbarrow, and my pusher lawnmower in case the grass is becoming too long during the emergency. http://forums.equipped.org/images/icons/default/smile.gif

I have just torn the old attached garage off my house and replaced it with a new garage with a room above and off to the side, plus a rooftop deck. In the course of designing the new structure, I made the very significant discovery that, if the new garage was not actually attached to the existing house, even if it's only an inch away as mine is, the permit and inspection process was very substantially simpler, faster, and cheaper. Not only that, if my old original house falls down for some reason (earthquake??), now I have a second "house" that, due to some steel beam framing construction, stands a much better chance of remaining upright. And, as I mentioned in another post, the new construction has to have gutters and downspouts that feed into rain barrels, for a nice emergency water supply.