Shed Construction Cost

[Timless Timber]

So - you have minor rust after 14 years?

I reckon I could live with that!

Heck my cars rust out faster than that!

Maybe time for a colorbond car!

or

Aluminium cladding?

[cava]

So - you have minor rust after 14 years?

I reckon I could live with that!

Heck my cars rust out faster than that!

Maybe time for a colorbond car!

or

Aluminium cladding?

Yes. In 4-5 places up to circa 80 mm high. Not too bad for a 30 m x 9 m shed.

[Timless Timber]

Mornington peninsular, thats bye the ocean isn't it? (Seem to recall we went there once the wife and I about 30 years ago & hand fed those blue and red parrots at the caravan park in the national park at the end of the peninsular). Maybe the salt from the ocean air is whats started the white ants in the metal? Still, 14 years is a pretty good run for any form of ferrous metal near the sea IMHO.

[Christopha]

If you are building anywhere near the sea then a steel shed is a waste of time and money. I live 1/2 k from the beach and steel sheds here don't last much more than 10 years. The ones where people have poured the floor after last a lot less.... Zincalume seems to last about a third of the time of colorbond and the use of bitumen impregnated foam between sheets and the slab and under the ridge cap seems to make a difference as well.

There are timber framed sheds here that have been reclad but the timber structures in some cases would be approaching a century old. You will never get that with a steel framed shed here.

[Chris Parks]

Hi all,

I've just bought a home and will be putting a reasonably large shed in the backyard. (NSW Illawarra area) It's a 18m x 6m shed with a skillion roof from Ranbuild which is quoted at just under $20k (not including slab). I've asked for a quote on construction and that came in at $7k.

While I had expected the shed to be about that price but hoped it would be less the construction cost seems very high to me. Any opinions?

Would you be prepared to build it yourself or help someone to do it? if so I would build a timber framed shed as they are far nicer in many ways. These days with pre-fabbed frames delivered on site and ready stand up it is a fairly painless process. I wouldn't be too worried about cyclones in the Illawarra, heavier than normal rain is more the norm with heavy flooding experienced in the past.

[Timless Timber]

I like building out of timber too Chris. Just gives lots of flexibility when considering alterations and so on.

When we had our timber factory our insurer wouldn't touch us because of fire risk they claimed.

We looked at putting in a larger water line than 18mm so that we could put up a couple hose reels in case of fire (kiln and dry timber storage is a lot of $ invested in stock).

Trouble was to go above a standard 18mm pipe and meter the water corp here wanted about $6K a year in water rates - because you have a commercial sized run in pipe.

Our annual water usage bill was $8.00! There was a sink / hand basin for filling the kettle & making coffee, and a WC!

It just seemed ludicrous to pay $6K a year in water rates to have the availability of a lot of water for fire fighting on a "it might be needed one day in case of fire" type basis when our usage was far less than fell on the roof in rainfall each year and went to waste down the downpipes!.

Even with a large inlet and hose reels around the place we still couldn't get insurance because the place was timber framed.

I don't know if it's a consideration for a home shed / hobby shed - but for us it was a issue with the bank etc & securing mortgage, if you can't get fire insurance.

Might be something worth researching first maybe.

Insurers run a mile when they read terms like "timber frame & truss construction", "wood working shop", "kilns", "solvents" etc. Just that was our experience is all. Also the termites will probably have a field day - the treatment chemicals barely last 12 months now days as they are all biodegradable and break down reasonably fast in the soil.

I guess this is why tilt panel concrete is getting so popular maybe?.