Thread: sheds why steel kits not timber?

Originally Posted by weisyboy

i have been reading a lot on here lately about people putting up kit sheds.

what i wanna know is why woodworkers are putting up steel framed kit sheds.

are they cheeper?
is there a lack of skill?
are they easyer?

i want to build a big shed for timber storage and keeping my mill in and will most probably build one out of timber with colour bond walls/roof.

yes they are cheaper by the time you have sorted out the green overpriced , twisted timber, roofing sheets,outside cladding etc,had plans drawn up,you can buy the steel prefab shed, along with the engineers plans for it, and wack it together, no more skill needed than banging together a glorified barn out of gathered timber only to have it eaten by termites in a few years time , and yes it is a lot easier to do , so the answer to your question Carl(there i spelt it right ) is it makes more sense, to use steel.and a lot of us have covenents where we live and cannot just erect what we like................bob

• stronger
• quicker
• termite resistant

(writes having helped put up a 20m x 10m x 3.6m shed, the hardest part was lifting the trusses up into position with ropes. But me and my Dad got the basic frame up in a day, once the posts had been left to cure for a few days, after of lot of blood and sweat)

The con with only two people doing it:
• not enough hands and other appendages become third and fourth pair of hands.

The greenies will hate you if you build a timber shed.

Have you noticed how a timber sheds looks after 20 to 30 years. There are several timber sheds on the property where I live and they all have distinct lean to the south. That includes hay sheds machinery sheds and slab sheds.

The slab sheds eventually fall right over.

The pole hay sheds probably stay upright the longest but even those eventually begin to lean. We have two pole haysheds here with sagging timber trusses, sagging timber purlins and sagging timber girts. They are clad with corrugated steel.

Cost cost and cost. Also what the above said.
My grandad's carpentry shop was all timber. A magical place for a kid to visit and what I always had in the back of my mind to build someday. If I win lotto. Mmmm.

My Grandad's too.

On a plus side of a timber shed, it'd be way cooler than a typical zincalume/colorbond shed.

Originally Posted by Barry_White

The greenies will hate you if you build a timber shed.

they would rather i buit it form steel creating all that polution than a renewable rescorce like timber.

Have you noticed how a timber sheds looks after 20 to 30 years. There are several timber sheds on the property where I live and they all have distinct lean to the south. That includes hay sheds machinery sheds and slab sheds.

if buit properly then they will last for 100 years you should come up this way.

The slab sheds eventually fall right over.

if you mean split slab sheds tehn yes but how long has it been scince anyone used split slabs to build anything.

The pole hay sheds probably stay upright the longest but even those eventually begin to lean. We have two pole haysheds here with sagging timber trusses, sagging timber purlins and sagging timber girts. They are clad with corrugated steel

everything has a life span how long ave they been there? how many times have they been run into? were teh post re ramed after teh sapwood roted off? saggin parts are just because they are not made strong enough.

we have 2 pole sheds on our place one has a gable roof and one wall. it has a 20 degree lean on it because we could not put any bracing in as we needed maximum height and both ends open to drive right threw. its been up for 20 years. and we will pull it backnup streight in the next mounth and put some bracing in and itl still be tehre in 20 years.

the other is a good 25 years old and is as good now as it was when built minus a few bullet holes in teh roof.

if i house can last 150 years why cant a shed?

i can but all teh materials in brisbane to build a 6 x 9m shed for $5000 delviverd.

Grandad's was over 100 years old when it got pulled down. It was left to him by his father.
Mind you white ants are not around in Scotland.

themain reason i am putting one up is i couldnt find anyone interested in doing the council plans. Perhaps i could have had a crack myself but time is always an issue

Steel sheds are cheaper & easier to build.
I've built pole frame sheds with timber trussed roof.
Takes longer just to make the trusses than to fully build a steel shed.
Clearspan steel frames are better than conventional trusses with a low bottom chord.

But tin sheds look crap if they're too close to a house.
And they are hot in summer and cold in winter.

My next shed, when I find the time to do it, will be fully lined stud walls & coupled rafters.
Weather boards outside and cgi roof.
I've started drawing the plans and I have most materials so cost is not a real issue,
I'm annoyed at the exorbitant cost of a building permit.

I'd love an American style shed with a full size loft, but I expect I'd have troubles sheeting such a high steep roof. As they are rare I'd undoubtedly have problems finding trades capable of doing it unless I engaged the Light Brigade.

I think its a combination of ease in assembly; dollars; and termites.
Are there any timber frame sheds available in kit form??

I like the idea of a steel frame generic shed, but with treated hardwood chamfer board cladding.

Cheers

Carl,

There are plenty of termites over your side of the mountain. A couple of my friends in upper brookfield put up a pole shed a few years ago. They put oil round the poles to try and keep the critters out but it'll only be a matter of time. My place used to get hit every couple of years until the termidore went in.

Given you can get the timber virtually free that makes it a closer run thing, but to do it legal you still need to get plans drawn up and approved by a chartered engineer, and I defy anyone to build a timber frame as fast as you can erect a portal frame. It's the sheeting that takes the time and the detail work on a steel shed. The portal frames can be anchored and up in an hour or so.

Having said all that I reckon a timber shed is a much nicer thing to have, but a shed for most is a tool for storing stuff, you just want it done and working so you can get on with other things. If the shed is a project in itself then yes build something beautiful.

There are combinations, as well.

My couple of sheds have had steel frames/trusses, tied together with hardwood rails and galv. sheeting. Easy to build, but hot as Hades come Summer.

(The next ones gonna be 9" brick. )

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

There are combinations, as well.

My couple of sheds have had steel frames/trusses, tied together with hardwood rails and galv. sheeting. Easy to build, but hot as Hades come Summer.

(The next ones gonna be 9" brick. )

Bakers ovens were traditionally built of brick !

Why not insulate that tin shed. Or wood cladding, for appearance, over a easy/cheap metal frame?

Cheers

Graeme

Actually brick/block/stone sheds can be very hospitable, but they aren't cheap nor quick either.

A friend has built a 20 x 10 x 4.5 in blocks with steel trusses/roof. Absolute paradise in summer..