The Owner-Built Shed

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Almost everyone has a storage problem of one sort or another. And that used to include John Frost of Grafton, Massachusetts . . . until two years ago, that is, when John found a way to come out ahead in "the race for space".

storage space for just a little more than $100 per square foot:

by John Frost

John Frost Nothing beats having an honest-for-real barn when you're in need of a sheltered place to park the old Farmall or stash 20 extra bales of hay. Unfortunately, though, many back-to-the-landers—myself included—don't have a barn, and can't afford the investment of time and money necessary to build one. (Which helps explain why most of us have more tools and machinery sitting out in the open, exposed to all kinds of weather, than is right and proper.)

' Then again, if you're "fresh out" of storage space—and if (like me) you can't see your way clear to construct a genuine barn—it may interest you to know that you can come by all-weather storage space for slightly over $1.00 per square foot . . . if you'll just do the building yourself.

My new "did it myself" storehouse (see accompanying photos) contains approximately 500 square feet of floor space, took me six weekends to erect, and set me back only $528 for materials. The structure is functional, attractive, and sufficiently spacious for my needs (it holds—with ease—two cars, a tractor, and a canoe). And the shed meets all local construction codes . . . which means [A] it can handle the substantial snow loads of a typical New England winter, and [B] no building inspector can ever "throw the book at me" for non-compliance with The Rules.

FIRST, THE CODE

The very first thing you should do if you decide to build a shed like mine is trek on down to your city clerk's office and obtain a copy of the local building code. (Some municipalities sell the book, others give the manual to anyone who asks for it, and still others yet have no copies of the guide for distribution in any manner. If you run into the last situation, however, there is an easy way to find out exactly what you'll have to do to keep the building inspector happy: just apply for a construction permit.)

If you're lucky enough to be able to take home a copy of the code book, you'll find that the volume offers a bonanza of useful information for the do-it-yourself builder. For example, the fourteen tables and appendices of my town's manual list such things as allowable spans for various sizes of rafters under given load conditions, load-bearing qualities of assorted soil types, and other hard-to-get technical info. As a result—ironically enough—that code book is one of the most valued volumes on my reference shelf.