DIY Shed With Vents

Construct a Foundation

• The foundation keeps the shed from settling, slipping or sliding. The foundation can be made of concrete, solid concrete blocks or decay-resistant 4-by-4 timbers. The decay-resistant timbers may be the easiest foundation to construct. Locate the foundation away from water runoffs and on a level ground.

  Mark the area with 2 x 2 stakes at each corner of the shed. Make the area at least six inches beyond the exterior walls. Remove four inches of soil. Use a four-foot carpenter's level and a 2 x 4 board to level the ground. Cover the ground with landscape fabric or a weed barrier and place lawn edging around the perimeter. Fill the space with four inches of gravel or crushed stone. Use a hand tamper to compress and level the bedding material.

Framing the Structure

• Place the timbers over the bedding and cover the timers with a waterproof membrane. The membrane acts as vapor barrier and keeps moisture away from the shed decking. Use 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 floor joists. Install the headers and end joists. Secured the floor joists to the headers. Double the end joists. Install the joists perpendicular to the timbers. Oriented Strand Board (OSB) or tongue-in-groove floor boards can be used for the shed’s flooring. Tongue-in groove flooring will provide a stronger deck.

  Frame the exterior walls with 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 studs. The rough openings must be the correct size for the window and door you are installing. Wood, aluminum or vinyl material is available for the window frame. Vinyl and aluminum are low-maintenance.

  The standard door width is 32 inches. You may want to think about installing double doors on one of the longer walls. This will ensure that you have easy access to each side of the shed as well as easy entry and exit for large objects.

  The most popular roofs for sheds are Pent, Hip Gabel and Gambrel. The easiest roof to construct is the Pent, which consist of beams sloped from the front to the back wall. The Gabel is the triangle like truss design. The Hip roof slops downward toward the walls and is pyramid-shaped.

  A Gambrel roof makes the shed look like a small barn, but is an excellent choice it you need additional storage capacity underneath the roof. Use ½-inch plywood for the roof deck. You can install ridge vents along the peak of the shed. Ridge vents allow hot air to flow out.

  Typically, build codes require one square foot of vent for each 150 square feet of space. If you build a roof with eaves it will help with water drainage away from the walls. You can also install lower an intake vent in a lower wall to bring in cool air. Make sure that you have a balance of both vents.