DIY Bike Shed

Pouring the Concrete Slab

• 1

  Spray paint the ground to mark the perimeter of the foundation for the bike shed, making the slab one foot wider than the shed on each side. Pouring a concrete slab for the foundation provides a more secure base for the shed.

• 2

  Dig a hole inside the spray painted lines that is four inches deep. Smooth out the soil in the bottom of the hole with a rake.

• 3

  Cover the ground inside the hole with landscaping fabric to stabilize the soil and prevent weed growth.

• 4

  Add 2 inches of gravel to the hole, then rake it smooth. Compact the gravel by tamping it.

• 5

  Place rebar into the hole on top of the gravel in a grid pattern, spacing the bars about 12 inches apart. This provides reinforcement for the concrete.

• 6

  Drive wooden stakes into the ground around the hole every three feet. Nail 2-by-4 boards to the wooden stakes. This is a form for the concrete that provides a straight, smooth edge for the part of the slab that extends above the ground.

• 7

  Mix a batch of concrete, following the instructions on the packaging, and pour it into the hole.

• 8

  Drag a 2-by-4 board across the top of the wooden form with a back-and-forth motion to smooth the concrete. This is called screeding. Allow the concrete to cure for at least four to five days.

• 9

  Remove the wooden form from around the slab.

Building the Bike Shed

• 10

  Measure and cut pieces of pressure-treated 2-by-4 boards to be the sill plates. These boards will join the framing of the shed to the concrete. Use one sill plate for each side, except for the front side that has the door. Cut two pressure-treated boards long enough to run from the sill plates on the side in toward the center, leaving enough space for the door.

• 11

  Place the sill plates into position on the slab, and bolt them to the slab using a hammer drill and masonry bolts. Use one bolt every 6 inches.

• 12

  Cut two untreated 2-by-4 boards that are the same length as the sill plate on one of the side walls. These boards are the top and bottom plate for the frame.

• 13

  Cut untreated 2-by-4 boards to be the wall studs. The length of the studs depends on how high you want the walls to be, but cut enough studs so that they are spaced no more than 16 inches apart in the frame.

• 14

  Nail a stud into each end of the bottom plate, then nail the other studs in between the two end studs. Position the studs to maintain a maximum 16-inch distance between them. Nail the top plate to the tops of the studs. The first wall frame is now complete.

• 15

  Assemble the framing for the back wall and the other side wall, using the same process.

• 16

  Cut an untreated 2-by-4 that matches the entire length of the front wall. This will be the top plate of the front wall. Cut an untreated 2-by-4 that matches each of the sill plates on the front wall to be the bottom plates.

• 17

  Nail a stud into each end of the top plate, then nail one end of each bottom plate to the bottom of the end studs. Position the bottom plates so that they go in toward the center of the frame.

• 18

  Nail a stud between the open end of the bottom plates and the top plate. These studs are called the king studs, and are the outer edge of the door frame. Nail studs into the frame between the end studs and the king studs, maintaining the 16-inch spacing.

• 19

  Measure the distance between the two king studs, and cut a 2-by-4 board to be the header. Place the header between the two king studs at the desired height, and nail it to the king studs.

• 20

  Measure and cut a 2-by-4 block to fit between the top plate and the header. This is the cripple stud. If there is more than 16 inches between the cripple stud and the king studs, use multiple cripple studs.

• 21

  Lift each wall frame into position on the sill plates, then nail them to the sill plates every 6 inches. After all of the walls are raised, nail the end studs in each corner to each other.

• 22

  Attach preassembled roof trusses to the top of the walls. Follow local building codes when installing the trusses, as it can vary by locale. You can purchase the trusses at a lumberyard or big-box home improvement store.

• 23

  Cover the entire structure (except where the door is) with half-inch plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Begin at the bottom of the walls, and work up toward the roof. Likewise, begin installing the sheathing on the roof at the bottom, working toward the peak. Stagger the boards so that the joints in each row of boards do not line up with those in the previous row to strengthen the walls.

• 24

  Cover the plywood or OSB with roofing paper, again beginning at the bottom and working toward the top. Overlap the edges of different sheets by one inch, and attach it to the sheathing every 6 inches with a hammer stapler.

• 25

  Nail drip-edge flashing along the bottom edges of the roof to prevent water from seeping up underneath the shingles.

• 26

  Install the shingles on the roof. Begin at the bottom, and work toward the peak. Stagger the shingles in each row, and lay the bottom half of the next course of shingles over the top half of the course that preceded it.

• 27

  Cover the outside walls of the shed with wooden shingles, veneer or siding.

• 28

  Install the door and lock, following the manufacturer's instructions for the set you purchased.