A New Outbuilding

I have been storing my ATV underneath the house where it could be chained to the foundation. Problematic was angling it correctly to back it into its space and the difficulty getting it out, uphill, in muddy or snowy weather. In addition, we needed the space to store wood and our new 7,000 W generator. Also problematic was the amount of space taken up by the Gravely walk-behind mower in the barn. So, I build a shed on the west side of the barn.

Framing of the Shed

The frame of the shed consisted of a treated 2"x6" header bolted to the frame of the barn, three treated 4"x4" posts about 8' from the barn, a treated 2"x8" header bolted to the posts, and 2"x6" roof joists. The dimensions were such that the ATV could be parked in one of the "stalls" and be completely out of the weather. The dimensions were about 12' wide by 8' deep. The front header was about 6' off the ground at its shortest, and the back header was bolted 8' above the foundation of the barn.

Onto this frame went the siding, 5/8" T1-11 plywood, nailed to horizontal rather than vertical studs. Eventually, this will be stained to match the barn, if the weather ever warms up enough.

Siding Installation

Getting the roofing together was another story altogether. On the weekend I needed to get the roofing in Elkins, there was 10" of snow on the ground, and the Prius was stuck at the bottom of the driveway. There was no way I could get my pickup truck off the property, so no way to get the roofing. Fortunately, my friend Vern offered to drive me to Elkins in his Toyota Tundra and get the roofing. Once we got back to the property, we had to carry five sheets of 3'x8' metal roofing up the first pitch of the driveway, around the Prius, and put it into the back of my truck. This was only moderately painful. In any event, we got the roofing up to the barn, but given the presence of 20 mph winds, I decided it was better to wait for another day to install the metal sheets rather than try and handle them in the wind. The next day was calmer, and after installing furring strips that I made by ripping 2x4s, the metal roof installed easily.

I wired the shed for electricity, putting an inside light on the side of the barn, a motion-activated light on the front header, and an outlet sheltered under the roof, behind the small board at the top left of the opening. Everything fit into the shed including my Gravely, the ATV trailer, and the ATV. Instead of locking the ATV to the concrete wall of the house, I simple lock the wheels to the frame using the same cable lock. In the wintertime, when snow can blow into the shed, I'll probably rig some sort of temporary plywood doors.


UPDATE 06/09/13: Finished with the staining and flashing on the roof.