Building a Shed 15 June 2020 at 10:23PM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 11 replies 262 views

slapbang80

Hi, I bought a shed, delivered flat packed and built it, everything seemed fine.  I painted it using Ronseal Fence plus (which is recommended for fences and sheds) 
All was well except now I have noticed the horizontal panels have moved creating gaps in the panels.  Also where they have put nails in the panels, the wood is splitting around it.  Has anyone  had anything like this before? I was so excited about getting a man cave but now I don't want to out anything in there as it will get damp or even wet due to the gaps.  I have sent photos to the place I bought it from but the whole thing is such a ball ache due to the fact I am having decking built next to the shed.  I'm gutted and I just want them to take it back but I know that's probably not going to happen

Anyone had similar issues with a shed? I expected some tolerance in the wood but never this much

Cheers

slapbang80

Davesnave

Looks to me like you bought a cheap, overlap shed and one can only hope you paid the right price for what you received. If it's any consolation I've seen sheds from the internet that actually bend in the middle from being too flimsy in construction to support their own weight.

Even posher tongue and groove sheds can come apart through shrinkage in hot weather, though they shouldn't. Mine haven't and they're up to 10 years old, but I bought them from a local manufacturer with a reputation to uphold and they were not cheap.

Where did you get yours?

Silvertabby

Our (not cheap) tonge and groove shed is now about 10 years old and still in excellent condition - but even that has the odd little gap and knot hole. 

If you want a man cave rather than a shed then you'll need to fit a layer of something like plywood to the insides.  Is the base waterproof?

Apodemus

From the top and bottom pictures, it looks like the lower plank has simply dropped slightly, so that one might be simply a matter of lifting it back in position and renailing it. The upright between the windows looks a bit more shoddy, but it should be possible to remove that plank and replace it, or add an additional piece over it.  Not ideal, when it should have been built better in the first place, but I think, if it were me, I’d just fix it rather than fight over it.

...and as Silvertabby says, then line it out if you want to make it habitable and secure.

slapbang80

It was bought online, it was the size I wanted and many places sold the same shed but changed the name, so i went for the one that sold it cheapest. It was still over £550.00.  I wondered if I has painted it too early, there are so many conflicting pieces of advice ont he internet it's unreal.
Some people advise putting expanding foam in the gaps and then drill the rogue panels so they go back together.  Others recommend  other ways.  I am going to insulate it and make the best of a bad situation, we are having decking fitted around one side of the shed so I'm pretty much stuck with it.
The worrying thing was that when we built it everything was fine and it was just like it was eroding before my eyes.
Hey ho, as long as it is insulated Il be happy...just! I wanted electric in there and thought that plan was doomed as if there was gaps then moisture would get it.
Does anyone have any sure fire ways for insulating? I've seen the foil bubble wrap thing which seems straight forward enough...

in_my_wellies

We used insulated plaster board for walls and ceiling but as it's about 6 or 7 cm it does make the inside smaller but provided an ideal surface for shelves. Also covered the windows with 3mm acrylic sheet for insulation and security. The floor was covered with some kind of foil and something thick and very hard to take the weight of an old lathe - sorry can't remember what it was called
It was heated 24/7 with a convector heater set at 1.5 which was more than enough to work comfortably even in winter 

Apodemus

Before you start, I would re-roof with Onduline and increase the overhang at the eaves, to shed as much water as possible.  You don’t want the walls letting in water once you’ve insulated, and if the walls are poorly constructed, there is every chance the roof is too.

Davesnave

slapbang80 said:

It was bought online, it was the size I wanted and many places sold the same shed but changed the name, so i went for the one that sold it cheapest. It was still over £550.00.  I wondered if I has painted it too early, there are so many conflicting pieces of advice ont he internet it's unreal.
Some people advise putting expanding foam in the gaps and then drill the rogue panels so they go back together.  Others recommend  other ways.  I am going to insulate it and make the best of a bad situation, we are having decking fitted around one side of the shed so I'm pretty much stuck with it.
The worrying thing was that when we built it everything was fine and it was just like it was eroding before my eyes.
Hey ho, as long as it is insulated Il be happy...just! I wanted electric in there and thought that plan was doomed as if there was gaps then moisture would get it.
Does anyone have any sure fire ways for insulating? I've seen the foil bubble wrap thing which seems straight forward enough...

There may be conflicting advice, but for those reading this thread the most obvious one that can't be refuted is that you should only buy what you've seen, preferably from the manufacturer. Yes, that might mean travelling, but if I can do it in the middle of Devon, so can most people.

Secondly, if you are going to insulate, use waterproof insulation and don't fill the entire space its in. The shed we inherited with this house was knackered because the person who lived here previously stuffed rockwool into the cavities he made behind the plywood interior. This was almost permanently soggy.

Lastly, you can have electric anywhere you like, even in the middle of the garden. It just has to be installed by a competent person using the correct materials. I have electricity in my polytunnel so I can run the radio/CD player through a 50watt amp when it rains hard!  I also have it in a barn clad with Yorkshire boarding, which to the lay person means there are blooming great gaps in the sides to allow air to flow through. In winter it's better that the barn 'breathes.'

Edit: I've just seen what you paid but without a size that's only half the story. I know my 7'x12' shed was just over £1k in 2012, so you can compare with that.

Niv

I would be ripping that felt off and replacing with EDPM if you want it last a decent length of time. You can buy 'kits' off ebay which provide sheets of an appropriate size for your shed and the quantity of adhesive you need. I just did this to my old shed and it has made a massive difference.

in_my_wellies

Apodemus said:

Before you start, I would re-roof with Onduline and increase the overhang at the eaves, to shed as much water as possible.  You don’t want the walls letting in water once you’ve insulated, and if the walls are poorly constructed, there is every chance the roof is too.

^^^^^ this, another vote for Onduline roof with a gutter. I collect the water into 2 x water butts. 

vvvvv this too, I inherited a garage with horsehair packed behind chipboard and it was always wet. We removed the chipboard and horsehair and it felt warmer and dryer than with the 'insulation'
We used insulated plasterboard and left a space behind it - it was tempting to fill the space with rockwool or similar but we didn't and have never had damp. 

Davesnave 

Secondly, if you are going to insulate, use waterproof insulation and don't fill the entire space its in. The shed we inherited with this house was knackered because the person who lived here previously stuffed rockwool into the cavities he made behind the plywood interior. This was almost permanently soggy.

Lastly, you can have electric anywhere you like, even in the middle of the garden. It just has to be installed by a competent person using the correct materials.