171–180 of 323 posts
There is a beautifully illustrated book on just this topic: How to Build a Shed by Sally Coulthard ( https://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Shed-Sally-Coulthard/dp/178... ). The instructions are so well-designed that it's a pleasure to read even if you're not completing the project.
No need to re-recommend it. We read the article :-)
Not that anything about this shed is built to code, but this takes the cake: > PRO TIP Use screws for everything; if you mess up, remove the screws and redo it; with nails, it’s a lot harder to do that. You absolutely should not do this for framing, and most building codes specify the type and size of nails that you must use when fastening load-bearing structural components. Screws are convenient, sure, but they are…
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Ah yes, I know about the grey PVC but spaced on it. Typically this is for external runs bolted to the side of a building though. Or at least, that’s almost all I ever see it used for. Can you use it for open air horizontal runs? Say between two buildings? Data you want shielded, for the reasons I stated. Stringing Ethernet between buildings often ends in tears.
I ran outdoor-rated cat6 in metal conduit between my house and shed, about 6 feet, and it has worked very well. What do you see as the problem?
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Also it sounds like he ran both the low voltage network cable and the high voltage line-level power wiring inside of the same conduit which is a big no-no for various code and safety related reasons. From what I understand messing with electric code violations is not a good idea, if your homeowners insurance finds out you put in some janky stuff like that and your house burns down, they might invalidate your policy b…
The home insurance people will absolutely nail him on this. They'll eventually send someone out to inspect the property on a policy renewal. They'll refuse to renew the policy until the code violations are corrected. And they'll definitely notice and have questions about the odd 'shed' that looks new and very out of place. If he has really wired it as it seems, if anything consequential (unrelated) happens to the pro…
Is this common elsewhere in the world?
Not that anything about this shed is built to code, but this takes the cake: > PRO TIP Use screws for everything; if you mess up, remove the screws and redo it; with nails, it’s a lot harder to do that. You absolutely should not do this for framing, and most building codes specify the type and size of nails that you must use when fastening load-bearing structural components. Screws are convenient, sure, but they are…
> Not that anything about this shed is built to code This is why we can't have nice, or at least affordable but slightly less than perfect, things. I would also note that, while I'm sure everyone's right about the rules in Santa Cruz, this is jurisdiction specific. In the UK, if your shed is less than 15m^2 and is not used as living accomodation, no building regulations apply, and you can build it with screws, nails,…
I really enjoyed reading the article just as someone who likes writing and reading. It was very engaging and I enjoyed the process he went through from having an idea to finally committing to it and I especially liked him commenting on things like choosing materials that fit in his car.
I also really am enjoying the comments on HN from knowledgeable, experienced people who know whereof they speak and I appreciate your comment because I spent years homeless and I've studied housing issues and lack of affordable housing is a root cause of homelessness in the US.
So this is a real issue and I'm reminded of the fact that after racist White people burned down "Black Wall Street" they then began interfering with the rebuilding by trying to pass more stringent fire safety codes when building codes had nothing to do with why it burned down. It burned down because hateful people torched it.
And I wonder how we solve this. I wonder how we balance all those concerns of not squelching creative impetus and not squelching a desire to add something cost effectively with real world concerns that "If you do it that way, people die or you burn out your Ethernet card (or whatever)."
Seems like with the internet being a thing, we could find ways to balance those many issues. But so far we really aren't.
People in the know are often comfortably well off. They have no problem with saying "Well, pay the few extra bucks to do it right." and the result is some people are sleeping in the streets and it falls on deaf ears when you try to draw those connections.
It's frustrating.
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> Screws are convenient, sure, but they are necessarily much harder than nails and are prone to embrittlement and cracking,... That sounds like bike-shedding :D
Ya, it is bike shedding in most cases. I've seen a few side by side comparisons of nails vs screws for framing and while it's true that screws are more likely to sheer off, nails are more likely to pull out. And assuming you used a reasonable size and quantity of screws, the load required to sheer them will be so far and above anything required by code that it becomes a distinction without a difference.
That's why you toe nail in opposite directions, giving you the best of both worlds.
Not that anything about this shed is built to code, but this takes the cake: > PRO TIP Use screws for everything; if you mess up, remove the screws and redo it; with nails, it’s a lot harder to do that. You absolutely should not do this for framing, and most building codes specify the type and size of nails that you must use when fastening load-bearing structural components. Screws are convenient, sure, but they are…
Definitely want to use nails for framing (especially in zones that might experience the shearing forces of an earthquake) -- here are a couple of links so folks can see for themselves: [Project Farm]( https://youtu.be/qmajKElnwfE ) [Vancouver Carpenter]( https://youtu.be/5-PlR8tf84c )
Heh, I am glad I read the comments here. I bought a piece of land (a garden basically), and it has an old house / shack where the roof needs to go. I am debating internally for two days now if I should replace the roof myself or not or just bite the bullet and pay somebody. I am on a kind of a sabbatical so in theory I have time, and the idea is tempting, but it's definitely not software.
Not that anything about this shed is built to code, but this takes the cake: > PRO TIP Use screws for everything; if you mess up, remove the screws and redo it; with nails, it’s a lot harder to do that. You absolutely should not do this for framing, and most building codes specify the type and size of nails that you must use when fastening load-bearing structural components. Screws are convenient, sure, but they are…
And worth it. I have boxes of different sizes of Simpson strong-tie and strong-drive screws and I adore them. And they're mostly available at any Home Depot.