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I Built a Shed (2020)

eduardosasso.co

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Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#271

Post by unethical_ban »

OJFord wrote: post #235
pjc50 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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,…

> In the UK, if your shed is less than 15m^2 and is not used as living accomodation, no building regulations apply And is 'temporary', right? I didn't know about the size limit, but I thought it had to be a sort of free-standing structure not fixed into the ground - i.e. you can make a concrete level base, but you can't embed your vertical supports in it?

My dad has built several sheds in our backyards/land over the years. I recall he hacked the "permanent structure" definition by packing the dirt, then laying 4x4 lumber as the foundation.

Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#272

Post by unethical_ban »

Why is running ethernet and power in the same conduit bad? Other than for possibly signal interference for the data?

I would love a general book recommendation, if it exists, for "common construction codes ELI5".

It would be better for helpful best practices to be accessible and easily comprehensible rather than be bound up in some municipal website.

Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#273

Post by jefftk »

zeckalpha wrote: post #259
jefftk wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks! Quickly looking at the rules, it doesn't look to me like the issue is whether you're connected to the grid? If you have high-voltage wiring (50V+) it looks to me like you still need to get that permitted and inspected?

Don’t have HV then, at least as part of the structure. Say, 14.8V DC and a removable 120VAC inverter.

Sure, but you could also run 48V from the main structure, no?

Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#274

Post by duxup »

hinkley wrote: post #65
ohazi wrote: post #33

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…

I was going to post about code violations but I’ll just tuck it under yours here so we don’t flood the top level (although one could argue that this really deserves it). I had to stop reading r/diy because half the stuff in there made me angry. Especially people building lofts to store heavy stuff without knowing anything about construction. You can’t overlap rooflines like this. That’s how they allow people to build…

> I had to stop reading r/diy

Same, I don’t want to rain on everyone’s parade, at the same time people should know “that might not be or ISN’T the way to do it…”

I was also wary of what I suspected were a lot of “Here are my before and after shots I took.” Where they didn’t do the work.

Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#275

Post by sjs382 »

tharkun__ wrote: post #81
hinkley wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was going to post about code violations but I’ll just tuck it under yours here so we don’t flood the top level (although one could argue that this really deserves it). I had to stop reading r/diy because half the stuff in there made me angry. Especially people building lofts to store heavy stuff without knowing anything about construction. You can’t overlap rooflines like this. That’s how they allow people to build…

I like your parent's explanation of why screws are not allowed by code in some places and also saying that yes, screws actually can be used, if you use the right ones, even if they aren't allowed by code in some places. I really like that because just mentioning code doesn't do any good. Just because code says something doesn't mean that it makes sense. There's tons of omissions in codes or stuff that is unnecessaril…

https://fs.blog/chestertons-fence/

Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#276

Post by mattmaroon »

The reason you use nails rather than screws is that nails bend, screws do not. As the framing shifts (and it will because nature) the nails will bend and allow the boards to remain attached as they shift.

Screws have the advantage of not backing out. So at right angles (think a deck board attached to the joist) they are preferred. Lateral force will, however, easily snap them. But for framing they are probably a code violation.

Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#277

Post by nine_k »

ohazi wrote: post #33

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…

I wonder how much the code should apply to a lightweight construction like pictured. Not legally but from the civil engineering point of view.

I completely agree that running power and network cables in the same conduit is dangerous. I'm not as certain about the use of screws. To me, it looks that even if the whole shed collapses, the rubble would have hard time seriously hurting the person inside (except for the glass; I hope it's safety glass).

Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#278

Post by jcrawfordor »

hamburglar wrote: post #123
hinkley wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Overlapping rooflines allow you to make a “detached” building that is functionally an addition to your house. The downside is that if you want to build a breezeway to a detached garage you’re going to have to get permits to do that. It sucks but otherwise you get people who make a long narrow house that’s a series of rooms that were built over time, and never inspected. You may see properties that have three fairly l…

This still doesn’t explain why overlapping rooflines are actually problematic, though. I have always wondered this myself, as I actually own a house with a detached garage where the previous owner and next door neighbor put an easement on file that allowed the next door neighbor (whose ground level is about 5 feet higher via a retaining wall) to build an outbuilding very close to the property line with the roofline h…

Fire safety is a major motivation throughout the building code, and this rule is kind of a proxy to fire risk assessment. If you join rooflines then fire can jump from one to the other. Larger structures and structures used for residence are high risks for fatalities if a fire spreads too quickly and/or without adequate ability to evacuate. Structures assembled ad-hoc over time tend to be high fire risks for several reasons, and avoiding permitting and inspection requirements avoids any check on that.

Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#279

Post by throwaway9870 »

ohazi wrote: post #33

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…

You can get structural rated screws in pretty much any Home Depot or Lowes in the US and they don't cost that much relative to all the other expenses building that shed.

Telling people to not use structural screws is wrong, they are far superior to nails for DIY person. For starters using the right nail isn't that easy either - do you know if you inspector allows clipped head nails? Are you driving them in pressure treated wood? If so, do you have the right nail? With a GRK R4, you don't have to worry about any of those issues. They are easy to drive with an impact driver, for a noob, they are faster than driving a nail by hand, they can be removed, they are less likely to split wood.

The important thing here is that neither nails nor screws are "all the same". Know what you are using them for and use the correct ones. If you use any hangers or other ties, you can generally use screws or nails, but you MUST read the spec sheet from the manufacture to get the correct ones. Even "professional" home builders frequently use the wrong fasteners for these applications.

https://www.grkfasteners.com/support/code-approvals

Re: I Built a Shed (2020)

#280

Post by throwaway9870 »

hinkley wrote: post #129
hamburglar wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This still doesn’t explain why overlapping rooflines are actually problematic, though. I have always wondered this myself, as I actually own a house with a detached garage where the previous owner and next door neighbor put an easement on file that allowed the next door neighbor (whose ground level is about 5 feet higher via a retaining wall) to build an outbuilding very close to the property line with the roofline h…

It’s a “this is why we can’t have nice things” situation. There’s no physics problem with overlapping that I know of, but it’s a giant loophole for people who are up to no good. It’s not so much that you shouldn’t be able to do it as that there’s no way we can do it without a permit.

No physics problem? I consider a fully equipment fireman carrying a person trying to squeeze between the house and the shed to be a physics problem. And yes, those situations are considered when codes are written.
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