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I Built a Shed (2020)
- rectang 5y agoThere is so much involved with building structures, even something like a shed. Sheesh. I always figured that if I wanted to do a serious project like this, I would first do some volunteer work, maybe with Habitat for Humanity or similar, just to gain some experience. Does anybody have stories about noobs volunteering to help with construction?
- CodeGlitch 5y agoWas going to mention that not way is that roof steep enough for water run off, but I see he encountered that problem already. Also isn't this going to get really hot in the summer? A small air con unit could work well with a hole cut for the vent?
- wforfang 5y agoI enjoyed reading that! Great job.
- hbarka 5y agoVery nice! I like the sliding door idea. Thanks for sharing.
- Grakel 5y agoCool! A coat of gloss will make your exterior paint last a lot longer and seal everything better. A nice exterior gloss paint is like a skin for your walls. Anybody looking to do this, you could probably go 8x8 for the same money, plywood comes 4x8 and most lumber comes in 8' lengths.
- thecrumb 5y agoYes! When I bought my shed I didn't consider 4x8 dimensions and it bit me in the end when finishing it out.
- throwaway984393 5y agoYou can also go to your local reused building materials store and see what they've got, and change your plans around a bit to fit those materials. You might find a bundle of boards not quite 8'/16' but could save you a pretty penny (and it just helps the environment)
- aosaigh 5y agoThis is great to see. Very nicely documented project and a fantastic result. Encouraging to see people with little past experience doing projects like this. I’m in the process of planning a self-build cabin in the woods, so also diving into YouTube to learn all of the requisite skills.
- atlgator 5y agoIs the roof slanted in the right direction? You are sending the water toward your house instead of away from it. This might create drainage problems in flash flood conditions.
- readthenotes1 5y agoAny thoughts on the color selection?
- gertlex 5y agoI noticed that selecting text on the article doesn't change colors. Probably not what you're referring to :) (I enjoyed the article.)
- streblo 5y agohttps://bikeshed.org/ https://bikeshed.org/
- readthenotes1 5y agoGlad someone caught it :)
- samwillis 5y agoIt looks like it’s designed to fit under of the eves of the house while still providing head room and there is a down pipe on the house that the shed can hook into sharing the soakway.
- singlow 5y agoIt is usually against code to shed water toward the property line from that distance, so that may be the only option.
- kordlessagain 5y agoThere is already impervious coverage on the ground, sloped that way. This shed does nothing to change that, and it's not attached to the ground. If you really want to get away with this from a code standpoint, put wheels on it.
- jdgoesmarching 5y agoIf anyone is looking into this, I really like Shed King (shedking.net) for plans. They have a few shed models you can choose from, costs around $20, include shopping lists, and are super thorough. I recently snagged the 12x16 with porch plans. I’m excited to give this a shot.
- luxurytent 5y agoNice, thanks! Just snagged the 4x8 plans. Almost bought a shed from Home Depot but it's more fun to build. This will be an improvement over parsing endless YouTube videos :-)
- drodio 5y agoI’m such a fan of this. Nicely done! I opted for a $3k Costco shed and went off grid with it even though it’s in my back yard: https://drodio.com/going-all-in-on-an-off-grid-workspace/ https://drodio.com/going-all-in-on-an-off-grid-workspace/ Off grid = No need for a permit but more importantly, a proof of concept that with starlink, this small office “shedquarters” could be placed anywhere in the world — say a beach in Costa Rica for example!
- spiderice 5y agoLooks awesome. I'd love something like that in my backyard. Only wish the write-up was longer!
- drodio 5y agoThe longer original shed writeup is here: https://drodio.com/creating-your-own-remote-workspace-for-under-5k/ https://drodio.com/creating-your-own-remote-workspace-for-un...
- jacquesm 5y agoImagine if all the nerds that could afford it set up their shacks on the beach in Costa Rica. Instant slum. I prefer the beach without such structures.
- drodio 5y agoReplace “beach in Costa Rica” with any remote (or not) global location of your choice, which is the point. We’re 1 year away from a low latency, gigabit speed ”shedquarters” workspace being available anywhere in the world for under $10k.
- jacquesm 5y agoBad news in some ways, good news in others. Tech is a two edged sword, and always will be.
- jefftk 5y ago
- thecrumb 5y agoAwesome! I bought a storage shed this summer and finished out the inside. Was perfect timing with the cost of lumber increase LOL.
- sagivo 5y agoI'm still surprised there are no DIY backyard offices out there to purchase
- idlewords 5y agoClose reading suggests this should be titled "my wife and I built a shed".
- eduardosasso 5y agoYep. She was great help!
- japhyr 5y agoMinor etymological note: the word plumb describes something that's hanging vertically. It comes from the latin word plumbum (lead). When people wanted to make sure something was vertical, they'd hang a lead weight from a string, and align the string with whatever was supposed to be vertical. Even though we've moved on to different metals, we still call them plumb bobs, and we still say that a vertical part of a house is "plumb". https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-Hand-Tools-Marking-Tools-Layout-Tools-Plumb-Bobs/N-5yc1vZc97n https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-Hand-Tools-Marking-Tools-L...
- leetcrew 5y agoI knew "plumbum" meant "lead", but I'd always assumed the etymology of "plumbing" was just that pipes were historically made of lead. thanks for posting!
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- hinkley 5y agoPlumbing can also be the act of making something plumb, but generally people use specific sentence fragments to make that clear. I was plumbing a wall when I dropped my hammer and had to start all over.
- georgewsinger 5y agoI approve of the Herman Miller Aeron :]
- patleeman 5y agoVery cool. I love these DIY office setups. The author mentioned organizing material transport by figuring out what would fit in his car. I would highly recommend just renting a flatbed truck from home depot to transport your materials home if they don't fit in your car. Its usually something like $20 to rent for an hour. Also I wonder if the author has any plans to heat/cool the space. Seems like they might live in a temperate area. I'd would probably just install one of those DIY mini-split units to heat/cool the office if necessary.
- jefftk 5y agoBuying materials online with delivery (~$75) can also be a really good approach, especially if you know everything you're going to need up front.
- eduardosasso 5y agoYeah, I’ve considered that, but if you end up doing many Home Depot runs the sacrifice can save you a few bucks. I could also have planned better. :-)
- Mizza 5y agoI hate to be a bore, but.. did zoning come into play? I know a place that had to tear theirs down once the city found out.
- psim1 5y agoIn my part of the US, a temporary structure does not require a permit or zoning allowance, while a permanent structure does. When we build sheds to meet the "temporary" definition, they are built on top of cinderblocks and not a poured concrete foundation. In this case, the author built his shed directly on top of his patio, so I am curious whether this would be considered a permanent or temporary installation.
- davidw 5y agoThis is from California which is, uh, not known for a light regulatory touch in things like permits or zoning.
- beamatronic 5y agoIn Santa Cruz it is illegal to insulate your garage, lest it become housing.
- dekhn 5y agoCA has been lightening up about ADUs, it's typically not hard to put one in. There were a few legal changes in 2020, allowing larger sizes, less planning oversight, less parking requirements, utility hookups can be shared with the primary building. The permits are pretty easy to get.
- pkaye 5y agoI live in SF bay area and I can build a accessory structure of 150SF or smaller without a permit.
- codazoda 5y agoI think this would still be temporary in my area because you can pick it up and put it on a flatbread trailer. The wiring might change that. I think there are still lots of rules to follow.
- Fraaaank 5y agoLooks cool! What would worry me is that you're displaying a screen and (presumably) a computer in front of a large window outside of your house. Of course I don't know what the rest of the property looks like, but from the pictures it looks perfect for burglars.
- fragmede 5y agoMy interpretation is that the fence behind the shed is the street, so the glass doors on the shed faces other houses. Other houses which can probably already see TV/etc in the presumably glass-doored living room that faces the same direction if they were to look.
- Synaesthesia 5y agoAre you from South Africa by any chance?
- nkrisc 5y agoHe mentioned blackout curtains so perhaps he can at least obscure what’s inside when he locks up for the night. But assuming it’s a fenced in yard in the US, if someone is already in there when they shouldn’t be they’re already quite committed to mischief anyway.
- eduardosasso 5y agoIt faces my backyard so nobody can really see anything. I've also change the locker in sliding door to lock from the outside if I want extra security.
- IgorPartola 5y agoI am planning on building what is essentially a tiny house for my shoffice. Basically I want something that also includes a bed and a shower/bathroom. My biggest concern is whether I will need to pull permits for this project and/or if I need a foundation or if I can get away with a gravel pad + railroad ties as the base. Tying into house plumbing and power is going to be the trick I guess.
- jefftk 5y agoI think it's very likely that the OP was supposed to pull a permit and get zoning permission, but if you are going to be including plumbing and sleeping, you almost certainly need to.
- 2ICofafireteam 5y agoSome bylaw research is always in order because it can get sticky. Where I happen to be, I can build what I like without a permit as long as it's under 100 sq ft, doesn't tie in to plumbing or electrical, isn't in lot setback areas, and it doesn't push the lot coverage over the limit but if I were to park a trailer on the property for any other reason than to store it, I'm in trouble. Never assume. I knew someone in the situation of being on a road that was a zone boundary. Research revealed they couldn't do what they wanted just because the guy across the street was doing it too. Another angle to look into: Have you considered just buying a travel trailer or pre-built shed to use as an office? More than once I have personally fallen into the trap of spending $100 in materials and $1000 of my time to avoid a $500 expense when my time would have been better spent getting back to work to pay for a bought solution.
- IgorPartola 5y agoI definitely am considering getting a camper as well. That seems like a more straightforward solution, just potentially a more expensive one in the long run. I’ll definitely do my research and see what I can come up with.
- alistairSH 5y agoAt minimum, you should swing by (virtually these days, but in past years, you could go in person) your local building enforcement office. I suspect that as soon as you add electrical or plumbing, you need permits and inspections, as it’s no longer a shed.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- throwaway984393 5y agoCongrats! It will probably take me 5x as long to build the same thing because I'm a perfectionist who's always hemming and hawing over changing plans or the right way to do things. It definitely feels awesome once you complete it though.
- pagana 5y agoThere 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/1786272830 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.
- runjake 5y agoThat is the same book the author of the post mentions at the top of the article. No need to re-recommend it. We read the article :-)
- cbsks 5y agoI am in the process of planning something similar at my house. My county requires a land use permit for any new development, as well as a building permit because power will be run. Both of those permits require plans to be submitted and take multiple weeks to be approved. It’s worthwhile to check at your local planning office if you care about such things.
- ohazi 5y agoNot 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 necessarily much harder than nails and are prone to embrittlement and cracking, while nails are soft and pliable. You can get structural screws, but they're uncommon, expensive, and I'd wager they weren't used here (they're much beefier than a similarly rated framing nail).
- InvertedRhodium 5y agoPVC-U cable ducting for 240V cabling is the norm here in NZ, just helped my dad lay about 60m of it from the house to the office. I doubt it's going to be the end of the world.
- rootusrootus 5y ago> You can get structural screws, but they're uncommon, expensive 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.
- Fwirt 5y agoAlso 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 because it was your fault.
- hinkley 5y agoA plastic conduit, ffs.
- adventured 5y ago
- kmonsen 5y agoDoes anyone know how zoning restrictions affect this in California? Wondering at what point you need to get approval to set up something in your backyard.
- fargle 5y agoCheck your city/county, but in most places in CA and the rest of the US, zoning allows up to a 120 square foot shed without building permits. Neighborhood HOAs, if applicable, would be the other restriction. 36 square feet? good to go. If I were to do it, I'd make it slightly bigger and put a electrical sub-panel in it with an extension cord like an RV has. You could plug it into anywhere with an RV outlet. It's also easy enough to move any shed like this that's 8 feet wide or less on a car-hauler trailer or with dollys/rollers underneath.
- ecopoesis 5y agoNo way this shed can be moved. It’s built with drywall screws and 24” centers. If you kick a wall it’s likely to flat pack itself.
- hattmall 5y agoWhere are you seeing he used drywall screws? I use deck and construction screws for framing all the time, it's fine. You can always add nails too. 24" centers are ok for this too, there's very little weight. Far less well constructed sheds are moved daily.
- fargle 5y agoMany sheds are built this way. Some even lighter - e.g. the overpriced wood sheds you buy pre-built use very minimal framing. And they all can be moved just fine. I commented because it's somewhat surprising how easy it is and how well it works.
- waynesonfire 5y agobuilding permit is not a zoning permit. OP may still need to get a zoning permit.
- porknubbins 5y agoReally enjoyed reading this and have always wanted to try. The aesthetics came out better than I expected from a backyard shed too. It seems like you got most stuff cut to size but I’m wondering what power tools were required other than a nail gun I assume.
- pengwing 5y agoIf you are interested in this, could you please answer two questions (warning: My lack of understanding is usually offensive): - Do you regret having children? - Do you regret living together with your spouse?
- dev_tty01 5y agoSo, by your thinking, anyone who leaves the home to go work in an office regrets having children and regrets living with their spouse. Yes, I agree with you, your lack of understanding is offensive.
- pengwing 5y agoI appreciate the downvotes as they confirm the emotional damage, but I am not a fan of misusing logical implications. Obviously, in a pre-Covid world leaving your home to go to work was simply the societal expectation of how to acquire an income. WFH mostly came with economic downsides (lower salary, no promotions). During Covid and post-Covid it's quite an interesting question why somebody would voluntarily lobby to add unpaid work time in the form of a commute to their day.
- jefftk 5y agoI'm in a similar situation and also built something similar for an office during covid. I definitely don't regret having children or living with my spouse, and we actually decided to have a third child (now 6m) during covid.
- mdani 5y agoI would probably reroute the end of the rain sprout on the left side of the shed away from the shed, since it would put lots of water at the base of the shed whenever it rains, weakening the base of the shed.
- beamatronic 5y agoIt’s my life’s dream to do a project like this.
- Underphil 5y agoWhat is stopping you?
- beamatronic 5y agoMy city and county is infamous for fighting tooth and nail to prevent any kind of construction or development. And they look for any excuse to re-assess and double your property tax.
- eduardosasso 5y agoJust do it! It was my dream as well until I decided to go for it.
- Paul_S 5y agoThis whole thing is just a fire hazard but this is just dangerous advice to be giving people: "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." Please don't, screws shear. Don't learn constrtuction from someone who hasn't learnt it himself. As for writing about your experience like this, write a blog about something in your own field or otherwise don't give advice. It could end up with someone getting hurt.
- tkiolp4 5y ago> As for writing about your experience like this, write a blog about something in your own field or otherwise don't give advice. I don’t get it. I see the majority of us, developers, writing about software without having a deep knowledge on the subject. The author’s shed is no more to me like the usual post “I built Twitter in Rust on a weekend”. Should we all stop giving “PRO tips”?
- Paul_S 5y agoYes, because he is giving dangerous advice. Hey! This weekend I operated on my cat, pro tip, nail the cat down to avoid him moving. If you write a twitter in rust then giving the wrong advice will at worst spur someone to create another successful startup.
- mminer237 5y agoYes? If you're just starting to code, you shouldn't give out advice like you know everything. You're not a pro and you shouldn't be masquerading as one. You should be listening to advice, not giving it. You really want advice everywhere of "Coding pro tip: always make all variables strings because then you can put numbers or letters in there and you don't have to use multiple types."?
- throwaway9870 5y agoThe irony is you are telling people to not write about things they aren't qualified to write about, but that is exactly what you are doing. There are structural screws that are excellent options for framing. GRK and Simpson make extremely well regarded structural screws that, at least in the US, are accepted for framing most/all building code offices. Here is an example of a Simpson screw: https://www.strongtie.com/strongdrive_exteriorwoodscrews/sdws-q_screw/p/strong-drive-sdws-framing-screw https://www.strongtie.com/strongdrive_exteriorwoodscrews/sdw... Here is a GRK: https://www.grkfasteners.com/structural/r4-multi-purpose-screw https://www.grkfasteners.com/structural/r4-multi-purpose-scr... And the author is right - if you are a weekend warrior, they are far better than framing nails. You don't need a nail gun, just an impact driver which is usually less expensive and more useful for other tasks. They don't split the wood as much as a framing nailer, are generally more accurate to put in, and can be easily removed if needed.
- amacneil 5y agoAwesome project! How long did it take total? Note that it’s against code to run electrical and data cable in the same conduit, both for safety and interference. Get outdoor rated cat 6 and leave it out of the conduit instead.
- jefftk 5y agoOr run two conduits in parallel
- eduardosasso 5y agoIt’s something I will look into. It took a little over 3 months to finish it.
- tamaharbor 5y agoOr get a wireless extender for the internet connection.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- lonele 5y agoGood to see that now neighbours towards backyard can review your Merge requests as well.
- cf100clunk 5y agoPRO TIP: any standalone WFH structure should integrate a Faraday Cage.
- heyrhett 5y agoSeymour Cray would dig tunnels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Cray#Personal_life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Cray#Personal_life
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- pengwing 5y agoWould you be interested in purchasing this partially pre-build and delivered to you? (pre-painted, Including windows, door, insulation, electrical and Ethernet wiring, fire-proof compliance, able to resist heavy rain) Six elements total, clickable into each other. Assembly time under one hour.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- vhodges 5y agoIn a lot of places, buildings less than 100'sq do not need permitting. https://www.redcoverstudios.com/blog/md100-plans-for-modern-shed/ https://www.redcoverstudios.com/blog/md100-plans-for-modern-... are plans for one such out building.
- uwagar 5y agohouse > shed shed > ?
- aliswe 5y agoa shed is better than nothing.
- cf100clunk 5y agoCheck your insurance coverage! Erecting a structure that does not meet local electrical and building codes, zoning bylaws, etc. may either threaten or void your insurance. In the event of the worst case scenario (fire, flood, collapse, etc.) you will likely not get a payout.
- 2ICofafireteam 5y agoCool. For the in-garage option, I've encountered three fully enclosed and insulated cubicles/offices in garages. The first was a construction Project manager who built his along one side wall of his garage. I was very curious and talked with them about it and they had a couple good thoughts. The first was that they had a nice big window opening to the garage. Even it only gave them a view of their pickup truck, it really made the office feel less like a closet and could be opened for ventilation. The other advice was to leave enough room by the garage door for a repairman to get at everything; on a long enough timeline it will be necessary. The other two were built by tradesmen I knew with single bay shops. They both built their offices on big casters for flexibility and one would roll theirs outside when they cleanded the shop.
- mwattsun 5y agoA lot of people in Santa Cruz are building secondary buildings on their property since the city loosened the rules to help with the housing crisis in the area.
- wedn3sday 5y ago
- wedn3sday 5y agoCame here expecting some classic bikeshedding, was not disappointed.
- Underphil 5y agoAre you able to elaborate? Do you mean in the article or in the comments?
- aliswe 5y agoallthe "this is not to code" comments i guess
- 41b696ef1113 5y agoMunicipal codes are written in blood. Little of the feedback I am seeing is negative about the trivial details.
- jefftk 5y agoBikeshedding is arguing about stuff that doesn't matter (ex: color). Pointing out that something is built dangerously is not bikeshedding.
- teh_klev 5y ago> Bikeshedding is arguing about stuff that doesn't matter Well in many jurisdictions the size of this thing (a shed) wouldn't matter, so yes it is bikeshedding. And this thing looks like it's built well enough to be a shed you can go and sit in with a laptop, a nice cup of tea and a biscuit. The overreaction here by HN to this ancient project perhaps explains why we end up with maddeningly overly complex systems to just stick a bloody simple webpage in a website.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- antisthenes 5y agoI can't decide what's worse. The fact that you need a shoddily built (I'd be ashamed to post something like this on the internet) 6x6 shed to work in, while you have a perfectly fine house right next to it. Or how many fear-mongering code NIMBYs there are in this thread. Some even threatening to doxx the OP. Yikes. Do you guys know how much legacy not-up-to-code housing stock there is across the country, that's actually dangerous to inhabit? And you chose to cry wolf about an accessory structure CA?
- progfix 5y agoTwo other posts from today: * Ask HN: Why does a busy man build a shed? (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29767682 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29767682) * Why I Live In a Shed (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29762145 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29762145) Does HN have some kind of mechanism that promotes posts with similar keywords?
- hddherman 5y agoI've noticed this happening as well, and the explanation that I've stuck with is that the follow-up posts are posted by readers who recognize a similar article they've previously read that's deserving of a (re)post on HN.
- detaro 5y agoThat, or they go searching for additional information and find related articles. Another easy one to spot: there's sometimes clusters of articles from the same site if it's not a well-known one - people look around the site, find other good stuff and submit that too.
- progfix 5y agoSure, but I noticed those similar posts always have the same keywords in them. This time it is "sheds" and I am a little bit in disbelief that someone is gonna post more about sheds :). The first post wasn't even about sheds, it was a question about hobbies. I don't say that this bad or anything, in fact I like that every day has a different topic on the front page. If this is a natural phenomenon then I have not heard about it yet (and it might be interesting to research?).
- yurishimo 5y agoNo. A lot of people in tech really like to live vicariously through other makers (woodworking, esp). It appeals to both the DIY crowd, which in a way is basically our entire career, and a real life problem of programmers not being able to work in peace, whether at home, or in a bullpen of peers.
- hermitcrab 5y ago
- locallost 5y agoHeh, 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.
- hattmall 5y agoGo with the metal roof, very easy to install and last a long long time. Assuming you have a fairly simple roofline anyway.
- tibbydudeza 5y agoNice - what did you do for ventilation ???.
- eduardosasso 5y agoIt’s a sliding door with a screen so I just keep the door open.
- hermitcrab 5y agoWhen we bought our house it came with a run-down 'summer house' in the garden. We had it plastered and insulated and added a laminate floor. We ran an armoured electricity cable from the house through a trench and attached it to the house alarm system. We then got the an 'L' shaped desk custom built by a neighbour (who is a joiner). Heating is provided by an electrically powered radiator. I've been working there now (as a 1-man-band software product company) for the last 11 years. It's been great.
- ricardobayes 5y agoWhat about HVAC? This structure will be unbearable in the summer months.
- agentwiggles 5y agoYou could cool it really nicely with a small mini split system.
- tamaharbor 5y agoAnd another separate electrical circuit for the HVAC.
- eduardosasso 5y agoIt doesn’t get super hot in here but I have one of those portable fans that you put water or ice in and it cools down real nice.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- manicennui 5y agoMichael Pollan wrote a book about the office that he built for himself. https://michaelpollan.com/books/a-place-of-my-own/ https://michaelpollan.com/books/a-place-of-my-own/
- mgarfias 5y agoWow. Just wow. Not gonna pollute with comments about it that others have already made. I will add that I am making electrical/gas renovations to the house/detached garage. Basically we are adding LP to the house for my new range, and a gas water heater. Also ran gas to the garage for powering a genset. The past year or so has taught me the import of off grid solutions for certain things like cooking and hot water. So, I had to dig a trench from the house to the garage. Code called for 18” deep, but I went as deep as my backhoe would allow. Grey pvc conduit was put in for elec, a separate tube for fiber, and pex for water. The LP co, came and installed a 250gal tank on a pad I poured, then ran gas in some kinda pex-like tubing to the house and garage. County eventually came out to inspect and signed off, allowing me to back fill (partly down now). Next steps are to finish connecting the pvc to the house, finish the water run, and then I need to buy the copper for the elect run - probably $1500 worth. The only bits I’m concerned about is getting the power shut off, and power lines moved to the underground conduit I’ve placed from the pile to the house as I’ll need an actual electrician or will have to wait a week for the power company to turn back on after the shut off.
- mgarfias 5y agoOh, I’d add that my current power runs through the trees to the house, and from the house to the garage in the trees. And the house is nearly 50 years old, and therefor grandfathered in without an electrical shutoff on the side of the house. Part of this project is to fix all that.
- teh_klev 5y agoThere is no gas or heating oil running to this shed.
- ErrantX 5y agoI did this too! It genuinely is not that hard. I did spend most time working out the right spec (ie safety, structural etc.) and the main build took me about 2 months. I was in by month 3 and fully finished by 4 months. I am ok with big structural stuff, interior (drywalling for example) I don't have the finesse for, but it looks OK. I love DIY, it gets me off a keyboard! And scratches the engineering itch I miss as a people leader. It's not hard though. Like anything it takes a bit of planning and practice. Plus the confidence to have a go.
- stevenhubertron 5y agoI was considering doing something similar this spring, but instead of trenching my yard I was considering solar and just a small mesh network to get to the corner of my backyard, maybe 300 feet from the house. My thought was that it would be an office and reading area. Perhaps a place to nap away from the kiddo as well :)
- 29athrowaway 5y agoSome considerations... Not all insulations are the same. You have to research which type is best given your temperature, humidity, etc. Some require special handling and care... For example, you don't want to breathe fiberglass, or to contaminate your workspace with it. Good air quality in a work area is a must. You want air free of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. Opening the window when it's raining is not a viable option. You need some form of ventilation and air filtering. Maybe also air conditioning and heating. You also don't want to build a structure that is against zoning limitations or that brings you tax liabilities.
- jmkd 5y agoYou know when you read an article in a newspaper written by a generalist journalist about a specialist topic in which you are an expert? This. It's the same as Matthias Wandel on YouTube. Ignores decades of knowledge and tomes of wisdom in favour of an 'engineering approach', which is to say trial and lots of error.
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- unethical_ban 5y agoWhy 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.
- wrycoder 5y agoJust check Amazon for “residential electrical code book”.
- mattmaroon 5y agoThe 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.
- mehphp 5y agoI might have missed it in the article, but have you or do you plan on adding climate control? I've been looking to scratch a similar itch and your post has inspired me to start looking into it, so thanks for posting!