For our multi-purpose garden shed / greenhouse, Linda and I started the Dream phase of our Dream :: Design :: Do process with a simple wish list:
- Two or three levels of Rubbermaid coated wire shelving
- Potting bench w/ area for cart underneath
- Not insulated
- No electric / heat / running water
- Big plastic window facing south
- Sash windows on ends
- Plastic roof
- Door and window or double door facing north
We staked out an 8′ x 12′ area east of our existing garden, and our design began to take shape in SketchUp. With pavers given to us by our niece and nephew for an on-grade floor surrounded by 4×6 pressure treated sleepers, we decided on 24″ on center frame construction.
After some research, we decided to use a clear corrugated polycarbonate product called SunTuf from Palram for the south-facing window and clear roof. Three single sash vinyl windows from Jeld Wen and a fiberglass exterior door would provide light and ventilation on the remaining three sides.
After consulting with the guys at Chelsea Lumber, we decided to use pre-primed LP SmartSide lap siding for the exterior cladding, and Azek PVC for the trim. With a couple of coats of paint to match the Monterey Taupe on the house, The Cottage would fit right in!
- SketchUp Model – Looking NW
- SketchUp Model – Looking SE
- Pavers, Sleepers and Gravel Bed Layout
- Leveling a Pad for the Floor
- Only a Few Inches Deep but Still a Lot of Work
- Fine Tuning with a Spirit Level
- Fabric In, Ready for Gravel
- Half Yard of 21A Topped with Half Yard of 3/8 and Down
- Leveling Gravel Bed
- Sleepers Ready to Install
- Securing Sleeper Corners with Timber Screws
- Raking Out the Paver Base
- Leveling Paver Base to Sleepers
- Tamped and Ready for Pavers
- Setting Pavers in Running Bond Pattern with 1/8″ Gap
- About Half Way There
- Full Pavers Installed
- Marking Row-End Partial Pavers
- Cutting Pavers with Rented Electric Concrete Saw
- Pavers Complete with Play Sand Swept In
- Lumber Delivery – I Think It’s for Me!
- Linda’s First Wall and First Framing Job
- South Wall with Lateral Bracing in Place
- Cutting Header Components
- Assembling Headers for Windows and Door
- East Wall Being Fastened in Place
- Three Walls In
- North Wall Yet to Go
- Enjoying the View
- Installing Top Plates
- Blocking for South-Facing Window Installed
- SunTuf Corrugated Polycarbonate from Palram
- Some of the Fasteners Needed
- 8″ x 8″ Gable Vents
- SunTuf Horizontal and Vertical Closures
- Time to Install the Sheathing
- OSB Starting to Define the Space
- 2 – 3/8″ Ring-Shank Nails Attach the OSB
- Time to Cut Some Openings
- First View Through Southern Window
- Shadows at Solar Noon
- The Cottage is Starting to Take Shape
- House Wrap Installed
- 1/2″ Plywood Gusset Plates for 4:12 Roof Trusses
- Cutting End Gusset Plates
- Gussets Complete and Rafters to Rough Length
- Workbench Becoming Truss Assembly Jig
- Gang-Notching Rafters for 14′ Purlins
- First Truss in Assembly
- Gusset Plates with Lots of Screws and Titebond III Glue
- Five Common and Two Gable Trusses Completed
- Trusses Installed with One Temporary Purlin
- Roof Line Starting to Take Shape
- Attaching Closure Strips to Purlins for Corrugated Roofing
- Purlins Installed with Garden Beyond
- Vertical Closure Strips Installed and Ready for Roofing
- Murphy Inspecting the Progress
- Single Sash Vinyl Windows Installed
- Cutting the Roofing Material to Length
- Attaching the Corrugated Polycarbonate Roof Panels
- Beautiful Blue Sky Day for Roof Work
- Each Panel Spanned 24″
- I Won’t Be Able to Stand in This Spot Again
- Marietta Wood Works Logo by Mike Mahan
- Roofed, Ridged, Done
- Successful Happy Hour First Trial Run
- 6′ x 8′ Southern Window is Corrugated Polycarbonate
- In Case of Hurricane
- Being Dried In is Always a Big Milestone
- Azek PVC Trim Around Gable Vent
- Linda Getting the Feel of the New Space
- 5/4 x 6″ PT Deck Boards Near Ground Level
- PT Cut Ends Coated with Waterproof Titebond III
- Azek Door Trim is On the Level
- Just in Time for First Frost Warning
- Azek Corners Beveled to 4:12 Pitch
- Trim Complete and Ready for Siding
- Linda Attaches the First Piece of LP SmartSide Siding
- Spacer for Next Siding Course
- Siding Progress
- Sealing All Siding Cuts Before Installation
- Linda Pre-drilling Siding Pieces
- More Siding Progress
- Home Made Jig for 6-3/8″ Lap Siding Reveal
- Even More Siding Progress
- Linda Nailed It!
- Well-deserved Schnauzer Break
- Two of Three 12′ Rubbermaid Shelves Installed
- The Last Few Pieces of Siding Required Some Cipherin’
- The Track Saw Was the Right Tool for This Job
- Siding Complete!
- Paint Color-matched to Monterey Taupe on the House
- Painting Progress
- The Cottage – Looking SE
- The Cottage – Looking NE
- The Cottage
- Inside Looking W
- Inside Looking SW
- Inside Looking SE
- Inside Looking E
- Inside Looking NE
- Inside Looking NW
- Inside Looking UP!
In case you were wondering, we are calling our little garden shed / greenhouse “The Cottage” after the garden shed my dad built several years before I was born. Growing up, we always referred to that little white shed as “The Cottage.” It was a great place to play in the summertime, especially if you were successful at avoiding getting stung by wasps or scraped up by the rusty tools that lived there year around.
- The Original Cottage Under Construction in the Early 1950s
- Pop, My Brother John, and Our (I Think) Neighbor Larry Hillman and His Daughter Penny
- Pop Attaching Tongue and Groove Siding
- Pop and John with The Cottage and Garden Beyond
- John (I Think) Parked Out Front of The Cottage