Has any one any advice on using a garden shed , for my Scalextric circuit. It is in the loft at present, ibut Iam not getting any younger and thought about moving it to a garden location. The question is do I get a large wooden or plastic shed. Any advice would be welcome.
Scalextric in garden shed! Plastic or wood! Any suggestions?
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I built this for a client few months back, its all timber, all sealed up so its as airtight as a timber shed can be, its insulated and will have electric storage heaters running over the cold months. This would make a lovely scalextic shed, but its quite pricey..
My point being, a timber shed can be made warm and dry if done right. Plastic sheds look awful.
My point being, a timber shed can be made warm and dry if done right. Plastic sheds look awful.
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Widders
I had a large 30sq metre wooden 'shed' built a few years back. It was made of SIPS and cost an arm and a leg.
However even on the coldest winter day it took a 15 minute blast of a small fan heater
and it was comfortably warm. What ever you choose it has to be well insulated. A garden
centre 'special' just won't be any good. too hot in summer and too cold in winter.
Richard
I had a large 30sq metre wooden 'shed' built a few years back. It was made of SIPS and cost an arm and a leg.
However even on the coldest winter day it took a 15 minute blast of a small fan heater
and it was comfortably warm. What ever you choose it has to be well insulated. A garden
centre 'special' just won't be any good. too hot in summer and too cold in winter.
Richard
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4,887 Posts
I have a large wooden summerhouse for my track, it has insulated walls and ceiling and during the winter only needs a very small thermostatically controlled electric heater to keep it at a comfortable temperature.
David
David
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I've got an awful lot of junk in my loft, but a garden shed? How did you get it up there?
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Wood offers better insulation but go more than 40mm thick if you can. Allow space all around it so you can re-coat it with preservative every 5-10 years.
Plastic will succumb to UV degradation and will probably be as expensive as wood. Plus its more difficult to line it and more difficult to screw track table supports to it...
I would add that I have a galvanised steel shed 8 feet x 13 feet and it was much cheaper than wood or plastic and it has lasted 10 years so far with no visible corrosion BUT it would need lining for use with a track - if I hadnt converted my garage into. Double-skinned man cave I would have gone with a wooden shed with 47-50mm thick walls and 100mm of polystyrene floor insulation and substantially more roof insulation - but I live in the UK and my temperatures typically range from minus 10C in winter to plus 30C in summer.
Plastic will succumb to UV degradation and will probably be as expensive as wood. Plus its more difficult to line it and more difficult to screw track table supports to it...
I would add that I have a galvanised steel shed 8 feet x 13 feet and it was much cheaper than wood or plastic and it has lasted 10 years so far with no visible corrosion BUT it would need lining for use with a track - if I hadnt converted my garage into. Double-skinned man cave I would have gone with a wooden shed with 47-50mm thick walls and 100mm of polystyrene floor insulation and substantially more roof insulation - but I live in the UK and my temperatures typically range from minus 10C in winter to plus 30C in summer.
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You want Celotex type insulation, its rigid board with foil both sides.. I used 75mm stuff on the shed I pictured above. 4 (95mm) stud walls, which allows an air void to stop condensation forming in the cavity.
You need to go to a trade builders merchant. Dont bother with Bodge It & Quit (B&Q) or any other diy place.. The builders merchants will be a fraction of the price. If you want it to last and be sturdy use 3x2 (4x2 will be better) sawn treated timber for the walls, studs spaced at 400/500mm. Depending on the span, you want 5x2 minimum for roof. If flat roof forget the old roofing felt, its old hat.. Iv been using Fibreglass roofing system for the last 5yrs. Its a lot nicer finish, it has 25yr guarantee, it is slightly more expensive, and it is a bit messy, but its worth the cost and effort. Take a look on eBay and find the biggest bit of double glazed glass you can find for the cheapest price, use it as a roof light..
On the walls, use feather edge boards on the outside, and 9mm or 12mm ply on the inside. Fix the boards with 30mm screws every 6 to 8 and it will negate the requirement for diagonal bracing. You should really use a breathable membrane(modern day roofing felt for conventional pitched roofs) on the outside before you fix the boards.
The other option, which is cheaper, is to build it with concrete blocks. The only trouble is you may need planning permission depending on size. Timber structures come under different rules because they are not considered perminant.
You need to go to a trade builders merchant. Dont bother with Bodge It & Quit (B&Q) or any other diy place.. The builders merchants will be a fraction of the price. If you want it to last and be sturdy use 3x2 (4x2 will be better) sawn treated timber for the walls, studs spaced at 400/500mm. Depending on the span, you want 5x2 minimum for roof. If flat roof forget the old roofing felt, its old hat.. Iv been using Fibreglass roofing system for the last 5yrs. Its a lot nicer finish, it has 25yr guarantee, it is slightly more expensive, and it is a bit messy, but its worth the cost and effort. Take a look on eBay and find the biggest bit of double glazed glass you can find for the cheapest price, use it as a roof light..
On the walls, use feather edge boards on the outside, and 9mm or 12mm ply on the inside. Fix the boards with 30mm screws every 6 to 8 and it will negate the requirement for diagonal bracing. You should really use a breathable membrane(modern day roofing felt for conventional pitched roofs) on the outside before you fix the boards.
The other option, which is cheaper, is to build it with concrete blocks. The only trouble is you may need planning permission depending on size. Timber structures come under different rules because they are not considered perminant.
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