Black & Decker Complete Guide to Contemporary Sheds: Complete plans for 12 Sheds, Including Garden Outbuilding, Storage Lean-to, Playhouse, Woodland Cottage, Hobby Studio, Lawn Tractor Barn (Paperback)

by Philip Schmidt (Author)
Key Phrases: roof framing, skid foundation, rafter template, Building Basics, Cutting List Description Quantity, Essential Outbuildings (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A modern guide to classic outdoor structures.

Sheds and other landscape shelters have never been out of style, but they are now seeing a remarkable surge in popularity, and are being used in creative new ways. The common garden shed is now just as likely to serve as a workshop for an artist to pursue his or her hobby; or may be used as a writerÆs retreat; or may even be equipped with a satellite dish, high definition television, recliners, and used as a meeting spot for Sunday afternoon football parties. In many parts of the country, spacious sheds are being fully appointed with furnishings and used as detached rooms for everyday living or as backyard offices.

This book offers readers fuel for their aspirations but also provides practical information for planning and building sheds of all types. Although the basics of stick-building are covered, the book focuses more on the most common consumer option: ordering and buying a kit shed, working from blueprint plans, and customizing the shed to individual needs.

• Features a planning and design section to help readers create unique shed projects
• General technique chapter provides an in-depth overview of each step in shed construction
• Includes easy-to-follow plans and directions for 12 sheds covering all design options
• Bonus appendix includes a dozen advanced shed plans that can be special-ordered
• More than three times as many complete plans than any other sheds book

About the Author

Philip Schmidt is the author of The Complete Guide to Gazebo & Arbors and The Complete Guide to Patios

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Creative Publishing international (January 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589233352
• ISBN-13: 978-1589233355
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,792 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good and Bad, May 21, 2009

By	Jon "Jon" (Texas) - See all my reviews

If you buy this book and want to build a Shed. You have to read the first half of the book. No doubt about it, 100%, you have to read the first half of the book.

The best part of this book, is that the first half of the book was written by someone who knows how to build sheds very well. And describes in detail how to execute each step of the shed building process.

The worst part, is the last half with all the plans. Black and Decker did not make these shed plans. So they do not match up with first half of the book. Example, I am building the Basic Shed with plywood siding. Thats all the plans call for. But if you read the first half of the book it says to leave 1/8 spacing between plywood sheets for weather culking and 1x2 batting strip to cover the seam or you could just by tongue and groove plywood siding. So the first half of the book and the plans do not match up. They contradict each other multi times in the Basic Shed plan.

One more problem. If you follow the shed plans, they are written for the intermediate wood worker, or someone who has already built a shed. As this was my first shed, i was very frustrated and doing a lot of extra problem solving trying to figure out what the directions were trying to get at.

About shed building, roofing is very difficult. It was much easier by building a solid stand to hold the 1 x 8 Rafter Board in place and having three people to help. 2 people on each side of the rafter board to place the rafters, and a 3rd person to help get nails and pick up anything that falls down.

Extra Details
It took 1 day to buy all the supplies at the store and multi trips back. If I had to do it again, I would buy a kit just to save 1 entire working day and hauling around three carts of wood and trying to load them into a truck and unload them and extra carts of random supplies. oh and trying to find a drip edge and Z flashing. good luck. and our local hardware store (lowes / home depot) were out of the 1 x 8 x 12.)

It took 1 day to create the foundation the floor. Our foundation was on a 2 foot slope which made it difficult.

It also took 1 day to do the framing because we had to alter the shed height for our HOA.

And it took one 1 day to put up rafters and the roof.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Variety of Projects, December 12, 2008

By	Gary S. Snatsky "Seattle Saul" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is well written and illustrated and provides a good selection of shed projects for the somewhat-skilled home handyperson. It is better than other books I've looked at.
I'd suggest a grading of the sheds by skill level required, possible need for a helper (the high rafters seem most likely), and a glossary of terms in the back.
I found one questionable instruction but it was easy spot and to modify.
Otherwise, I'd recommend it to anybody who has had some experience in the home workshop and wants to build sheds.