Colonial Style Two-In-One Shed - A Do It Yourself Building Guide by Popular Mechanics Magazine

This free, illustrated guide can help you build one of the most versatile, well-designed backyard sheds that you'll ever find.

Are you planning to build a new shed in your backyard? Do you need a secure, closed area for your tools and storage, or an open shelter for firewood, your lawn tractor or your kid's bikes?

 

With the beautiful Colonial-Style Two-In-One Shed, by Better Barns, you'll have both. It's one of the most versatile, well-designed backyard buildings you'll ever find. It has a 10'x12' tool shed for general storage and an 8'x10' open-bay extension that's ideal for keeping firewood stacked and dry. The open area is also great for storing large items that might not easily fit into the main shed, such as lawnmowers, bicycles, patio furniture, wheelbarrows and stepladders.

 

The shed's gable roofs are designed to be built with trusses that are made of standard 2x4 lumber with plywood gusset plates at the corners. That means that you can do most of the construction of the roof while working on the ground, not while teetering up on a ladder.

 

The horizontal 2x4s at the bottom of the roof trusses serve as floor joists for a small optional storage loft.

 

Like the truss roof, the walls of this shed are built more like a barn than like a conventional shed. Horizontal 2x4s strengthen the walls and serve as nailers for vertical siding boards. Although you can use any type of siding, tongue and groove cedar or pine will make this shed look great inside and out.

 

The editors of Popular Mechanics magazine were so taken by the design that they ran a feature article on it.

 

Read the article >>>

 

Print the construction details >>>

(Printable details provided by MyShedPlans.com)

Blueprints by Better Barns  Your building department may require that you submit construction plans, and they're helpful to have on hand while you're at work on the shed. Complete blueprints are available from Better Barns, the original designers of the Two-In-One Shed. Better Barns also offer some of the attractive hardware and woodwork shown on the shed.

PopularMechanics.com - Over the years, Popular Mechanics Magazine has featured a variety of backyard building, home improvement and woodwork projects as feature articles. Now, they offer many of the best projects on their website. These in-depth articles are illustrated with plans, photos and detailed isometric views. They follow the building from the planning stage through final finishing. So, they are step-by-step guides that will help you build the perfect project.