• 
  • Carpentry
  • Plumbing & Wiring
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Kitchen & Bath
  • Building Codes
  • Interior Finish
  • Foundations & Masonry
  • Building Plans
  • DVDs
  • Magazine Archives
• 
  • Digital Issues
  • Member Home
• 
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Gift Subscription
  • Current Issue
  • Magazine Extras
  • Magazine Index
  • Advertiser Marketplace

Fine Shedbuilding

john ross, Web Producer

9 users recommend

Add Comment
Print

A couple of years ago, I got a lot of flak from readers and raised eyebrows from some of my fellow editors when I worked on “Shortcuts to a Shed” (FHB #194, pp. 60-65) with Rick Arnold. The comment I got in my email that sticks out for me was (read with a gruff snarl), “I don’t subscribe to Fine SHEDBUILDING!” I can’t deny that it stung a little. But like any heartless editor, I shrugged it off—not because I’m insensitive, but in fact the opposite. My association with FHB goes back to when I was a green apprentice and thoughts of working here hadn’t even occurred to me yet.
 
The first thing I learned on the job site was that the job site is not necessarily the best place to learn the best home-building techniques. I’ve worked for more than one boss who would blunder around the job and spit out phrases like “It’s not the #U(^!N@ Taj Majal—JUST GET ’ER DONE!”
 
So I put a piece of my education into the hands of the authors and editors of Fine Homebuilding. The first thing I learned from FHB was that the word “fine” meant a lot more than “good.” “Fine” (as it relates to the magazine) many times means “Hey, look at how much attention was paid to this detail.” That applies equally to construction details as well as details of skill and technique.
 
What does that have to do with building a shed? To Mr. Snarl (I think he actually canceled his subscription), I say, “Forget the shed! It’s not about the SHED!”
 
That article is as much about sheds as it is about Rick’s ingenious time-saving techniques and his skill at building pragmatically while not sacrificing quality.
 
So when Rick told me he was building another shed, I jumped up and said, “Not without me and my cameras.”
 
The result after five days of shooting on location with Rick and his helper Mac was over 22 hours of raw footage.  We’ve edited that down to "How to Build a Shed"; 1-1/2 hours (16 episodes) of video that covers everything from designing a shed and setting the foundation to applying shingle siding and building custom doors. 
 
In my mind, this one shed has more to do with fine home building than 95% of the houses in America.

Building a Deck
by Scott Schuttner Expert Advice from Start to Finish $19.95 more info...

Add Comment Print

Are hoseless nailers worth the hassle?

Author Gets Last Laugh.

Comments (4)

VOhse writes: It's not about the SHED - it's about THE shed and any project a person dedicated to FINE undertakes. Good Enough is a difficult concept for a lot of us and causes builder regret when it is something used/lived with daily.
Posted: 6:52 pm on November 4th

dukes898 writes: Great job on your building approach and wheather tight installs. If some homes were put together with such care I would be out work. Ive seen such shoty work people do
Posted: 4:47 pm on October 15th

ttfweb writes: I really enjoyed the article you originally wrote. I was building a shed at the time, and found it to be helpful.

Most homes have (or need to have) a shed, and they shuold look as classy as the house itself.

Here are a few pictures of my project: http://greengateranchremodel.blogspot.com/search/label/Garden%20Shed



Posted: 7:43 pm on October 10th

Huck writes: hahaha, that is a good speech there buddy! I guess some people need to "shed" their prejudices. I admit, I didn't watch the videocam presentation, but I like your attitude, your sales pitch, and I really like that shed a lot LOL.
Posted: 1:11 am on October 10th

You must be logged in to post comments. Click here to login.