I purchased property that has a 16′ x 22′ shed, basically a 16 x 10 ‘pole barn’ gable roof w/ a 16 x 10 ‘lean-to’ attached. Its been ‘repaired’ many times but the whole shed is in terrible shape with holes in the roof with 3 or 4 rotting rafters. Having (apparently) sunk 8-10″ below grade, water pours onto the dirt floor and the 4×4 poles have decayed as well. The property is in far north Illinois, so anything left on the floor freezes in an inch or two of water during the winter.
Since it is on the property line I can’t knock it down completely. I’ll have to rebuild it in stages. My thought is to knock down the gable part while temporarily supporting the lean-to; set some 4x4s in 4-foot, 8″ diameter sono-tubes 2″ above grade, and back-fill the whole area with gravel. After I reconstruct the gable part, I’ll re-build the lean-to. I thought about jacking up the roof and trying to rebuild under it, but it seems easier to try to salvage material as I dis-assemble the old shed and then have a clear area to begin rebuilding.
First question is: Anybody have a better approach?
Follow on questions:
1. In reading about deck and shed construction, it appears that embedding the 4×4 in the sono-tube provides more ‘shear’ strength that is necessary for a shed (as opposed to using the metal brackets that can hold a 4×4 above the concrete (?)
2. If I place the 4×4 into the sono-tube, do I need rebar at all?
3. Since the water retained in the concrete rots posts, do I use pressure treated 4x4s. Is there anything to protect the posts. (I plan to have a rock base ‘footer’ below the sono-tube, and will use a shingle to rest the post on…but that’s out of habit from setting fence posts…not based on engineering.)
Thanks for the help.
Jeff
Replies
Welcome to Breaktime.
Just curious - Why does the fact that it's on the property line mean that you have to repair it in stages?
It's a shed.If he knocks it down, 'en toto', then he cannot rebuild it.But as long as it is standing, it is grandfathered in, and can be "repaired".He is talking aboiut "repairing", every bit of it... just one bit at a time.
Politics: the blind insulting the blind.
Click here for access to the Woodshed Tavern
Luka was correct. Because its on the property line, I'd have to move it 15' (7' if I ask for and am granted a variance) if I knock it down and rebuild. If I 'repair' the shed in stages, it is grandfathered and the County will allow it to remain. Because of other land features, moving it isn't really an option. Thanks.
Jeff
Jeff,
If you are concerned about the BI, it doesn't make sense to "knock down" any section at all.
If you take down a whole section, and one of the different 'revenooers' sees it, they are likely to tell you that you cannot rebuild that section.
But if you remove part of a wall, and replace it, then another part of the wall... Etc. Afterward, strip the roof to the rafters and bebuild whatever needs rebuilding, then sheet and re-roof...
Politics: the blind insulting the blind.
Click here for access to the Woodshed Tavern
Welcome also
My take, and I am NOT joking:
holes in the roof ---- Save your old beer cans, cut'em apart into aluminum shingles, patch the roof.
with 3 or 4 rotting rafters - sister them
sunk 8-10" below grade, water pours onto the dirt floor and the 4x4 poles have decayed as well. --- get some hydraulic jacks, jack the whoel thing or parts, use you concrete idea around the bottom.
rebuild it in stages. - YES
knock down the gable part while temporarily supporting the lean-to; --- NO, the inspectors may make you demolish the whole thing, JUST repairs
jacking up the roof and rebuild under it, YES
Anybody have a better approach? see above, JMO
Follow on questions:
1. use concrete to extend the rotten portion of the existing 4x4s, true repair
2. dont waste $$ on rebar for a shed, throw in someolf scrap angles or something if you want.
3. Since the water retained in the concrete rots posts......,-- since when?? see #1 It is a shed for Luka's sake! (h2o 'collected' between concrete and post yes, but if you do the roof OK, dry concrete will NOT rot wood).
Happy shed REPAIR!!!