Pretty exciting for us!
From what I hear amid friends and family, there are a number of folks interested in shed construction. So, my first thought was, of-course, to include it in the blog so that (perhaps) our experience will help others.
What to do when you decide your yard is lacking the essential shed??
FIRST, first, first, call the city. Find out what the 'rules' are about sheds in your specific area. Now this took a bit to figure out, but I have it here for you: 330-630-7305. They are often out of the office, but go ahead and leave a message. I have had wonderful luck getting a prompt return call.
***As always I practice the 48 hour rule, though. I give the office about 48 hours (during the week) and then I give a second call.
We are building a shed here... no time to loose!
Go ahead and contact these folks and they will be happy to relay where your shed can sit according to property lines. Additionally, they will offer info about what size shed will require a building permit and those that will not. For longevity's sake, I am not going to quote what I learned, but instead offer where I found it. That way, when you choose to break ground for yourself, you will have the opportunity to go straight to the source. Sound good?!
Next, find your property line. It just so happens that we had the back yard fenced last year, so we were already set on this particular point. Not only is it beneficial for you and your neighbors to know where the property line is, it may also serve a very specific purpose for your shed project. (keep you out of trouble with Johnny Law or the neighbors!)
If you have trouble finding the location of your property line, check out this site for assistance:
http://scids.summitoh.net/gpaws2internet/
This site is certifiably awesome. You can pull up your property by address and learn the specific dimensions. Truthfully, the hubby is a bit more computer savvy and he was easily able to add or remove layers... I took a little more time to get comfortable with the resources on this fantastic site. You should be able to view an aerial shot of your yard, which (though it includes shadows) will be able to help you get started.
If you are uncomfortable or too busy to measure your own property line, contact a surveyor. There are a number of firms in the area, just check on-line or the phone book. Be mindful that these folks are usually over-booked, so allow for time between the moment you contact them and when you hope to have your lot surveyed. They will also charge a pretty penny for their work, but then you will have a tidy and confident assessment of your property line.
The next step for Mr. & Mrs. Rubber City Homestead was to select a location for our shed.
Things to keep in mind when selecting your shed location:
- Grade (or slope) of your yard
- Convenience and accessibility. You do not want the shed to sit too far from your home or work area or tools will never get returned.
- Your property line -- cannot emphasize this point enough
After we determined where we thought we might like to put the shed, we began our research. Lowe's and Home Depot offer a number of shed kits that you can easily walk through to get a size reference for your shed. While the sheds offered by these large locations seem just fine, we were looking for something a little different. On a slow day, I headed over to Carter Lumber at 1763 Wadsworth Rd,
The shed kits over at Carter Lumber were superior to the 'large mart' hardware stores in my mind. Prices were very reasonable, delivery and construction of supplies were also good options. I took the flyer home and the husband and I chewed on our options for a bit.
Crazy or not, we decided that of all our shed options... we wanted to take a totally different approach. WE DECIDED TO BUILD THE SHED OURSELVES. eeeekkkk! ha ha ha!
Take a moment and we will soak that in.
Ok. Truth be told, we have plans for some other building projects down the line. Consistent with these 'building' goals, we figured we had better strive for some experience. How to obtain experience? Practice, right?!?
So, our shed will be our 'practice' building experience.
...and we began our research.
Here are some wonderfully informative links that we stumbled across as we looked for the building plans of our dreams.
http://www.buildeazy.com/shed_2.html
http://www.mybackyardplans.com/gablestorageshed.php
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/sheds/4303628?click=main_sr
http://www.todaysplans.com/ls1014ess.pdf
Have a glance and see if you can guess what size shed we decided on. Don't work at it too hard, though, we changed our minds a number of times.
More to follow...
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