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Hi all. My dad and were kicking around the idea of building a small shed/shop geared toward tinkering/hobby activities. Somewhere to teach the kids about fixing/building stuff without having them messing around with full size stationary power tools. We like the saltbox style of building and were thinking about a 12’X 16′ structure. Framing up a small, regular old gable shed is pretty straightforward. I’ve never messed with saltbox style framing. I do not like the idea of building this thing with a short back wall. I want regular 8′ ceiling height at the back wall. Is there some rule of thumb about the ratio between front and back wall height? I don’t want the thing to look to ridiculous. If I go with an 8′ back wall what’s a good height for the front? Also, is there some special trick to figuring the roof pitches? Are the two pitches actually the same, just brought together at different points along the run? We are not regular carpenters, yet my pop has overseen the building of two new homes and the complete remodel of anohter. Doing much of the work himself. So, we’re not babes in the woods yet far from knowledgable about specialized roofing/framing specifics. We do not want this thing to turn into Dagwoods closet for junk storage. So the emphasis will be on fairly well designed tool storage, wall cabinets, pegboards, work bench space and power distribution. After these things are layed out in a drawing, then we’ll see about using some of the overhead rafter area for loft type storage. If that’s even feasible with this style of building. Also a question about doors. I’ve seen enough sagging, junky, poorly fitted “barn doors” to last me lifetime. They are neither secure or very weather proof. I’d thought about an overhead garage door(just a standard 7×8)but I don’t like the thought of the track hardware ruining the look of the interior. One of roll up overhead doors like you seen in self storage units comes to mind, but if memeory serves me, they are fairly expensive. So, swinging barn doors it might be. I just want them to hang straight and close securely and keep the rain out! Any ideas or suggestions surely would be appreciated.
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Hi all. My dad and were kicking around the idea of building a small shed/shop geared toward tinkering/hobby activities. Somewhere to teach the kids about fixing/building stuff without having them messing around with full size stationary power tools. We like the saltbox style of building and were thinking about a 12'X 16' structure. Framing up a small, regular old gable shed is pretty straightforward. I've never messed with saltbox style framing. I do not like the idea of building this thing with a short back wall. I want regular 8' ceiling height at the back wall. Is there some rule of thumb about the ratio between front and back wall height? I don't want the thing to look to ridiculous. If I go with an 8' back wall what's a good height for the front? Also, is there some special trick to figuring the roof pitches? Are the two pitches actually the same, just brought together at different points along the run? We are not regular carpenters, yet my pop has overseen the building of two new homes and the complete remodel of anohter. Doing much of the work himself. So, we're not babes in the woods yet far from knowledgable about specialized roofing/framing specifics. We do not want this thing to turn into Dagwoods closet for junk storage. So the emphasis will be on fairly well designed tool storage, wall cabinets, pegboards, work bench space and power distribution. After these things are layed out in a drawing, then we'll see about using some of the overhead rafter area for loft type storage. If that's even feasible with this style of building. Also a question about doors. I've seen enough sagging, junky, poorly fitted "barn doors" to last me lifetime. They are neither secure or very weather proof. I'd thought about an overhead garage door(just a standard 7x8)but I don't like the thought of the track hardware ruining the look of the interior. One of roll up overhead doors like you seen in self storage units comes to mind, but if memeory serves me, they are fairly expensive. So, swinging barn doors it might be. I just want them to hang straight and close securely and keep the rain out! Any ideas or suggestions surely would be appreciated.