[.ca] Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders (ISBN 1554072247)

Good ideas, but inconsistent in attention to details:
\oSummary: I really wanted to like "Sheds" a lot. The book has an excellent beginning and the first project has good attention to detail. It's unfortunate that most of the book, including the project featured prominently on the cover, has a much lower quality level; the author frequently omits mention of some or all the materials, hardware, and tools needed for the various projects. "Sheds" includes a wide range of construction types, and is an excellent book for shed IDEAS. But as a shed construction manual it's pretty frustrating.\c The author is up-front in saying that this isn't a book for novices; here's the last paragraph of the Introduction: "SHEDS is written for creative, hands-on homeowners with do-it-yourself experience in weekend projects and basic home repair. You should have at least a few building and repair projects under your tool belt, be ready to tackle medium-sized, challenging projects and be willing to stretch your carpentry skills for worthwhile accomplishments." The first three chapters of this book are very good, covering design, a general shed construction primer, and a basic 8'x10' shed with step-by-step instructions. After that, though, there are six more chapters that aren't up to the same level of quality. The first project (the basic 8'x10' shed) is quite thorough. It has blueprint drawings (one plan and two sections). There are lists of materials, hardware, and tools needed. There's a construction schedule (8 days' worth). The step-by-step instructions are accompanied by 26 drawings to show construction details. This is an excellent start. The very next chapter is a letdown, and the book never comes back to the level of quality set in the first project. For instance there's a section that tells you how to install Plexiglas windows, with a figure insert showing one of the screws holding the Plexiglas to the stud. But there's no mention of what size screw you need in either the text or the illustrations. Also in this chapter is a plan for a simple garden shed, with a list of materials -- but no list of hardware. The text tells you to nail the pieces together, but doesn't say what type of nails or what quantity is required. The "Irish Garden Shed" project is quite inventive, featuring walls constructed of locust logs set in mortar. This is the project prominently featured on the book's cover, and you would (mistakenly) expect it to be covered in loving detail. But you get one plan and two section drawings, and not much more. The are no lists of materials, hardware, or tools required for the project. The text includes many instructions that just don't have enough attention to detail. An example paragraph: "In a mortar pail, combine 6 parts sand, 6 parts sawdust, 3 parts Portland cement and 2 parts lime. Measuring accurately is critical." It would have been easy for the author to write whether he meant parts by weight or parts by volume; if by volume, specify whether to compact the sawdust; or give an idea of what size "part" would be appropriate to fit in a mortar pail. But he didn't specify any of these things. While "Sheds" is hit-or-miss when it comes to construction details, it's really very good when it comes to construction ideas. The foundations covered include pressure-treated skids, posts, poles, and concrete slabs. Wall types include the standard stick-built form, timber frames, and mortared logs. Roofing materials detailed are limited to asphalt and cedar shingles, but the text does mention that you need to use rolled roofing for shallow-pitched roofs. Windows include round and rectangular, either prebuilt or made from scratch. The author is even inventive when it comes to door handles, suggesting using a wooden mason's float -- which I'm using on my own shed project!

worth the money:
i bought this book while we were talking about building a shed and arguing kit vs from scratch. after reading the book we decided we could do it. my husband has few carpentry skills, and it has been 15 yrs since i lived on a farm doing this sort of stuff. as someone else said, watch out for the typos. on his list of supplies, the floor section doesn't list cca wood for the joists, yet he says to use cca wood. fortunatly we caught that before we started. however we will need more 10d common nails, what he lists isn't going to be enough. he has lists of nails, but doesn't always tell you what kind of nails to use, i guess he assumes you know. we keep the book outside with us as we work, and as of this writing we have a floor, and 4 wall frames. the construction is moving rather quickly. the diagrams are very well done and the measurements very helpful. the actual directions are sometime unclear because he tells you to do something then a few paragraphs later adds other information. we have made a few adjustments, like we are using plywood sides instead of shiplapped board. we will put in a 4 ft. double door instead of the 3ft he uses. we are not putting in windows. i would say this this book is worth the money because i think that when we are finished, we will have a well built wood shed that will last a long time.

Great plans but wish there were more of them.:
We bought this book for ideas to help us build a shed in our own back yard, and chose it because of the "natural" looking shed on the cover. The ideas are wonderful, and the plans and pictures are clear. The details and descriptions of building techniques are helpful. My husband is an experienced builder and was looking for more variety in the plans than the book actually held. It is exactly what the title states, a do it yourself guide, not a plan book. Ultimately, we chose a plan from another book. I would highly recommend this book though to someone who has less building experience and is looking for a more basic to moderate, unique shed to build for themselves.

A great help and great read:
This book was great, fun to read too. It gave plenty of ideas and advice. It wasn't the only book I used when building my shed but, certainly was the one I used the most. I recommend this book for anyone who's never built a shed before.

A Great Way To Learn The Basics Of Shed Building:
This book has been a valuable tool in my understanding of the art of shed building. All of the elements that go into building a shed are discussed and diagramed in great detail. The old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is this books motto. Stiles' intricate detail takes all the guess work out of figuring out all of the necessary elements that go into building a shed. He starts by showing you the very basics and then goes into more detailed and complicated sheds. I've had this book roughly one month and I've read it cover to cover twice. I also read bits and pieces and study the pictures and diagrams at least every other day for a few minutes. I now feel ready to begin construction of my dream shed...