Hi /diy/, I want to put a small shed in my parents' back yard where I could put my PC and a bed because as of now I'm forced to share my room with two roommates and having no privacy is driving me insane. I'm too retarded to build a shed from scratch and I want it to be done as soon as possible so I've been searching for a budget kit. The Little Cottage Co. 8x8 ft value workshop shed seems like a good pick for this and judging by the reviews it's easy to assemble and the quality is decent.My plan is to lay a gravel base right next to the concrete patio and put the shed there. I live in AZ so AC is a must. I would have to insulate the shed and put some vents in. I have an exterior outlet there, would be roughly 8 ft away from the shed so maybe I could use a heavy duty extension cord to power my PC, a small AC unit and a lamp. I really want to avoid running a cord from my house's main panel, I'm no electrician and it sounds like a lot of work and electricity is scary.Aside from that the shed is designed to only lock from the outside. What could I possibly do to modify the door to be able to lock from the inside?? Please help.
To be able to lock it from both sides what you need is a lock that's accessible from both sides. That sounds like it goes without saying, but it's actually not very practical to rig up a system that does that. You've got standard locking door knobs/deadbolts which are designed to do this, and not much else that's readily available. To use one of those, you'd have to fix one of the double doors in place, since the lock needs a solid frame to work effectively. From there it would be pretty straightforward to cut a hole in the door with a hole saw and drill a hole into the frame of the other door for it to fit into. This requires the doors to be substantial, so if they're just half inch sheets of composite siding on hinges you'll have to reinforce them.Alternatively you could have two separate locking systems on either side of the door. A simple bar would suffice for the inside. This however opens the possibility of an assassin locking you in the shed and is probably not a good idea.Also, 8x8 ft is tiny. That's two sheets of plywood side by side. The bed alone is going to use almost half of that. Before you buy it, figure out how big that is, how big your bed is and how big your desk is. Then figure about how that's all going to work. Consider if the dimensions listed are the outside dimensions and the inside is even smaller than that. You don't want to drop $2k on a shed only to find out there's not enough room for you in between the desk, the bed and the door, when a larger shed is only marginally more expensive.And finally, do not insulate your shed with styrofoam boards. It's cheaper upfront but it's a bitch to install and performs a lot worse than fiberglass in the long term. Buy the fiberglass or rockwool or cellulose or whatever and save yourself hours of measuring and cutting styrofoam boards down to size.
>>2998030Where do you live, anon? You can most likely find a local craftsman who can throw something like that together for less than 2100 bucks. Even with modern lumber prices that's pretty ridiculous.
>>2998037yeah i guess you're kinda right on most points. the doors are basically just a flimsy frame with a particle board nailed to it or something. it could easily be kicked in.I live in an almost 100% white mormon neighborhood in Gilbert, AZ with almost no crime but i still would feel kinda unsafe. I'm pretty sure 8x8 ft would be enough though. just to put things into perspective i already share a 10x12 ft room with two other guys and we have a twin and double mattress here, 3 small desks and 3 computers all in this tiny ass room. so for me 8x8 ft would be fucking kingly.I just wish I could buy a tiny shed with normal residential door. I guess I'll have to look into modifying sheds. Just take the double swing out doors entirely and put in a normal door. I'm just not sure about the measurements. No idea if a normal door would even fit in there...>>2998039where do YOU live? we recently had to treat our house for termites and the cheapest we could find was $800. most companies quoted us $1200+, just for termites. our garage door has been broken for months because cheapest quote we got was $1500. Lumber in home depo is insanely expensive. I'm not even going to bother looking this up, i just straight up don't believe a guy here would build me a shed for less than $2100 lol, ridiculous.
>>2998040I live in semi-rural PA. That's why I asked, anon. I see I missed you said you live in AZ, so that's probably a big factor. Anyway since the doors swing, you can probably just use a gate bolt. https://www.amazon.com/Barrel-Stainless-Inside-Finished-Silver/dp/B0DDKJXRWZ
>>2998040OP here again and I'm just trying to look into the possibility of modifying the shed I'm interested in. I already have some 2x4s and particle board lying around so additional costs wouldn't be too bad. Looking at measurements here it seems like the door to this shed is only 72 inches tall and the vast majority of exterior residential doors are 80 inches tall and I guess that does not even include the frame. However, the side of the shed might have enough space to put a small door in? I've looked around and I guess you can buy smaller doors like for mobile homes. I just don't know if you need to put in a special metal frame or something to make it more secure? Can anybody advise me on this?
>>2998041Also I'm not ignoring your post, I just figured that a gate bolt would simply be too flimsy and despite me saying that I live in a crime free area, who knows, things are getting bad and it might change, I would feel much safer having a normal door that can't easily be broken through. I do own a gun. Sorry for being a bit rude earlier.
>>2998044Fuck I don't want to spam but I just realized this is completely retarded. Instead of dismantling the double doors I could just put a padlock on. Lol.
>>2998044You can buy pre-hung doors with frame included, anon. They usually even come with locks. Only issue I can see is which way the supports run on the kit.
>>2998049pre hung-doors, got it. I guess I'm so retarded not even AI could point it out to me that it's a thing. Thanks. Judging by this picture, which shows the wall I intend to put the residential door in, i guess the middle part isn't really supporting much, is it? I could probably build a door frame around it with some 2x4s right?heres the product linkhttps://www.cottagekits.com/products/value-workshop-shed?Size=8x8&Floor=Add+Flooranyways you probably agree that putting in a real door is a better idea than messing with those flimsy swing out double doors?
>>2998030If you're living in the shed you're almost certainly going to be in violation of some local law or ordinance or some shit.That shed is nowhere near big enough. Additionally, you'll lose interior size if you insulate it, to the point where it WILL be worth your while getting a prefab structure designed for habitation (assuming local laws allow).With all the work you're putting in, it'd be worth maybe making money and moving into your own place you complete sponge.
Kek, this guy is Bubbles, but in AZ instead of Nova Scotia. OP, search for “bubbles trailer park shed” or something to get some ideas and info about shed living.
>>2998051Talking about the floor, not the walls, anon. You don't want your door sitting on one board.
>>2998052of course i will be violating local laws but who the fuck is gonna figure out that i'm actually sleeping in there? the shed i picked has one small window which i'm going to cover up. there's going to be no light coming out of it at night. and even if there was. who says i can't be just tinkering in it or something? moving out isn't an option for me.>>2998053to be honest i'm kinda flattered, i love trailer park boys. though as far as i know bubbles never admitted to being retarded while I do, so there you have it, at least i'm self aware to some extent. i also love cats, I got 4 and they all love me. if you ever reply with some useful advice i promise to post pics of my cats. how's that?>>2998055to be honest i don't even know what it means. you think i need to put something underneath where the door is going to sit, like some concrete blocks? please elaborate. thanks
>>2998064> please elaborate. thanksIf the door sitting on one board, it's a lot of strain, especially if it's just a 2x4. Now if you move to the door, like you show here >>2998044 you can see it'll just be sitting on that one 2x4. It'll be fine for awhile, but as the wood weathers and you step on the threshold a few hundred times, it'll start to sag. You don't have to do anything drastic, just maybe add an extra 2x4 there for more support.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=diWQtuN1ircMay I suggest a swamp cooler, a big tarp/fabric cover over you to reflect the sun or solar, and you run the PC at home and use a laptop or something there so theres nothing inside? With the awning it won't look like theres a shed either.
>>2998067oh i see now, this makes a lot of sense. thanks for explaining. i have a 4x4 in my garage, you think i could just use that instead?also maybe you can answer another question, the prehung door has to be attached to a wooden frame, right? like I have to make an opening exactly the size of the door framed all the way around it with some wood. can it just be 2x4s or should I use something sturdier? appreciate the help so far.
>>2998129Rough out hole should be about 1/4" bigger on sides and top so you can shim it level and plumb. 4x4 will work. The wood supplied with the kid should be strong enough. You're not building a jail cell here.
>>2998133thanks for the helpful tips bro, you're based.also after some consideration and people making fun of me wanting to sleep in a world's smallest cuck shed i decided i will probably go with a slightly bigger shed (8x10ft) because I'm considering putting drywall over the insulation to soundproof it a little and that will shrink the interior space even more. I have a bunch of spare drywall in my garage already. I imagine a lot of exterior noise would be coming in otherwise, the birds are especially noisy in my back yard and planes fly over the house all the time.
>>2998040See those pegs to lock the left door in place?Just get another pair for the right door.Even more secure than hasp & padlock.
Do you get safety with a shed? No, you are protected by a flimsy bit of plastic that's slightly bigger than a coffin. Same goes about burglaries. Do you get protected from the sun? Again, not really, it's just plastic.So why not pitch an insulated tent where you can stand tall, get a used AC, get some sort of cabinet on wheels and store everything valuable in it and roll it in you parent's garage every time you go away or go to sleep?A party tent surely draws less attention than a cuck shed.
>>2998064>who the fuck is gonna figure out that i'm actually sleeping in there?everyone you're currently living with will know, and they'll tell someone.
>>2998240exactlyyou mother (a woman) will blab to anyone and everyone about things she was explicitly told to not sharet. speaks from experience
>>2998228That makes it even more obvious that you have a homeless person living in your yard and you will draw the ire of the white mormons and their HOA.
