Building a block bike shed

Not sure about planning but i think that if the structure is 1 mtr away from boundaries no planning involved, if it is built from concrete block single skin you will have to either render or damproof the the exterior or you will get damp migration on the inside, if you run power to shed armoured cable with protection at the feed end and a dis box in the shed. This will probably raise more questions and corrections but happy building.

 

I know in Scotland u need permission if its a permanent structure ie not a wooden shed , depends if anyone complains really

 

You will need planning permission for a brick or block shed. I did at least when I was thinking of building one in the garden a few years back. Went for one of these on the end with add in wooden floor...

Trimetals 6ft x 9ft (1.83m x 2.65m) Titan 960 Pent Shed – Next Day Delivery Trimetals 6ft x 9ft (1.83m x 2.65m) Titan 960 Pent Shed

cheaper, secure, and was up in a day... I also added additional locks to mine...

 

I wouldn't use blocks on such a small building. Unless you use the very narrow ones, you'll lose too much internal space.
I built a bike shed using recycled bricks that I collected from skips and suchlike a couple of years ago. Its actually a five-sided building because that was the shape of the space I had available.
I wouldn't bother with a concrete foundation either. I laid a old school strip footing using three courses of bricks laid as headers, using a strong mortar mix and with steel mesh reinforcing between the layers. Then a few courses of blue bricks to get above ground level, before continuing in the recycled red brick (colours evenly mixed for a uniform appearance). The whole thing was single skin, with piers every metre or so to add lateral strength, though your size of building will probably need few, if any, of those.
I also wouldn't lay a concrete floor. Mine is slabs (again, recycled) laid over a polythene damp membrane. Much cheaper and/or avoids all that mixing of concrete.
Its the best bike cave I've ever had and features an old Victorian brick bearing the very apt manufacturers name of "utopia" embossed in the frog, laid sideways above the door ....and hence my forum name.
I used corrugated fibre/cement sheets for the roof, but lined them with a "ceiling" made out of recycled feather-edge fencing boards.
And a purpose built pair of narrow, double doors to give a nice wide entrance without needing a huge single door which would get in the way and tend to pull itself off its hinges.

 

Its easy enough to check to see if you need Planning and Building Regulation permission..........

AL (RIBA)*lapsed.

 

Planning Portal - Do You Need Permission?

Do I Need Planning Permission?

http://www.doineedplanningpermission.co.uk/for/outbuilding/


Loads on Google under 'Do I need Planning Permission?'..........a local authority version should be as near as dammit the same as any other local authority version......

I can't comment as yet because I can't see your house site layout etc etc.....

AL

 

Check building regs as well.........If you do use block and build single skin, you can get away with 100m ones, the strongest are Class A dense concrete blocks, fairly resistant to water penetration, but it can eventually get through, so paint them anyway......they have no insulating properties to speak of and it will get damp inside if you don't ventilate it.

Class B lightweight blocks are more insulating less resistant to water............don't use the cheaper aggregate blocks because you won't get full paint coverage, so I would go for something like Celcon or Thermalite.........at least the paint will eventually fill the pinholes up..........Class B are more expensive than Class A and Celcon / Thermalite are probably the most expensive Class B ones.

The size you quote seems a bit small to me..........about the size of an outside bog...........take 8" off the sizes and its going to be pretty cramped in there.........so if you are going to use blocks, that means foundations or a concrete slab with thickened edges to take the block wall loads..........therefore make the bugger as big as you can, I reckon.

Any questions, just ask.

AL

 

Costly but they are OK (Class B loadbearing).......but then, you won't need that many........Allow for doubling the thickness at the door frame (or even buy some 200/225 blocks for that).............I don't think you will need a pier halfway along the long walls..........the corners are the strongest points and there is bugger all distance between them.......if you get to 9'-0" long, then I would consider piers were necessary.

If the slab is say, 4" thick, thicken the edges to at least 1'-0" to support the walls..........if your ground is crap, Ie soft clay, you may need to go deeper and / or get hold of some rebar and / or some A142 mesh.

You won't need to do that......it won't serve any purpose other than to perforate the damp course, which of course (see what I did there?) you will need.

What you will need is some holding down straps for the roof members whether flat or pitched roof........if you are having a block gable you will need some straps for that as well........if you decide on a pitched roof, I can show you how to brace it etc....

AL

 

At 2.1 high x 1.8 long there are roughly 36 blocks........which weigh 263kg or quarter of a ton to you, without the weight of the mortar and the roof loads (wait until it gets a load of snow on it as well)......that sitting on the edge of a 100mm slab is not the best idea......that's why the edge is thickened

For your door, if you try fixing it to the single leaf ends of the walls, unless you get something across the top to tie the two walls together over the opening............slam the door and the walls could fall down, or at least fracture........there should always be a return / pier of some sort at the end of a freestanding wall..........you build yours up to 2.1 high, let the mortar go off, I'll bet you could just push it over at that end.

But its up to you........it may work as you suggest, but I'm afraid, I'm one of those types that does things properly.........hence my workshop 18' x 13' is built on a 6" slab, but no thickening 'cos its all timber; weatherboarded and lined with ply......and lightweight slate pitched roof........cost about £700

...........there was no way I was digging foundations!............and nobody can break into it any easier than they will a block built one because the plywood will give them grief, plus it is alarmed.......in fact its terrified:wink:

AL

 

If your slab base is on good firm ground and not just the topsoil (which will compress) you could leave them in place............then judging 100mm depth for a concrete slab above them, dig around the edge of the slabs at the new floor size to form an inverted 'beam' total depth 300mm x 3000mm wide which becomes part of the main slab.........

.....at a guess, if your slabs are say, 50mm thick and are above ground level, then by adding 100mm on top for the new slab you will only have to dig a trench 150mm deep all round for the thickened bit..........if you can blag some A142 mesh from somewhere, you could lay that in the concrete so it is 50mm below the new surface..........leave the cut ends so they are inside the concrete by 50mm.......that will tie the whole slab together and make it stronger.

If you bear with me, I'll do a rough drawing today......

AL