Like so many on here, my appetite for games exceeds my space.
So 'er indoors and I decided to normalise our lives by building a posh shed. The idea was to get our home office and pinball machines out of the main house. This builds on the great work done by @newdos and @Jsyjay in particular. Big thanks to these guys. It is easier to stand on the shoulders of giants than figure it all out for yourself. I had not even heard of epdm or hardieplank before these guys shared their builds.
The plans ...
My design philosophy ...
This will give about a 4.8 by 4.9m pinball room. This will take 12 games comfortably. I just decided that 12 HAS to be enough. I was happy with one game, my addams family for over 15 years. So if I cannot cope with 12, I ought to blow my brains out and leave my dough to a charity like Raptor Rescue. The more you get, the more there is to go wrong. Then the untreated OCD kicks in and the damned things make you miserable.
Layout - the beauty of these dimensions is that you can do 6 opposite 6 .....
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
But I am actually going to do this ....
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7................. 8.
9............... 10.
11.............. 12.
When it is just me, or me plus a few others, I would leave it like this. But by moving 7. and 8. out of here into next door for tournaments it will give loads of room for folk to play and move around.
At just over 7.5m by 5.1m this shed was caught by building regs by virtue of its floor area, but quite frankly I know what I want. It also required planning permission as I have an end-on house, and the council consider this to be in front if its main elevation.
Planning consent was gained without issue.
I auditioned the council and three independent building control firms. One of the independent firms just spoke my language. It wanted to work with me, not against me. Offering me solutions not just problems. So I went with them.
The foundation. The filthy weather of the past few weeks has crippled progress. This has been the largest cat litter tray for three weeks. But we expect to pour the reinforced concrete foundation tomorrow.
Pit dug, compacted stone on top ...
Then the first of two damp proof membranes. This one is arguably not needed, but for the sake of 30 or 40 quid or whatever ...
A second damp proof layer will sit on top of the concrete raft and extend over the engineering bricks that create the void for the screeded floor.
I know that a concrete floor is overkill, but I want to do this once. I just do not trust suspended wooden floors - though one would have been much cheaper and easier.
So 'er indoors and I decided to normalise our lives by building a posh shed. The idea was to get our home office and pinball machines out of the main house. This builds on the great work done by @newdos and @Jsyjay in particular. Big thanks to these guys. It is easier to stand on the shoulders of giants than figure it all out for yourself. I had not even heard of epdm or hardieplank before these guys shared their builds.
The plans ...
My design philosophy ...
- Commodity materials wherever possible
- 4x2 CLS tanalised frame
- Frame filled with celotex
- OSB (orientated strand board) outside the 4x2 for rigidity and wind-proofing
- One piece EPDM rubber roof
- Warm roof structure (celotex above the inner roof surface) so you do not need to ventilate the loft
- OSB and stud partition internal dividing wall one third to two thirds split, giving rigidity along the long wall
- 1m roof overhang on one side to create a nice walkway
- Off the peg steel security door as the main entrance
- Internal steel shutters protecting the french doors and window
- Alarmed
- Insulated concrete floor
- Overnight storage heaters
- All wood to be raised well above ground level, resting on damp proofed engineering bricks
- hardieplank weatherboards on the outside
- Water for a sink
- Big power supply
- Recognise that Pinball might be my hobby now, but build this thing recognising that might change. So the building may well be re-purposed one day
This will give about a 4.8 by 4.9m pinball room. This will take 12 games comfortably. I just decided that 12 HAS to be enough. I was happy with one game, my addams family for over 15 years. So if I cannot cope with 12, I ought to blow my brains out and leave my dough to a charity like Raptor Rescue. The more you get, the more there is to go wrong. Then the untreated OCD kicks in and the damned things make you miserable.
Layout - the beauty of these dimensions is that you can do 6 opposite 6 .....
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
But I am actually going to do this ....
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7................. 8.
9............... 10.
11.............. 12.
When it is just me, or me plus a few others, I would leave it like this. But by moving 7. and 8. out of here into next door for tournaments it will give loads of room for folk to play and move around.
At just over 7.5m by 5.1m this shed was caught by building regs by virtue of its floor area, but quite frankly I know what I want. It also required planning permission as I have an end-on house, and the council consider this to be in front if its main elevation.
Planning consent was gained without issue.
I auditioned the council and three independent building control firms. One of the independent firms just spoke my language. It wanted to work with me, not against me. Offering me solutions not just problems. So I went with them.
The foundation. The filthy weather of the past few weeks has crippled progress. This has been the largest cat litter tray for three weeks. But we expect to pour the reinforced concrete foundation tomorrow.
Pit dug, compacted stone on top ...
Then the first of two damp proof membranes. This one is arguably not needed, but for the sake of 30 or 40 quid or whatever ...
A second damp proof layer will sit on top of the concrete raft and extend over the engineering bricks that create the void for the screeded floor.
I know that a concrete floor is overkill, but I want to do this once. I just do not trust suspended wooden floors - though one would have been much cheaper and easier.
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