Shed Manual

John Coupe is a practising structural engineer who has designed buildings ranging in size from domestic extensions to multi-storey residential and commercial developments using steel, concrete, masonry and timber. Alex Johnson is a freelance journalist (largely with The Independent since 2007) and author of various books including Shedworking (Frances Lincoln, 2010), Bookshelf (Thames & Hudson, 2010), and Improbable Libraries (T&H 2015). John's website secrets-of-shed-building.com and Alex's at shedworking.co.uk together reach around 800,000 readers a year.

Getting Started * Safety * Planning * Hand and power tools Shed styles * Overview: Pent, gable, gambrel, potting, clerestory, lean-to and corner Key considerations: Appearance, colour schemes, textures Materials * Timber sizes, grades, treatment * Sheet materials * Glass and glazing Foundations * Concrete slab * Timber * Plastic bases Components * Windows * Doors * Skylights * Steps/ramps Hardware * Hinges, handles and locks * Vents * Fixings - Screws, bolts and nails Roofing materials * Roofing felt * Bitumen tiles * EPDM rubber roofing * Cedar shingles * Clay tiles Services * Electricity * Heating * Solar panels * Water Finishing * Paint * Cladding/siding * Insulation * Ventilation Shedlike structures * Shepherds' huts * Garden offices * Tiny houses, * Beach huts * Man caves and She-sheds