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Building my own luxury shed out of pallets?

ATOMIC SUPLEX

ATOMIC SUPLEX

Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
I would quite like to level my two useless rotting sheds and build one uber dream shed at the end of my garden.

I have had to spend a large amount of money repairing my house and will not have the funds to buy something sexy, so was wondering how hard it would be to build something out of old pallets.
I have seen a few things around on the internet here and there, but nothing that definitive for the beginner.

Does anyone have any experience of this sort of thing? How hard would it be after I got the foundations down?
 
There's some nice designs there.

When you build it don't forget to put in some solar panels for heating etc. That way you can have a proper man-shed
 
ATOMIC SUPLEX said:
Oh god, that is inspiring.
Do you know anything about building with them?
Click to expand...


I have only used them to build planters etc but love what other people do with them...am planning to make some garden furniture with them this year also, there are loads of decent teach vids about.

Have a good look and don't underestimate yourself AS. The most annoying part of using pallets is disassembling them to use...once you've done that though it's great to have free, ready cut wood to use! :)
 
Have a look for torrents "building wild".basically red-necks but with some brilliant ideas about home builds,
 
Disassemble???
Johnny%205%20from%20Short%20Circuit.jpg

I thought I would be using them as they are, and maybe filling the gaps with some insulation.
 
I've only used pallets for making garden items: compost bins, benches, etc. It doesn't seem to be much different than using regular lumber other than the size limitations.

You might also consider using cast-off doors/windows. I've seen some great things built from them too.
 
ATOMIC SUPLEX said:
Disassemble???
Johnny%205%20from%20Short%20Circuit.jpg

I thought I would be using them as they are, and maybe filling the gaps with some insulation.
Click to expand...

For sure you can find or adapt a design to be able to mostly do that....you will need to break down/disassemble some though to fill gaps, make frame for the roof (unless it's flat) etc. :) Claw hammer and a box for recyclable nails...nothing to fear! :D
 
I knew a guy in the states who made a lot of his house out of the high quality packing crates his company received European goods in. By the end of it he was a very competent carpenter, his house was brill!
 
Not so sure about pallets. Not great quality wood, and quite short lengths, plus how are you going to source them? they have a value unless very damaged and then they would be less use for you.
 
Is there some kind of step by step instructional?
I have seen some nice stuff but I am not 100% sure how to put it together with ease.
Also I have seen some just wrapped up in polythene etc, does there not have to be some professional treatment? I mean, I already have two sheds and they are both wonky and rotted, and they were from a shop.
 
weltweit said:
Not so sure about pallets. Not great quality wood, and quite short lengths, plus how are you going to source them? they have a value unless very damaged and then they would be less use for you.
Click to expand...

Electrical factors are a good source, and a lot of places still don't recycle pallets. I have an open fire, I know where to get pallets ;) Also some are very good quality ime(years of chopping the things up, making coal bunkers, planters and compost boxes too)

Iirc you don't have a car AS, how the heck do you intend to transport the pallets? They're heavy and awkward to move imo.

Sheds need treated with wood care stuff and retreated every so often too. You can't just paint it once after it's finished and expect it to last years :)
 
Its easily do-able.When i first got a plot on an allotment site a few years ago it already had a small "dead"shed on it.I discovered a place not too far away that had bundles of free pallets for me.Normal size ones and some that were made from Teak that were both 3 ft sq and 6 ft sq.Within a couple of months i had rebuilt the original shed,added to it,put in decking and a roofed veranda and about 80 metres of fencing.All from pallets.I think the hard part is findind a decent supply of pallets .The only tools i used were a decent battery drill/impact driver,a level and a rip saw.Although i built all my stuff from my own ideas theres a great site here:http://chat.allotment-garden.org/ full of help and advice.
 
I've always wanted to build my own wooden, beach-side shack. This thread is resurrecting this dream. I'd like mine to be well insulated, to have water, electricity which I'd get from solar panels, and some sort of sewage system. I'd like to be able to live in it for the summer, to catch fish to eat, and grow vegetables/fruit too. I doubt it'll ever happen. But next weekend I'm meeting an old friend who is also an architect with his own business involved in green/environmental projects.
 
ATOMIC SUPLEX said:
That was about the first thing that came up on google.
Hardly comprehensive with instructions like "Then use 16 penny nails to nail it together".

I think I need something with a little more detail.
Click to expand...


You know what I think you are underestimating yourself. :)

There are loads of pic and vids available to give you a good idea of what are the dos and don'ts....have a look then think about were you want to build yours and how you'd like it to look. Make some sketches etc.

Then, get on and do it...IMO a lot of things are best learnt by actually doing them. You are over thinking it in a way that seems like you don't believe you can...Please stop. :D

Think of it as an adventure in DIY. Remember what it was like as a kid building camps etc...this is meerly a more sophisicated, grown up version of that. :thumbs:
 
PS: Are you this cautious when making music..I bet you aren't! Apply some of that confidence and optimism to this project....it's a bit like cooking...I don't follow a recipe to the letter, I allow my intutition/optimism a voice...best way to truly learn something IMO. :)
 
Rutita1 said:
PS: Are you this cautious when making music..I bet you aren't! Apply some of that confidence and optimism to this project....it's a bit like cooking...I don't follow a recipe to the letter, I allow my intutition/optimism a voice...best way to truly learn something IMO. :)
Click to expand...

When I write I song, I don't worry about it falling apart and leaving a giant rotting mess at the end of my garden that I have to pay someone to sort out.
I don't use recipes at all when I cook, but but If I make it wrong and it falls apart I can still eat it, it doesn't rot at the end of my garden with my wife screaming "told you so" and "when are you going to clear that up" at me every day.
 
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