Rebuilding a Shed: Keeping the Bugs Out

Turning an old shed into a new shed can be a rewarding project. By recycling existing materials, you'll hold down your outlay for new materials. It's not just about being green, it's a thrifty choice: by reducing what you throw away, you'll save on disposal costs. The trade-off, of course, is the time you spend to carefully disassemble the old structure.

Michael wrote:

I am planning on rebuilding one of my sheds. The shed is 12x12 and the outside is deteriorating, the sides are lap board construction and it appears to be similar to press board material. The internal 2x4's and the roofing plywood all appear to be in good shape, no leaky roof or water damage/rot, just old looking.

The shed's foundation is concrete which appears to have been poorly done, it's crumbling at various places.

I plan on reusing as much of the original 2x4's, 2x6's, and roofing plywood as possible.

As for the floor/foundation, I'm not sure whether the entire foundation should be removed and a new foundation made or can the original foundation be saved? I would suspect framing the original foundation, cleaning up the original flooring, lay in some rebar/metal matrix, and poor a new foundation on top of the older foundation is possible. The original foundation does not appear to have shifted just crumbling/cracking a a few places. What do you think?

I also want to have a front door that seals preventing bugs such as ants and spider from crawling into the shed. The shed will be used for storing flower pots, a place for my wife to work on her flowers, but no lawn tractors, mowers, etc. Those tools are in another shed on the opposite side of the yard.

Any suggestions on redoing the concrete floor and sealing the entire shed from bugs etc?

Without seeing the existing concrete floor, it's hard to say if it can be saved. While it sounds like there's a good chance that you'll be able to reuse it, the best bet might be to have a local mason take a look at what's there. It pays to build on a solid foundation ... that's one place you don't want to cut corners. The best bet might be to have a mason contractor (or two) come out and give you a quote for the concrete work to see what they suggest.

Before you start disassembling the old shed, you need to be sure that the old siding is not made from asbestos. If it is asbestos, you'll have some serious removal and disposal issues. Asbestos is nasty stuff and you need to take every precaution in the removal process. Don't just start ripping things apart until you know for sure.

Bugs and sheds just seem to go together like, well, bugs and sheds. Sealing the foundation and door will help, but if there's a way in, the bugs will find it. Running a bead of construction caulk around the framing should help. A solid door seal will help in many ways -- keeping out the bugs and the draft. Check your local hardware store to see what kind of door seals they keep in stock.

Keep in mind that bugs don't just walk in by themselves. Your wife may be carrying them in, hidden in the flower pots, as ant colonies can live in the potting soil. When their home is relocated from outside to inside, bingo ... you have ants in your shed. I've lived this one, first hand ...