34 JULY/AUGUST 2019 FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM
Set the ridge beams
There are two ridge beams: a short
one over the shed and a long main
ridge over the pavilion. They inter-
lock directly over the shed wall.
Start by cutting and nailing
together the triple support studs
and then toe-nailing them directly
over the longer triple studs below.
Brace them in place both direc-
tions. Rest the shed ridge beam on
the support studs (Photo 5), then
add the main ridge beam (Photo
6 ). Make your life easier at this
point by running your tape mea-
sure from the top plates of the
shed and the side beams of the
pavilion to the top of the beams to
make sure they’re parallel. That
attention to detail will pay off when
it comes to the rafter cutting and
setting since they’ll all be close to
the same.
Cut the gable top plates to fit
diagonally against the ridge beam.
Then fill in the gable studs, stack-
ing them directly over the shed
studs (Photo 7). Hang the door,
then sheathe and side the shed—it’s
much easier to do those steps now
than after the roof is on.Frame the roof
This is where all your attention to
detail pays off. Laying out a square
footprint and making the side
beams parallel with the ridge
beam makes cutting the rafters so
much easier at this stage. Start with
the rafters that adjoin the shed
wall. Cut one of the rafters to fit,
then use it as a pattern to cut the
rest (Photo 8). Mark and cut them
one at a time so you can test the fit
and make alterations as needed.
Screw the first two rafters
through the siding with 4-in.
screws, and use them to lay out the
rest of the rafters in each direction.
Toe-screw the remaining rafters to
the ridge with four 3-in. trim-head
screws and to the side beams with
three 4-in. construction screwsT
his project includes a lot
of cedar lumber, which is
mostly sheltered from
the weather. For the more
exposed elements, we chose
LP Outdoor Building
Solutions shed products.
They’re made with LP
SmartSide, offering all the
warmth and beauty of tradi-
tional wood along with out-
standing durability. LP
SmartSide Trim & Siding
products are also easier to
work with and come in both
smooth and cedar textures,
which nicely match the
rough-sawn cedar. Here are
the products we used:
CEDAR TEXTURE TRIM was
our choice for the three-part
fascia, door trim and corner
boards. It comes in a variety
of widths and thicknesses.
We love the 16-ft. length:
less waste, fewer seams.
CEDAR TEXTURE LAP SIDING
gave us the look of tradi-
tional board siding, but it
will hold paint longer. And
because it comes in 16-in. by
16-ft. sections, it went up
super fast without any seams
in the entire shed.
PANEL SIDING is typically
used for exterior walls. But
we laid it face down over the
rafters to give the ceiling a
tongue-and-groove look.
Our 4 x 8-ft. panels have
V-grooves every 8 in., but
there are several other styles.LONGER-
LASTING
EXTERIOR
9
INSTALL THE RAFTERS
Screw the rafters to the ridge beams and the side
beams. The lower ends, or “tails,” of the rafters can run
long and vary in length. You’ll cut them to identical
lengths later (see the next step).Side
beam Bird’s- mouth4" screwRidge beamFor more building material advice,
visit:www.LPShed.comPRESENTED BY