Shed Manual

May 27, 2019

The Haynes manuals are renown for their quality guidance on car repairs. In recent years they have expanded their range to include a wider range of topics.

Some of these are more coffee table books than instruction. However, “Shed Manual” is not one of those. It is packed with practical tips and advice.

The chapters of the books look at the key features you need for a shed. These cover the fundamentals such as planning, different shed designs, building a base and types of roof. But there is also details of materials and tools you might need including hardware and security.

Along with these are 4 large case studies for different types of shed. These are a log cabin style garden office from a kit, an 8×6 shed build from scratch, a bike store and an eco shed. Each of these sheds have different characteristics and are great examples of how the principles of shed building fit together to make the finished results.

The book of course mentions “shed culture”and shed of the year. Various sheddies have helped out with quotes and tips in the pages. I got a mention in the planning section, as standard wood and board sizes can influence your design and how much you need to purchase.

The book is clear and well written, an enjoyable and educational read.

One minor gripe is that my dad was specifically looking for advice on painting or finishing the shed and we could not find that in the finishing section, it is however detailed in the tools and materials section.

So all in all a good book for those looking for some advice on building a shed or as reference. I’m glad to be part of it and thanks to Alex and Haynes for sending me a copy.

By Andy from Workshopshed One Comment

  Posted in: Books and Magazine Reviews Tags: Haynes, shed