Hip or gable, that is the question...

[TorontoBuilder]

So I decided to lay out a 160 ft2 shed and design the trusses for a hip roof with gutters all around in order to catch as much rainwater as possible...

But I don't think I like the look, and I don't think there will be that much better rain harvesting from a hip roof. I guess I'll need to see what the full gable looks like.

 

[DavidR8]

I think a hip roof looks awkward on a small building. Gable is more appropriate.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Skillion/Lean to. Nothing easier to build, or better at harvesting water. Looks be damned.

 

[phaxtris]

I also vote for lean to/shanty/mono pitch if the aim is collecting rain water

 

[Susquatch]

Every shed I ever built was designed to fit into its environment. So I like to add roof structure that makes it look special - maybe a dormer, or a built in vent, round top doors, window shutters, window flower boxes, or just something to make it "fit in".

Take a look around where you plan to put it and see what works best.

One push toward gables is storage space. A gable roof on a 160 ft shed doesn't need cross braces. So you can make an attractive attic access in the gable to facilitate stock storage.

Water collection is really all about water control on a given ft2 footprint. You can easily put flow control gaurds on the gable edges - a piece of angle aluminium (or painted wood) mounted edge up will do that for you and presents an opportunity for a unique appearance too.

 

[Susquatch]

One other suggestion @TorontoBuilder. You keep talking about getting an acreage in the country.

When we moved here, I took my custom dog shed with me - maybe you saw it nestled in under the white pines when you were here. When you build your shed, build it with a view toward being able to move it on a big flatbed and just hire some Mennonites to do it for you!

My floor joists are rounded on the ends to act like a sled, and I built a reinforced towing attachment at one end and a push pad at the other. Even if you don't have a tractor, a truck, winch, rollers, and a farm jack can be a huge help.

 

[YotaBota]

When I built my shed, 140sqft, I found plans for this one online and really liked the look. It is very open inside with full height open span ceiling for swinging tall stuff around. I also added the double door to get the lawn tractor in/out easier.



IIRC the drawings were about $30, saved alot of hassle with the city having drafted drawings.

 

[jcdammeyer]

I believe 100 sq. ft. is what is allowed here in Central Saanich without a building permit. And it can't sit on a permanent floor like your concrete pad.

 

[YotaBota]

We're under the same CRD rules as you, the permit was cheap and the only inspection was the base and the final.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

When I built my shed, 140sqft, I found plans for this one online and really liked the look. It is very open inside with full height open span ceiling for swinging tall stuff around. I also added the double door to get the lawn tractor in/out easier.

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IIRC the drawings were about $30, saved alot of hassle with the city having drafted drawings.

I really like Clerestory windows, and that is a nice shed design.

In my own design I omitted a few important details... the shed must be light and rodent proof and be prefab as much as possible. It will be winter bee storage facility...

 

[TorontoBuilder]

One other suggestion @TorontoBuilder. You keep talking about getting an acreage in the country.

When we moved here, I took my custom dog shed with me - maybe you saw it nestled in under the white pines when you were here. When you build your shed, build it with a view toward being able to move it on a big flatbed and just hire some Mennonites to do it for you!

My floor joists are rounded on the ends to act like a sled, and I built a reinforced towing attachment at one end and a push pad at the other. Even if you don't have a tractor, a truck, winch, rollers, and a farm jack can be a huge help.

This shed is not for me. It is prototype bee warehouse that will have concrete slab, electricity, hvac but no plumbing.

I'll build similar when I get my own rural property, assuming I decide to become a beekeeper. The work regimen may be more than I wish to undertake considering I have untimely flare ups and bad health days where I just cant do squat.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

I decided to change to panelized roof system instead of trusses, and to add a clerestory feature so that the base design can have multiple uses.

That satisfies my desire to add some visual interest that I had been thinking a boston hip roof could provide. I can omit windows in the bee storage facility but add them for other uses. I get increased volume in which to place my hvac components without too many additional framing elements that add to the cost.

The combination shed roofs wont look out of place on rural property...

 

[Susquatch]

This shed is not for me. It is prototype bee warehouse that will have concrete slab, electricity, hvac but no plumbing.

I should have known better.

I have two wild bee hives on the farm here. I worry about them, every winter, and I would love to harvest some honey, but I think I will just let them bee.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

I should have known better.

I have two wild bee hives on the farm here. I worry about them, every winter, and I would love to harvest some honey, but I think I will just let them bee.

It is hard work keeping bees, so you would have to be committed.... so if you have wild bees doing their job and surviving then best to leave them bee.

BTW just like so many other livestock, domestication and crowding has caused a great deal of health issues for honeybees. Feral bees likely fare better in some cases if they are homed in suitable location

 

[Susquatch]

The biggest problem with wild bees is harvesting honey.

 

[trevj]

The biggest problem with wild bees is harvesting honey.

I have taken feral bees from a tree and hived them. I cut the bottom off their tree trunk so it was a tight fit over a feeder board (plywood with a hole in the middle) and blocked off their other exits, so they eventually moved in to the hive downstairs.
In this case it was a cottonwood tree that had been about to be removed on our golf course. The guys that started cleaning it up, bailed out when the bees got stirred up. I came early in the morning, before they were active, and whacked out the section of tree that contained the hive, bagged it, and drove it to where I wanted to plant them at.

Not near as easy as dropping a swarm into a ready box, but not too tough. Once the queen was in the supers, I put an excluder on, and let them hatch out any brood that was still in the comb above. All told, a couple weeks process, but really not much work.

Especially when dealing with virgin comb, ie: not commercially made foundation comb, you can pretty much just mash the whole lot up, avoiding any brood sections. Put the honey and comb mixture in a clean container with a lid (scale the container to your qty!) and let it sit for a few days in a warm place. The wax will float to the surface, the gravel and sand that may have been tracked in to the hive will sink, and the clean honey can be got by spooning off the layer of wax off the top, then dispensing in to whatever your container of choice is.
If I am only going to remove a frame or two from a hive, will simply scrape the foundation down to being almost clean, into a large steel bowl, ab replace the frames in their hive to be cleaned up and rebuilt by the same bees.

If you can find paint filter bags, they work well for a five gallon bucket. Or you can get a very fine nylon/polyester mesh from the fabric store "Voile" IIRC. Line a strainer with the stuff, plonk it into a large enough pot, pour your mashed mess in, cover and wait a day or so. You willl lose very little honey in the wax chum that is left above the screen.

 

[Susquatch]

In one case, they are in a huge Walnut tree and in the other case in a big wild black cherry. I'm not about to cut either tree down.

 

[trevj]

In one case, they are in a huge Walnut tree and in the other case in a big wild black cherry. I'm not about to cut either tree down.

Ayup!

But if you keep a bit of equipment handy for when they chuck out a swarm, and you familiarize yourself with handling the bees, it IS a way to get bees to keep.

The swarm does not always land where you can get at it, but often enough, it does, and it's not that much work to convince them to move in to a suitable box of frames!

 

[Dabbler]

The biggest problem with wild bees is harvesting honey.

Isn't the biggest rpoblen is "not getting stung" while collecting honey?

 

[trevj]

Isn't the biggest rpoblen is "not getting stung" while collecting honey?

There are the odd 'ugly' hive, usually ones that have been subject to predation or harassment, but if you can keep yer Zen on, move gently, you can usually handle the bees without needing protective gear.

A swarm has gorged on honey before they left the hive, and are usually really docile. A puff of smoke from a smoker, triggers them to essentially bale out in case the hive catches fire, so they gorge on honey in preparation. Bees are like people. Not so grumpy, with a full belly! They are also easier to brush or chase off (with smoke) from capped honey comb, vs brood comb.