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The guy at the lumber yard told me my shed plans were overengineered
He pointed out I had triple the joists needed for a 10x12, said I was building it like a bomb shelter. Now I'm wondering if my whole approach to outdoor structures is too cautious, anyone else ever had a pro tell them to dial it back?
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oscar3902d ago
Man, I had the exact same thing happen when I built a deck a few years back. The hardware store guy laughed at my ledger board layout and said I was preparing for an earthquake in the Midwest. Now that deck is still absolutely solid through six winters and all the kids jumping off it. You know what I haven't done once? Worry about it. All those extra screws and doubled up beams just mean you can sleep easy when the wind really picks up. Your shed will be the one that lasts thirty years while everyone else's is wiggling apart.
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the_willow2d ago
Overbuilding is cheaper than rebuilding when snow load or a good gust of wind comes knocking. Triple joists might be overkill for a shed, but they mean zero sagging shelves or a roof that caves in during a bad storm. Time and materials spent upfront beat having to patch a failure later.
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