[Illustration: Fig. 7. Exterior of Wide Enclosed Implement Shed]
[Illustration: Fig. 8. Perspective of Framing of Wide Enclosed Implement Shed]
In general the construction of a machine shed is that of the very simplest; yet utility and beauty can be very easily combined with simplicity. Since the building is not subjected to any heavy load, as would be the case with a crib or a barn, the framing is just sufficiently strong to safely hold the wall and roof covering and to prevent collapse of the building from wind or snow and ice loads. Very often 2x4’s or 4x4’s constitute the studs or posts and no heavier stock is used throughout the building. In wide sheds it may be found necessary to use larger stuff and especially in the plate above the wide doorway. A two-story machine shed will, of course, require heavier and more substantial framing, but a two-story shed is comparatively rare. A floor may or may not be used as the owner may desire. It is likely to prove somewhat expensive in first cost and in maintenance, though for convenience it is much to be desired, especially if any repair work is to be done in the building.
The roof may be of almost any style from the simple single pitch shed roof to the modified shed roof or the ordinary double pitch gable roof. It is desirable that the pitch should be not less than one-quarter in order to get the greatest life out of the shingles, which are likely to collect moisture and give shorter service where the pitch is quite flat. The foundation of a machine shed will naturally not be designed for great strength except in the case of a two-story structure, since the only load which it has to support is that of the superstructure itself. A footing 12 to 16 inches wide at the bottom and extending down a foot or 15 inches into solid soil will support a building of this kind. However, if a concrete floor is put in the building as is sometimes done in the more expensive ones, it will be well to extend the foundation wall and footing to a point below the frost line, which will vary from a foot to three feet according to climate.
Sills are usually not necessary in the simple framing of machine sheds. The posts can be set directly upon foundation walls and fastened in any one of many different ways that have been devised. Timbers are more subject to decay at the ends than elsewhere, consequently it is advisable to treat them at this point with a preservative such as creosote. This will add greatly to the durability. The foundation wall should be brought up some distance above the ground so as to further protect the bottom timbers from moisture. This above-ground extension must be omitted at doorways.