12 x 16 GARDEN SHED NE TN

[NavyDave]

Now that I have a roof on I figured it was time for me to stop looking for my tools and actually get organized! Which is what I've spent the past 2 days doing. Along with the workbench on the 16 foot side of the shed and a few shelves and some well placed nails to hang and store everything else I feel much more organized than I have been. Nothing gets more frustrating than to stop a job to look through boxes and buckets for a much needed tool only to remember that it's in another box or bucket in your storage facility 22 miles away!

Anyway 32 days after I started this easy 10 day project I have probably another week to go! OK OK I haven't been working non-stop on the shed. I've also been chainsawing, pulling and burning brush, fishing and taking an occasional spin on the motorcycle.

I want to tackle my stairs/lawnmower ramp next. I'm a little perplexed with how to go about it though. I'd like to be able to ride my lawnmower up the ramp but still be able to walk up stairs too. I thought about having a set of 18 inch wide stairs and building ramps on both sides to accomodate the lawnmower tires but then I'd have, in my opinion, a very narrow set of stairs. I also thought of building wide stairs and having a removable ramp that form fits above the stairs when I need to use it.  Has anybody tackled this dilemma in the past? Another issue I'm having is the 6 inch piece of trim on the bottom of the doors (see picture above) i'll have to trim it anyway I see it to be able to use the ramp effectively.....wouldn't look great trimmed I don't think.....any ideas that I could stew over would be appreciated.

[Redoverfarm]

Dave I would ask you to come clean my shop up but it would take you 32 days just to figure out where to put everything.

I thought you said that you were going to put doors in both ends. I was unsure whether you meant in the loft area or main floor.  Then I went back and looked at your post pictures and it looks like on the main floor.  What would be wrong with the ramp on one end and the stairs on the other?

[NavyDave]

Red,

I'd be happy to give you 32 days of labor in return for 32 of your days when I start my build  from the look of your place I'd be the winner if we made that deal!

As far as the doors in the loft, I am planning on incorporating a 30X30 door in each loft as well as the 2 on the bottom.

For the ramps, I'd like one on each end because I want to be able to put the lawnmower in one end and be able to get my 2 motorcycles in and out without having to move it. Yes this will be a garden shed/garage/wood working shop for a short while.

[Redoverfarm]

Red,

I'd be happy to give you 32 days of labor in return for 32 of your days when I start my build  from the look of your place I'd be the winner if we made that deal!

As far as the doors in the loft, I am planning on incorporating a 30X30 door in each loft as well as the 2 on the bottom.

For the ramps, I'd like one on each end because I want to be able to put the lawnmower in one end and be able to get my 2 motorcycles in and out without having to move it. Yes this will be a garden shed/garage/wood working shop for a short while.

The motorcycles would not be a problem with a narrow ramp but the mower does pose a problem.  You could do half ramp and half steps and then double the ramp thickness to incorporate a hinge system that you could flip it out to give you a full ramp when needed.  Sort of like a piano hinge set up but stronger.  The flipped out portion could gain it's support resting on the steps outward edge. 

[MountainDon]

Wide ramp at each end and stairs in the side?

Or, why stairs at all?  Make nice ramps and place strips of the self stick gritty stuff (like coarse sandpaper) where you would walk. 

[NavyDave]

I've thought of doing long ramps but like the idea of having solid footing. Perhaps a long ramp on one end though with a ramp/stair combination on the other.  the side steps will eventually access a greenhouse and wouldn't be the most convenient way to access the shed so i'm kinda not considering that an entrance. I do think Redoverfarm's idea of the hinged ramp is interesting.......will probably lay in bed all night thinking instead of sleeping!

[Redoverfarm]

I've thought of doing long ramps but like the idea of having solid footing. Perhaps a long ramp on one end though with a ramp/stair combination on the other.  the side steps will eventually access a greenhouse and wouldn't be the most convenient way to access the shed so i'm kinda not considering that an entrance. I do think Redoverfarm's idea of the hinged ramp is interesting.......will probably lay in bed all night thinking instead of sleeping!

Dave in essence you would have 3' wide steps when not using 1/2 of the ramp(still allow motorcycle travel).  When opened up you would have a 6' wide ramp (Lawn mower size).  Using 2X material you shouldn't have to do any bracing to the temporary side just let it fall upon the steps.  Door hinges would probably work. If your doors work independently you would only have to open the side for the steps when machinery is not needed to be moved.  I think it would work.

[NavyDave]

OK so I decided to build a ramp on the end of the shed that would rarely be accessed from the house, a set of stairs on the side that will access the future greenhouse and a ramp/stair combination on the end closest to the house. My plan was to build the "ramp only" and the stairs first while thinking the best way to design a combo ramp/stair. I was originally going to try to incorporate Redoverfarm's hinged ramp idea but.......

While I was building the ramp on the far end of the shed I had to bevel the bottom of my 2x6's to allow them to be level to the ground. Anyway when I beveled the ramp braces I looked at the "waste" and what remained were 15 degree wedges that when turned over and layed on the ramp looked just like a single stair stringer......my removable stairs were invented! See below.


removable stairs


The ramp under the removable stairs.


center stairs will eventually access a future greenhouse.

[Redoverfarm]

Glad you got it figured out.

[ColchesterCabin]

Very creative solution....