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The Importance of Hand Skills in Education

Crash Course in Fine Homebuilding: Build a Classic Colonial Shed

Matt Berger, executive producer

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Tune in to Build a Classic Colonial Shed, a free video series on FineHomebuilding.com.

Photo: John Ross

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Primarily I'm a woodworker, but when I purchased my first home six years ago I became a home-improvement enthusiast by necessity.

It's actually a refreshing change of pace; the term "accurate" no longer means 1/32-in. (more like 1/8-in.). Tearout is inconsequential. And putty, paint, and glue can do wonders at hiding flaws, unlike that finely rubbed out finish.

Or so I thought.

I've been tuning in all month to a free video series on our partner site FineHomebuilding.com that has changed my perspective on building and home improvement. Fine Homebuilding contributor Rick Arnold is going step by step through the construction of a classic Colonial shed, and it is a sight to behold. A tiny house (or woodshop) is a better way to describe the sturdy, elegant structure that Rick is building.

If you have any interest in learning what it takes to construct "fine" projects outside the shop, then this series is the perfect introduction. Rick covers framing, roofing, siding, foundations, and demonstrates sound methods to install windows and trim, with clear and informative instructions. And you get a fun glimpse of the job-site as Rick goofs around with his sidekick Mac.

New episodes of How to Build a Shed with Rick Arnold continue through the end of the month. Tune in now.

P.S. Do you have a differing definition of accuracy when it comes to woodworking projects vs. home improvement projects? Or is your house really full of precise 90-degree angles?

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Comments (4)

DaveRichards writes: Hi Gina,

It wasn't so different drawing the shed but I did need to learn some things about that sort of construction that were new to me. The SketchUp end of it is actually quite basic stuff. I had fun working out a way to indicate the cedar shingles on the ends without actually drawing individual shingles. That was much easier than it would have been a few years ago before the Combine Textures option.

Dave Posted: 9:20 am on October 23rd

GEide writes: Looks like your SketchUp plans will be available Oct. 24 Dave: http://www.finehomebuilding.com/pages/how-to-build-a-shed/index.asp

Was it very different building a shed in SketchUp vs. a piece of furniture? Posted: 6:45 pm on October 22nd

DaveRichards writes: Being intimately familiar with the construction of that shed, I found I knew very little about that sort of woodworking. I learned a lot watching the videos so far. And my wife wants to get rid of the shed I built a few years ago and start over. It is certainly a nice shed and the videos are great.

Dave Posted: 8:37 am on October 22nd

John316 writes: That shed is probably about as close to "fine woodworking" as working with pine and waferboard could get. They did a great job - I've already picked up a couple of tips from watching them film the building. Great job! Posted: 9:42 pm on October 20th

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