Build a Garden Shed From PVC Pipes

Intro: Build a Garden Shed From PVC Pipes

In the summer of 2020, my Mom and I decided to build a garden shed for outdoor bench. As the trees in our backyard had not grown tall enough to provide shade, we always wanted to create some shade to sit in at noon or chill in the summer evenings. We started with selecting which material is most accessible and easy to work with. Seeing the few spare PVC pipes in our garage from previous irrigation system repairs, we decided to give these a try.

The primary obstacle of using PVC pipes was to secure it such that they could hold up in extreme weather. As shown in the images here, our PVC shade is still holding up after 3 years of baking in the sun and enduring storms. Our rather peculiar choice of material, PVC, also contributed to why we built the shed with an arched top rather than a flat one. In the research process, guided by my mom, I also learned a little more about the physics of arched structures which I'm learning now in high school Physics classes! :)

Besides being a shade spot for benches, my mom also uses it as a greenhouse for seedlings and plants. We've enjoyed it for many purposes in the last three years.

The DIY Garden Shed is friendly to hands-on project enthusiasts of all ages and experience in building.

STEP 1: The Design Process

Sketching the Idea

• Making a shed with a flat roof would save material and effort, effectively cutting down the PVC connectors to only 12 pieces 90° elbow
• However, knowing the physics of arch bridges, which was not common sense to me at the time, my mom proposed the arch roof.
• Utilizing the limited flexibility of PVC pipes, the pipes should bend just enough to created an arch roof but still stay stiff and compact.

Why Arched?

After some research, I learned:

• The advantage of an arch is most clearly seen in the arch bridge. As shown in Figure 2, as the force exerted on the bridge (by gravity and other weight) pushes down, the bricks compress each other and dissipate the force down until it is countered by the equal and opposite force from the ground (Newton's Third Law!). Thus, no one spot has to bear the concentrated force. This is the same for the roof of the shed.
• If the roof were flat, however, buckling could happen where the compression forces eventually overcomes the bridge's ability to counter compression (Figure 1). As the material we had to work with were flexible PVC pipes, they do not resist compression as well as stiffer material like timber and concrete.

Source:

Kwong, Norman. "Physics of Bridges." University of British Columbia, https://phys420.phas.ubc.ca/p420_04/norman/physics_of_bridges.ppt. Accessed 25 June 2023.

Ashish. "Why Are Some Bridges Arched?" Science ABC, https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/ancient-bridges-arch-shaped-reason-abutment-load-distribution-strong.html. Accessed 25 June 2023.

STEP 2: Making a Prototype

The actual dimensions of the shed ended up being 108" x 76.5" x 67" (L x W x H). I made the prototype in Fusion 360, in an attempt to model as close to the finished project as possible. The dimensions in the prototype is only for reference as the bending of the pipes required some trial and error to fit (will be explained in later steps).

To be more clear and concise, I will refer to each pipe part with the name and label number in () as shown in the first image above.

Video Animation of Assembly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxXbwxFKCtM

STEP 3: Building the Foundation

"Post Pounder." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_pounder. Accessed 25 June 2023.

• To begin, measure and mark the 12 points on the ground to hammer in the rebars. For reference, the width between the rebars on one side is around 21", and the distance between the two sides is about 76.5".
• Once marked, use a post pounder or hammer to drive around 1/4 to 1/3 of the rebar into the ground. The rebars form the foundation for the rest of the structure, so should be kept as straight as possible using a level tool (I-Beam Level, etc).
• With this dimension, the sun shed can fit a picnic table of dimensions 56.9" x 72" x 29.4" (L x W x H).

STEP 4: Building the Sides

"Answer : How long should PVC pipe glue dry?" Deco Alert Magazine, https://decoalert.com/answer-how-long-should-pvc-pipe-glue-dry/, 25 June 2021. Accessed 25 June 2023.

Start building the following on one side, then repeat for the other:

• After the rebars are all hammered into the ground, slip the 3/4" PVC base pipes onto each of the 12 rebars.
• Glue on the Tee Connectors (5) on the two outermost Base pipes and Cross Tee Connectors (6) on the four Base pipes (1) in between. Make sure the connectors are facing the correct direction.
• Starting with the outermost Tee Connector, glue in one end of the Horizontal pipe (2), then glue the other end to the Cross Tee Connector.

Also: The glue used for PVCs dry up very fast, which makes it more difficult to estimate the exact length required for the Horizontal pipes (2) connecting the Base pipes. Be careful of cutting the Horizontal pipes too long since the pipe fitting does not slide all the way in.

• Glue in the Second from Base Pipe (4) for each connector.
• Lastly, glue in the 135° elbow (7) facing the correct direction.

STEP 5: Building the Top

On an empty ground nearby, make the roof separately:

• Before cutting the pipes, make sure account into your calculations that the smaller top allows the roof to have bend upward like an arch. So the total width of the top connecting two sides should be smaller than the width between the two sides of Base pipes.
• Cut out 12 pieces of Top Across pipes (3).
• Glue the two Tee and four Cross Tee connectors onto the Top Across pipes and line them up in columns.
• Finally cut out 5 Top Main pipes (2) and connect them to the above.

STEP 6: Putting It Together: the (slightly) Tricky Step

Start by first attaching one side of the roof:

Also: This step may require help of one to two friends. And keep in mind the Top Main pipes (2) needs to be in the middle of the two sides to make the arch properly balance, so you may need to adjust the lengths as you go.

• With one person on the ladder holding the roof, the other person can glue the 6 Top Across pipes (3) onto each of the 135° elbows. The person should keep holding the roof until the glue has completely dried.
• After the glue has completely dried, bend the roof and glue the rest of the Top Across pipes into the 135° elbows on the other side. This step requires some force to insert the roof pipes. Make sure to hold the glued parts together until the glue has completely dried.

STEP 7: Attaching the Cloth

• We first attached a layer of sun shade cloth on the roof with zip ties.
• Then, we made two curtain-like sun shade on both sides with each end wrapped onto another long pipe. By attaching only one end a little beneath the roof, we can adjust the curtains as needed.
• To increase the shade during the summer, we added another sun cloth on top (final image).

Thank you for reading my Instructable!

Comments

[1lporter]

I had this idea too many years ago when I needed a cover for the bed of my F250. I used smaller diameter PVC. Let me tell you, it held up parked, but not at Texas speed limits. I want to do it again, larger, over my little winter garden. I'm getting too old to cover everything with straw every time the temperature drops here in the South. It could also shade my plants from the more common summer sun.

[dabuilderbob59]

Looking it over this might be useful to cover my RV for the winter (just and old converted van) If I double all the lengths and use 2" pvc. I have a heavy duty shade already. hmmm.
Thanks for the idea.

[gfodale]

Well done. Kudos to your mom for making it a learning experience to stretch your wings.

[fasterhorses]

Unclear what you mean by shoving the rebar through the PVC pipe? Wind is an issue where I am (in a valley that acts like a wind funnel when the wind's coming from the right direction), so I'm always looking for solutions that will keep plant cages and hoop greenhouses in place.

[bluejay701]

The rebar we used was 1/2 inch in diameter, which is just small enough to slip into the PVC pipe which has around 3/4 inside diameter. I also live in an inland valley area. And it's important to build the shed open to the same direction as the wind, so the wind can flow through the structure instead of against its sides.

[Justme23222]

You say in the instructions, "1/2" Course Threaded Steel Rod" but in the pictures, you show "T-Bar Posts" and a "Post Hammer" . Which are we supposed to use, the threaded rod or the posts?

[bluejay701]

Yes thank you, sorry it was my mistake as I mixed up the threaded rod and rebar. We pounded the 1/2 in. x 4 ft rebars into the ground and the PVC pipes slipped over that to form the foundation. For the picture of the Post Hammer and T-Bar Posts, the T-Bar Posts were not used in this project and I meant to show the Post Hammer only. Sorry for the confusion, I have edited these items in the Instructable.

[charlessenf-gm]

Nicely done.
For those replicating your build, I would suggest Concrete Reinforcing bars (Rebar) as opposed to threaded steel rods - I suspect the difference in price would be significant. Rebar is typically available in four foot lengths - so another twelve inches of pounding or vertical support?

I wonder if, where the 4' Rebar pounded in at a 15 degree angle (outward), it would have allowed a wider, taller structure? I've not the software, just the thought . . .

Also, look at PVC Furniture Fittings "Furniture grade PVC fittings are designed for structural use only. While some of our fittings do have flow-through designs..."
https://pvcpipesupplies.com/pvc-fittings/pvc-furni...
https://formufit.com/
etc.

[bluejay701]

Yes thank you, sorry it was my mistake as I mixed up the rebars and threaded rods. I have edited that part in the Instructable.

I like that idea, but we haven't tried it before so maybe one can't exactly predict the flexibility or strength of the structure until one tries it? For this idea, maybe a crossbeam can be added to further support the roof and the two sides? We have also considered this scenario of adding a crossbeam before building but then chose to go with only the roof.

That is good to know, thanks for the link!

[shalnachywyt]

Really nice. However... this would not work in any area that gets a lot of wind. I learned that the hard way.

About fifteen years ago I got one of those portable "carports" made of metal pipe to house my lawnmower and other garden-related items. Unfortunately, I live inwhat we humorously call "the wind tunnel" so when a bad storm hit, I was out there at 1AM holding down part of the frame of the carport to keep it from blowing away in the 40-mph winds. Eventually I had to let go and the whole thing acted like the sail in kiteboarding and flew down 400 feet on my property, up about 8 feet and over the road and got caught between the road and the fence on a neighbor's property which was on the other side of the road. Score 10 for the wind, zip for me.

Similarly, I had two "cages" for my brassica veggies in my raised bed that were covered with insect netting. Because the brassicas had a tendency to grow very large, just covering the brassicas with netting, even if held down with bricks or other heavy items, the brassicas would eventually lift the whole thing up and when the wind came... poof! insect netting would be blown away. My solution was to create a "cage" around the brassicas with the netting being held to the cage with PVC clamps. That worked fine until another major storm blew the whole cage off the raised bed and over and down towards the creek. Sigh.. Score 10 for the wind, zip for me.

My final solution was to shove rebar through the PVC pipe and then into the ground. Last storm we had with really bad winds (20 mph winds with 50 mph gusts) didn't even budge the cages. ::visualize me with arms in the air and my tongue stuck out at the wind:: Score 10 for me, 0 for the wind! :)

[bluejay701]

Wow that is really strong wind! I'm glad your solution worked out with the cage for the veggies! I live in an inland valley area and there have been around level 3-5 winds almost every afternoon and a few storms with strong wind in the past three years (in February 2023 the strongest wind here was level 6 at 25.3 mph). We also used rebars to secure the PVC pipes into the ground and so far it also hasn't moved a bit :)

[RandyPerson]

Nice build! Could have used a few more photos. I presume you used the threaded rod as pins, that the pipe slipped over. You could have saved some money using less expensive reinforcing steel (re-bar) for these. One photo showed steel T-fence posts. Were they used in the project?

[bluejay701]

Thank you, sorry, it was my mistake. I mixed up the threaded rod and rebar, we used the rebar as pins while the pipe slipped over that. We built it three years ago and I didn't remember the name and only shopped the product... I just checked the Home Depot website again, I think we used the 1/2 in. x 4 ft rebar. I will edit it in the Instructable.

No the T-fence posts were not used in the project, I meant to show the red Post Hammer in the photo. Sorry for the confusion, I'll use a different photo for this tool.

I hope I could find more photos of the build process, but it was from three years ago and I didn't think at that time I'll be making something like an Instructable as I just got to know about it. But I will add more photos of more of the materials/tools we used.

[RandyPerson]

That all makes good sense. I have a few things, also already completed, where I slap my head and say "I could have made an instructable of that!" Great to be working with and learning from a parent. We need more of that. Good job.

[RoboDon2]

Great build! You should also check out Maker Pipe

[maxman]

Yes. Thank you for the write-up. It is much appreciated.

[Penolopy Bulnick]

Thanks for sharing!