I built this weatherproof storage locker as an outside garage to finish my shop conversion project.Follow me as I rebuild this incredible storage locker ( I don't have the original construction photos!) Yes, rebuild it. I didn't see a fault in the mortar at the corner of the window, and the water seeping through caused severe problems over a few years. It's not rain that causes the problem, it's the high sprinkler head which shoots over the top, and angles into the outside bay where I store fertilizers and garden soils. The combination of water, fertilizers, and untreated wood, rotted out several structural pieces of this locker.
As I followed my nose (yes, wood-rot has a distinctive odor!), I found damage that couldn't be ignored - I had to do something fast!
Structural RepairsI must have been in a real hurry when I built this storage locker because I didn't do a good job of sealing and protecting the White Pine studs. I probably used latex interior paint, and probably only one coat. After removing all of the doors, the face trim, and the far end wall, it was clear that the outside bay had took the brunt of the damage and the framing would have to be replaced. This time, I used Yellow Pine, and two coats of expensive white mono-epoxy paint, with four coats over the end grain.
The next step was to add a "sister" to the main header beam that runs the full 12' length along the back, and which is glued, and anchored to the brick wall with "Tapcon" concrete anchor screws. After measuring the location of the roof beams, this piece was notched by using my wide SLAT to make the outside cuts, and a chisel to clean them out. After the epoxy paint had cured, it was glued in place, and very long Tapcon anchors went through it, the original piece, and into the brick wall.
The sheathing I chose for this outside storage locker is cement board. Specifically, it's "Hardy Backer" panels. Normally, they are used behind vertically mounted ceramic tile in bathrooms, or for kitchen back-splashes where a lot of humidity may be present. Although they are not structural, I felt with adequate framing they would be ideal for exterior use. They are impervious to both moisture and the strong ultraviolet we get in Florida. Unfortunately, I couldn't reuse any of the original material. After disassembling the doors (two of the frames had also rotted), the screw holes had wallowed out. The top uses 1/2" cement board panels, the doors, end walls, and trim use 1/4" panels. Door Frame ConstructionHaving all of the original pieces of this storage locker made reconstruction easier and faster. The first door frames used gussets to hold the corners together. The new frames use the double lap joint I've discussed in previous projects. It's a far superior joint, and with the jigs I've built, it's actually faster to build. Each piece was carefully marked and cut to length for the door it was replacing. The paving stones are laid on a slope to drain water, resulting in each door frame being progressively taller moving to the last bay.
The deep lap cuts are made using my custom Mod-3 Tenon jig and a 10" table saw whose blade has been raised to 3" - the jig, and double lap joint has been discussed in the Starter Project section, and the jig design is available in my Table Saw Jigs section. To make it easier to clean out the lap joint, I improved my miter gauge by adding a large face, and this "push rail" to move the scrap past the blade path. This let me make all of the lap clean out cuts faster by using the fence, yet safely because the material wasn't trapped between the spinning blade and the fence.
Once all of double lap joints are complete, assembly is straightforward. To ensure the assembled door frames remain perfectly flat, the screw pattern is alternated. First, I used glue and two diagonally fastened screws on each corner. Then, I flipped the frame over, and added two more screws, on the opposite diagonal. Once the glue, and two coats of epoxy paint had dried, it was time for a test fit. Minor corrections were made to the bottom of each frame that opened in the uphill direction so they wouldn't drag - and repaint!
Final Door ConstructionNow that all of the door frames are assembled, and fitted, it's time for their 1/4" cement board skins. Hardy Backer comes in an awkward size of 3x5 feet in both the 1/4 and 1/2 inch panels, and there was a lot of waste in this project! Each of the door skins are about 34x44 inches and are cut on the table saw. Caution! This IS cement! Use a dust mask, a cheap plywood blade you don't mind throwing away, and cut it outdoors! If you love your car, (and your wife's!), move them well away from the dust cloud - it's very abrasive. I rigged two fans, one inside the shop blowing out, and one next to the table saw blowing to the side to allow me to breath and see! I used the long SLAT to trim each piece to size.
This storage locker is almost complete. After all the cement board was cut, I used two coats of an off-white concrete paint for the inside of the panels, and one coat of Apricot colored concrete paint for the outside. Once the screw hole alignment marks were traced, I used an old counter sink bit for the pilot holes. This bit only has two cutting flukes and is easy to resharpen after the cement dulls it! The drill I use has a torque setting that prevents over sinking the screw heads into the weak cement board. After one last coat of apricot, it's time to put everything back together.
Clean-Up!The last photo above gives you an idea how large this storage locker is. It's 4' high, 3' deep, and 12' long. The ladder shelf that runs over the full span of the second bay, and half way into the first bay is 8 foot. There's 144 cubic feet of storage! When I first designed this outside garage, I carefully measured the footprint and height of critical equipment like the generator, mower, and ladders, the pressure washer, and garden supplies. I had a lot of stuff to move back into this storage locker.
That's It - A custom, weatherproof, outside storage locker!Two final pictures! My outside storage locker's all closed up, just in time!
After the rebuild, I have a stronger and drier storage locker. The photo above shows a new addition to the bay doors, a fascia piece that covers the middle seam. Behind the doors I added compressible rubber gaskets. Together, they prevent the sprinkler system from shooting water at high pressure into the door seams. I think it'll last; I know it works! Back from Outside Storage Locker, to - Do It Yourself Better Home Return from Outside Storage Locker, to - Home Storage Solutions
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