Planning a new shed

[RockingDad]

Evening everyone,

Its finally time to build a new shed for myself, I've not built a shed from scratch before but have built other things and don't have any concern with the actual doing, I'd really appreciate some help with design and material choices based on the great knowledge you all have.

I plan to demolish my current shed and build an approximate 8x12 timber shed sitting on a wall of bricks or blocks (one or two courses high) with a pent roof (to maximize height based on planning regs of 2.5m max height within 2 meters of the garden fence. The shed will have power, sockets and lighting as the current one has this but I'll worry about that later.

The current shed sits on a very solid concrete base which will be used as the core base and to set the bricks or blocks on. The current shed (which was here when we moved in a few years ago)is sitting straight on the concrete base which I knew was flawed and the inevitable has happened an its rotting from the ground up.

So my first question is, can I use 7nm concrete blocks to build this on (looking at Wickes dense 7mn 440 long blocks) or should I use bricks or something different? I plan to suspend a timber joist floor on brick or blocks level with the first course and then another course or two before then building the timber structure.

I do have a habit of over engineering things as well!

Cheers

RockingDad

 

[John D v2.0]

Concrete blocks have the advantage of being the equivalent of 6 bricks, so they lay quicker, also cheaper overall less mortar etc. However you're more likely to have to cut them, so you can use bricks where necessary eg at the edges. Also the bricks look a lot better where they're exposed. I doubt you'd notice any difference once they're up and hidden.