Building a Garden ShedTips for Helping You Build Your Own Garden Shed

Deciding to build your own garden storage shed instead of having someone else build it for you may seem like a difficult task, particularly, if you have little building experience. The following five things can help to give you the confidence needed and the desire to proceed with the planning and construction of the garden shed.

1. Need for more storage space; As more garden tools and equipment are purchased, the need for additional storage space becomes necessary. Besides storage, a garden shed can also provide workshop space for making small projects and therefore, keep dust and paint odors out of the house. Furthermore, the car will then have room in the garage.

2. Adequate time available; If you have sufficient time evenings and weekends to plan and build, you should be able to complete the job in reasonable time. In fact detailed planning might take more time than actually building the shed.

3. Budget requirements; A limited amount of cash available may make it necessary to do the job yourself, rather than paying someone else to build it. Building the shed yourself may also free up some money to add additional items like windows, etc.

4. Planning the project; Every detail of your project should be thoroughly planned before you put a shovel into the ground. Considerable time should be spend browsing through building supply stores to collect pamphlets and brochures of building plans and “how to” information. Also look at various building materials such as lumber, sheeting, shingles, hardware, etc. to get ideas for making your shed plans and discuss your plans with the people at the service desk. They would be very eager to answer your questions and help you plan.

5. Skills and experience acquired; A great variety of skills can be learned while planning and building the shed that can be useful in other areas of home improvement. Skills such as planning, building a foundation, framing, roofing and using a wide variety of tools and equipment can be very helpful for most future building projects.

Limited experience should not stop you from building the shed yourself. Make sure you study and plan every minute detail such as measuring, cutting, joining and nailing. Remember, thorough planning can give you the confidence needed to do a first rate job of building that garden shed. Imagine the enjoyment and pride you can experience with a job well done.

Planning to build a garden shed yourself may seem a bit challenging if you have little building experience, but with adequate research and planning you should handle every task with confidence. One of the first major decisions will be whether to purchase a set of plans to build the shed from scratch or to purchase a shed kit with plans, all materials and instructions included. Each method has its merits. These five tips may help you decide which method to choose.

1. If you choose a shed kit, most or all of the materials are included so there is little choice over the kinds of materials to use. To build from scratch you can choose from a wide variety of different kinds lumber, sheeting, roofing and fasteners that meet your requirements. However, if you have limited building experence, the kit method with all the instructions and materials included could be the easiest plan to build.

2. Building a shed from scratch using your own plans or plans you purchased can make it easier to make changes. If cost is a problem, you could design it so that windows, vinyl siding or electrical wiring from the house can be added later.

3. The cost of building the shed from scratch could be somewhat lower because you have more control over the kinds of material you purchase. Sometimes good quality materials can be purchased at sale or surplus prices. In fact, you could also consider buying good used materials if they are available in your area.

4. Garden sheds built from kits are often displayed outside at building supply stores. Some of these sheds have been outside for several years in adverse weather conditions.. Examine these sheds to see how they stood up to heavy rainfall, snow or hot sun. Sometimes the particle type sheeting on the roof is too thin and sags between rafters over time. With your own plans, waterproof plywood and a size thicker would be a better choice.

5. The foundation and floor of the shed is usually not included in the shed kit and therefore, you will need to choose the kind of foundation that is best suited for its location. In wet areas or where high winds are a problem you may want to consider a concrete or a cement block foundation, but in a drier level area treated lumber on a gravel base may be quite satisfactory.

To help you make an informed decision, these five tips along with plenty of research should help you choose between building the garden shed from scratch or from a shed kit. Remember, the time spend looking at different sheds and gathering all the plans and ideas necessary to make wise choices can give you the confidence to build a structure you will be proud off.

My wife and I recently moved house and fortunately there was not a lot of redecoration required as the previous owner, an elderly lady, had been very house-proud. The garden was rather neglected with a rickety outdoor garden shed that needed coming down before it fell of its own accord. It didn’t take me long to empty the shed and demolish it but it became obvious that it would need replacing as the old lady had left us all of her late husband’s gardening tools plus flowerpots, bags of compost and so on and there was no room in the garage.

I had some experience in building a garden shed so the first item on my list was to get a good set of outdoor garden shed plans.

There are quite a few things to take into consideration when planning your shed and I’ll list just a few here:-

- Is your area liable to suffer from heavy snowfalls in the winter if so you made need to a stronger roof or a flat roof may not be ideal at all.

- Strong winds would require you to use better fixings, tie downs etc.

- Security, is your area prone to burglary, sheds attract petty thieves looking for stuff to unload at flea markets? If so a good solid door and heavy padlock would be the ideal.

- Does it get really hot during the summer months; this may require venting the roof so as not to damage your contents. Also you will need to consider what roofing felt or sealant will be needed.

- Avoid using cheap timber and buy good sealants and paints.

A good set of garden shed plans should cover all the above scenarios and more. Some will include other projects that you might like to try.

Here’s a tip that you probably won’t find in your set of plans: I would seriously recommend that having decided on the size of your new shed that you select the next size up, if you only choose one with enough storage area for your present needs next year could see you without space for new acquisitions.

With summer on the way your thoughts may be turning to the garden and maybe investing in that new garden shed that you have been promising yourself.
If it has been the price that has held you up why not consider building your own?

Here are the steps you should take:

Firstly decide where you will site the shed taking into consideration how it will look in the garden, the floor area and drainage.

You can now invest in a set of garden shed plans; this should be your only outlay so far. Shed plans are available online and come in sets of many designs and sizes. You would choose from the ones that match your shed floor area.

When choosing your new shed you will need to decide whether or not you will need windows, electricity and importantly where the door will fit.

You now need to check that your shed does not violate any building codes or upset the local tenants association; you do not want to build only to be told to pull it down again. All the information required for these checks will be on your garden shed plans.

The foundations need to be prepared and you can choose a concrete base, a gravel base with the shed sat an inch higher on blocks to encourage air circulation or sit the shed on treated timbers.

You can now take your set of garden shed plans to your local suppliers and from them order all your wood and hardware (nails, screws and hinges etc).

All or some of your timbers can be pre-cut to size which is a great time saver, some suppliers will not charge for this.