How To Build A Garden Shed – Is It Worth Your Time?

If you are wondering how to build a garden shed, there are quite a few options available to you. You could look for garden shed plans online, purchase a book of garden shed blueprints and plans, or go to your local library to find information about garden shed plans.You can purchase plans by mail-order or find free plans on the internet, or create your own plans if you are good at that sort of thing.

Of course, when you are thinking about how to build a garden shed, you have to take into account the fact that, if you start from scratch, you will have to provide everything from tools to nails to the latch on the door once your garden shed is finished.

After adding up all these costs and thinking about the time and effort involved in drawing up plans, seeking out and transporting materials, measuring, cutting, drilling and all of the other little jobs engaged in constructing a shed, you may very well decide that purchasing a garden shed kit is your best bet!

To make your choice regarding how to build a garden shed, you will need to do quite a bit of research. Search the internet for ideas. Decide what size and type of garden shed you would like. If you are going to build a one from scratch, your choices in materials are pretty much limited to wood and metal. You’ll want to locate and compare the various types of materials and find the best prices available.Inventory your tools and make sure you have all the major tools you need to work with wood or metal. If you are going to need to purchase expensive tools or even a significant number of inexpensive tools, you must remember that this will add to your projected costs.

Once you have calculated all the costs of building your shed from start to finish, look up shed kits online. Compare kits of comparable sizes and materials with your plans. Most will give you an estimated building time. Realistically consider how the time quoted to assemble a kit compares with the amount of time it will take you to build a one for yourself. It is almost certain that, once you have seen the many types of garden shed kits available today, you will choose the convenience and economy of purchasing a kit.

When you choose to go with a kit rather than building a garden shed yourself, you will have an added option in materials. In addition to wood and metal garden shed kits, you can also purchase plastic sheds. These can be very economical and easy to assemble, and some may come with a built-in floor! The downside is that a plastic garden shed is not as stable as a wood or metal shed but depending upon your needs, a plastic shed kit may be a good option for you.

Regardless of whether you purchase a kit or build from the ground up, one aspect of how to create one remains the same when building a metal or wooden garden shed. You will need to lay some foundation. Most people like to have a concrete slab foundation. Other options are gravel, or post and beam. This is something you will need to do yourself or have done in advance of erecting your garden shed.

Many years ago, when I was first married with no money, I needed a garden shed, so I had a brain wave – I would make one myself. I decided to source the timber from a demolition site where they sold wood, bricks etc.So I went along and bought loads of old floorboards for the floor, walls and roof. I needed timbers for the framework, so I got them to cut some floor joists into 2″ x 2″ timbers, and with this timber, I loaded up my trailer and headed home. A visit to the hardware shop for screws, hinges, nails and roofing felt, and I was ready to go.

My first spare weekend, I started cutting floorboards to the right length as well as the framing to size. I then laid out the framework for the walls and nailed it together. When I had done that, then came the job of fixing the floorboards to the frame to make the side. I did the same for the floor, roof and the other three walls and then was ready to build my shed.

I didn’t realise how heavy these sides were but with a little help I was able to lay down the floor and then build the walls up – starting at one corner and working my way around the building. The hardest bit was lifting the roof into position but, when that was up, I had an incredible feeling of achievement. I then added the roofing felt to make the building watertight.

It was only then I realised that there were small gaps in between the floorboards I had used on the side of the shed but ‘hey ho’ that is what it was. With some creosote and old engine oil (well this was back in 1974) I treated the outside of the shed, and it was ready to go.

In hindsight, it didn’t look too good, and I never found out what the neighbours thought about it, but it became a handy building. When I moved a few years later, I even took it apart, and it came with me. How mad is that?

The little escapade may be started me on the road to seeing whether I could make a better shed using ‘proper’ materials and in 1979 started our making sheds for other people. What I found in time that as I was able to buy in bulk that the material cost was cheaper than buying those old floorboards. These new sheds looked quite decent, and I was able to sell to my customers at a far lower price than what it had cost me to make just one.

Everyone was a winner. The customer was getting a shed ready-made, and we even started assembling them for them, and I was making a living working with wood and running my own little business.

When I look back now, I’m amazed of what I had done, but the most amazing thing was that I was able to sell ready-made garden sheds to customers cheaper than what they could have made making themself.

So unless you want the hard work in building your own shed, it makes sense to look at the range of ready constructed building available to you. And one of the things I decided on all those years ago is that the customer should have the size and style shed they wanted, and that has been a popular option for my customers.