Storage Shed Plans

For more information on storage shed plans check out these free 12′ x 8′ plans

There are several reasons why building a storage shed is better than buying one. For starters, they are usually cheaper than their pre-fabbed counterparts. My personal reason for building rather than buying was the ability to customize it to suit my own personal needs. The last reason you should build your shed rather than buy it is that if you have good plans and create an action plan beforehand it’s actually quite a fun project to do.

If you’ve looked at the sheds that they offer at your hardware store or lumber store than you know that they usually cost upwards of a thousand dollars and sometimes several thousands of dollars. The sad fact is that the cost of the lumber, nails, screws, windows etc. usually only cost about 45% of what it’s selling for. That means you could build a shed that’s twice as nice for the same amount of money! If you need to buy tools (usually less than $200 for all the power tools you need) you still end up saving over 40%. Plus, you get to customize your shed however you like.

One of the best reasons why to build your own storage shed is the simply fact that you get to customize it to fit your needs exactly. We decided to make ours a full 8 feet tall and use the space in the roof as additional storage space. If you want to put double doors and lots of windows in than you’re free to do so! If you don’t want anything fancy just 4 walls and a roof you have the freedom to do that as well. The best place to find inspiration for shed designs is down at your hardware/lumber store or online. Do some searching, take some pictures of designs you like and mash them all together into your perfect storage shed.

The last reason you should build rather than buy is that if you have the right plans this is a very fun project. If you have a family get them involved… we had a blast building our sheds. If you’re a beginner don’t worry. Make sure that when you’re searching for plans that you check and make sure that the plans also include some sort of basic introductory woodworking course/videos. The one I used (from Ryan Henderson) included some great videos that helped me get over the initial hurdles and build several great looking sheds.

For more information on storage shed plans check out these free 12′ x 8′ plans

For more information on storage shed plans check out these free 12′ x 8′ plans

As with any building project including building a storage shed there are always tips and tricks that can help you get the job done faster and better. One of the best ways to get started with storage shed plans is to do some research before you start building anything.

Your research should include things like what kind of design do you want your shed to be? There are many different types of sheds and choosing the one you like is the best plan because it needs to look nice to you. One of the best ways to figure out what type of design you like is to head down to your local hardware store and browse around. If you don’t find any designs that you like there than head over to another store until you find a design that you like. Your research should also include a list of uses that you’re going to use this shed for. Don’t just plan for today, plan for the future and think of any future uses the shed could have for you. Once you know how you’re going to use your shed you can start working on your action plan.

Your action plan is simply an outline of how you’re going to go from the research stage to having a finished shed. You’ve already done the research about what kind of shed you want and you also know what the shed is going to be used for so you can quite easily take an estimate of how big the shed needs to be. Once you have you’re estimate increase it by at least 10% more because it’s better to build the space now and not need it rather than need the space later and not having it.

You’re action plan should also include where you plan on putting the shed. Is that space going to fit your estimated size? In addition, do you want to add in any bells and whistles such as windows, double doors or a ramp? It’s also important that you talk to the city to see whether or not you need a building permit (you probably don’t, but it’s best to ask). Once you’ve figure all of this out you can set your budget and start looking for plans.

Finding good storage shed plans can be a little bit tricky. The problem is that you and I aren’t engineers so the plans need to be laid out in a way that you or I can understand. Some plans also come with some woodworking tutorials. You may not need them, but for a beginner that information can be invaluable (the ones I got had videos that showed me how to do the roof which was the part I was leery of building). Once you’ve found a good set of plans it’s time to take your action plan and put it into action. It should only take you a couple days to put your shed up. If you have kids let them help because it’s fun for the whole family (and a sense of accomplishment for them too!).

For more information on storage shed plans check out these free 12′ x 8′ plans

For more information on storage shed plans check out these free 12′ x 8′ plans

As with any project it’s always best to do all the prep work before you actually start doing anything. For your storage shed that includes getting plans, gathering materials and gathering the necessary tools. The best way to start with your storage shed plans project is to write up an action plan. Your action plan will outline everything that you need to do from beginning to end of the project.

1. What is this shed for?
Before you start any designing or building you need to figure out the purpose of this shed. Is it going to store gardening equipment? Or will you be putting your lawnmower, snow blower and tools in it? Perhaps you just need some extra storage. On your action plan make sure you outline exactly what you’re going to be using this shed for right now and any possible uses it might have in the future (more on that later).

2. How big does it need to be?
Once you know what your storage shed is going to be used for it’s pretty easy to figure out how big it needs to be. Remember when I said list out any future uses the shed may have? Make sure you factor those uses in to your size calculations. If you plan on buying a snow blower or riding lawn mower sometime in the future you need to account for that space. An excellent rule of thumb is to figure out how big it needs to be right now, how much bigger it needs to fit future items and than make it 20% larger than that. It may cost a slight bit more, but I guarantee that the extra space will come in handy.

3. Where is it going to be located?
As they say “Location, Location, Location”. The location of your shed helps you figure out what type of design you want to use. If it’s going to out of sight than you can use a simpler design, but it may be an accent for your landscaping. If that’s the case than you’ll want to go for a fancier design. Remember to think about the future as well because you don’t want to move it or tear it down and build a new one. If the space you’re going to put it in isn’t quite big enough for the size you outlined perhaps you could still put it there but make it taller? These types of questions will help you decide where to put it.

4. Does it need extra features?
If, like me you live in a climate where temperatures range from far below freezing to baking hot than does your shed need to be insulated for the winter? Does it need to be waterproof or will it just be a place to put stuff when you’re not using it. For the most part all you need to decide is whether to insulate it as it’s a good idea to put a roof on and waterproof it anyways (unless you live in a very dry climate where it doesn’t rain… in which case I envy you).

5. Do you need permits?
For the most part you aren’t going to need a building permit for your shed, but it’s always an excellent idea to ask. I’ve had more than one friend embark on a project and than had the city come by and say they had to take it down because they didn’t have a permit. Unless it’s a large shed you probably won’t need one, but it’s not that difficult to go to the city and ask… plus it will save you a lot of headaches later.

6. What’s your budget?
Always leave setting your budget until last because you can’t make a good estimation unless you know exactly what you want your shed to do. Now that you know how big and what type of shed you want it’s pretty easy to set a budget. Always prioritize your budget as well because if it runs over budget you can always cut out a couple features. For example, windows and shelving could go further down on the list and if you run over you can always cut them out to reduce your cost.

7. Where are you going to get your storage shed plans?
Now that you have your action plan written out it’s time to answer the big question. Where are you going to get storage shed plans? For this you have several options available to you. Your local hardware store or building centre, home planners and my favourite place… the internet.

For more information on storage shed plans check out these free 12′ x 8′ plans

You’ve decided that you need some extra storage around your home. Whether it’s for gardening equipment, tools, or a small workshop you need the extra space. The problem is should you build it yourself using storage shed plans or buy a pre-fabricated shed from the hardware store. Although it is a lot cheaper to build the shed yourself, it’s not the question you should ask yourself to determine which path is the right one for you.

The best way to decide whether to build your own or buy a prefab one is all about your own needs. The best thing to do is go to several hardware stores and check out what they have to offer. Of course, before you go make a list of what you’re going to be storing in the shed. The reason being is that you can check out all the different types of sheds that they have and see if they’re going to work out for you.

I’ve personally built 3 sheds for my home (a nice workshop, one to store my wifes gardening stuff, and one for general storage). I found designs that I liked and used some storage shed plans I found to modify them to suit my own personal tastes. That brings up another point I’d like to make. If you find a design of shed that you really like, but there are a couple things you’d like to change than take several pictures of the shed and than modify it to suit your tastes (our gardening shed used a design we liked, but added wider double doors and some windows for seedlings in the spring).

If you’ve found a shed that is going to suit your needs and it’s within your price range than go for it (I personally think they’re massively overpriced). If you’ve found a shed design that you like, but it’s not within your budget or you want to make a couple changes to it than read on.

As I mentioned earlier snap some pictures of it that way you can remember what exactly you like and dislike about the design. Go home and find some storage shed plans. The idea is to find the design you liked in the plans and modify the plans a slight bit to suit your needs.

Some interesting changes we did was to add some shelving units in each of the sheds up in the rafters. You can also add windows to your shed (like we did with the gardening shed). You’re only limited by your creativity.

Once you have your plans laid out it’s a simple matter of following them and watching your shed take shape. Are you a little scared about being a novice builder though? I’ll admit that I was, but I can tell you that you’re worrying for nothing. Good plans will include videos that show you how each individual part of the shed is constructed, what tools you need and what materials you need. The storage shed plans I used (which I’ll talk about in another post) included some amazing videos and pictures that showed me exactly what to do step-by-step.

So, should you use plans or buy a pre-fab shed? It’s really all about your needs. If you find one that’s good for you than go for it! If you want to save a bunch of money or customize it than build your own.

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