Gambrel Roof Plans

There are several things to consider if you’re comparing storage shed construction to storage space rental. How many square feet do you need? How big is your property? Do you need a climate controlled space? How much stuff are you storing for long-term or seasonal use?

The bottom line is that if you only need short-term storage, then renting is cheaper, but if you need to store for the long-term, and especially if you’re not concerned about climate control, then building or buying a backyard storage shed is the cheaper solution by far.

Let’s go through the numbers. I live in Atlanta, and I got these prices from a big nationwide storage rental brand. Even in my metro area, the prices varied considerably based on local demand (population density, housing/property cost-per-square-foot), higher in the city and suburbs, and lower in the sparsely populate ex-urbs.

Here are some typical storage footprints, the cost of renting over eight years, and the resulting cost per square foot.

Size	Monthly Cost	8Y Cost of Renting	8Y CSPF
4×4	$31	$3,278	$205
5×5	$47	$4,969	$199
5×10	$55	$5,815	$116
8×10	$86	$7,929	$99
10×10	$91	$9,260	$96
10×15	$109	$11,523	$77
12×16	$125	$13,215	$69

Like I said, over the long-term, renting even a small storage space can easily cost you twice as much as a pre-manufactured wooden shed (~$1,600). And with the cost of an 8×10 storage building kit well under a thousand dollars, you’ll earn back the purchase price and start “saving” money, in terms of the monthly rental fee you don’t owe, before the first year ends.

And since we’re talking numbers, a tasteful, well-made storage shed adds value to your home and increases its resale value. Chances are you’ve got a wood-framed house, and wood is the best material for a modest backyard shed, giving you almost unlimited options for trim and decor to compliment your home. Wood is cost-effective and with a good set of plans, it goes up fast, so find a plan for a shed you like, and put those storage rental fees back where they belong, in your wallet.

My wife and I bought our home with an attached carport. Sure enough, a few years after we moved in, we had so much stuff sitting in there that we couldn’t even fit a little bit of our car under the roof. I won’t lie, it was an eyesore, and we were feeling a bit of the hairy eyeball from some of the neighbors.

We don’t have a big yard, so we wanted to attach a storage shed to the back of the carport, which had a wood-frame rear wall with siding. We wanted to build the shed frame out from the back, and then cut a door in the rear wall.

We thought with all the special work required, that we’d need custom plans from an architect, but after making a few calls, we realized that was way beyond our budget, so we started looking for DIY plans that maybe we could modify to meet our needs.

A lot of our searching turned up plans and stores selling pre-built, metal carports, but finally, we found a great set of 12×16 shed plans, sized to match our carport, with styling options we could adapt to fit in with our homes exterior design.

I’m pretty handy and so framing the shed and attaching it to the back of the carport wasn’t too big of a deal. If you’ve ever worked on a porch, deck or patio for your house, then you’ll have no trouble building a shed. The original contractor had done a pretty lousy job with the siding, and one of the posts had a little water damage, but it was not too bad, and so we applied some wood rot treatment, and made sure we had a nice tight seal between the carport roof and the shed, with adequate drainage to prevent additional moisture from collecting.

The big new thing I tackled with this project was cutting the door, here’s the most important things I learned, in case you’re considering a similar design:

• Figure out where your wiring, pipes and ducts are before you cut – we didn’t have any plumbing or duct-work, but we did have a light-switch, crazy given the water damage, but we got an electrician out to safely cap the wire and move the carport light onto another circuit. I hate messing with electricity, and if you find wiring, plumbing or duct-work in the way of your door, it’s probably time to call a contractor.
• Make room for the door-frame – seems obvious, right? But make sure you’ve got enough room for the structural framing.
• Don’t forget the floor – not such a big deal for us, since it was just a storage shed, but we did add a splashguard to the bottom of the door to prevent rainwater from flowing under

We’re super happy with our new shed, and I managed to acquire two new power tools along the way (score!). Let me know if you’re looking to attach a shed to your carport, and I’ll try to answer your questions. Otherwise, good luck and happy building!

A good foundation can be the difference between a maintenance free, “build it and forget it” storage shed, and one that… isn’t. Just like a good, solid breakfast is the best way to start your day, putting down a solid foundation is the best way to start building your storage shed. Why do you need a foundation? It keeps the shed level, preventing or minimizing sags or leans in the frame as the ground settles over time, which can be the difference between a shed that’s still a shed in 10 years, and not a pile of lumber in your backyard, collapsed on top of all your stuff. The foundation also protects the shed (AND the stuff inside it) from moisture in the ground, allowing water to drain through your yard naturally, without pooling inside your shed.

There are three main types of shed foundations, and your choice depends on the type of shed you want to build, your landscaping / the grade of your backyard, and your local climate. Here’s a quick overview of the three most popular shed foundations, and reasons why each might be right for you.

Sleeping or Skid Foundation

So called because the shed is supported by wooden “sleepers” or skids. For pioneers, the sleepers were nothing more than logs laid on the ground (“sleeping,” get it?). Nowadays, they’re usually pressure treated 4×4, 4×6, 6×6, or 8×8 timbers, cut to the necessary length.

This setup is low cost, and easy to plan, setup, and lay out, making it the foundation of choice for wooden outhouses from pioneer times to the modern day. But, it comes with a few requirements, the ground needs to be level (or graded level) to keep your shed from sagging, slumping, leaning, or sliding away, and for optimal drainage (and sleeper life expectancy) you should put down a bed of gravel one inch to two inches deep. The simplest and quickest way is to dig out a shallow pit, only about two inches deep, easy enough to do with nothing more than a garden spade, with dimensions slightly larger than your shed’s footprint, and fill the area with crushed rock or gravel.

If you want to fancy it up a bit, you can edge your dugout with 1×4 or 1×6 boards, this will help contain the gravel, and keep stones from settling out into your yard (and getting caught up by your lawnmower).

Floating Foundation

Floating foundations are easy to build, and with a bit of planning and the right materials, can provide a lifetime of support for your shed. The technique employed in this foundation is to “float” a wooden platform on a set of durable supports, most often concrete blocks, although metal or wood supports anchored in poured concrete can be used. The supports let water flow under the platform (versus through your shed) and allows air to circulate as well, so that the soil dries quickly, and the risk of mildew is reduced.

One advantage of the floating foundation is that it can be easily adjusted to graded terrain. If you want or need to build your sled on a slope, rather than excavating a big pile of dirt, and potentially changing the drainage in your backyard, you can lay down a floating foundation for your shed, and adjust the height of your supports as needed to ensure a level platform.

One last thing about a floating foundation, unless you live in the desert, you’ll probably want to mimic the sleeping foundation and put a one to two inch bed of gravel underneath each concrete block. The gravel will improve drainage and reduce soil erosion, which left unchecked could lead to a leaning shed

Slab Foundation

 The slab foundation is the mother of all foundations as far as durability is concerned. Make it the right way and it will be as weatherproof and long lasting as a well made basement. The price for that long life is more up front work, as excavating the earth, building your mold, pouring and casting your concrete, all requires significantly more planning, equipment, and elbow grease than sleeping or floating foundations.

The thickness of your concrete slab can vary from two inches to six inches, it depends on your climate and the load you want it to carry (the size and weight of your shed, and what your shed is going to hold.

The basic approach is to dig out a six to twelve inch bed in your topsoil, and then build a wooden form for your poured concrete. There are several popular form techniques, but the common denominators are leveling and squaring the form, ensuring the supports are adequate to hold the weight of the poured concrete, and coating the inside of your form with a commercial release agent so the concrete doesn’t stick to your form. Next, fill the area with four to six inches of gravel, wet it down with the garden hose, and tamp it with a hand or power tamper. You might want to put a vapor barrier on top of the gravel, to help keep moisture from seeping up into the concrete. For most sheds, you’ll probably need more than two yards of concrete, which is best delivered pre mixed and ready to pour from a local contractor or concrete supplier. Pour the concrete into your form, spread with a rake, level with a long 2×4 board, and finish it with trowels and concrete planers.

Easy, right?  As I said, it’s a lot of work, but the end result is an awesome foundation that should be able to take anything you, or mother nature, throws at it (and if you really want sick structural support, you can reinforce your concrete with iron rebar, but that’s an article for another day).

One other thing you might not have considered, if you plan to hose down garden equipment or other tools in your shed, or use hot solder, welding or brazing tools, then a slab foundation is the only safe choice.

Of course, details matter, and I haven’t discussed what rocks work best for gravel, or where in the yard to place your shed, regardless of the foundation. A good set of shed plans will take you through all of these issues, and ensure you’ve got the best support system in place for your shed, the items you’re storing inside, and your local climate.

When my wife and I (okay, it was just me, but I had her moral support) started looking for a storage shed, we didn’t really know anything about them, we just wanted a decent-looking structure that would free up some space in our carport.

I made the rounds of our local home-improvement megastores, but I found the selection was kind of limited at the Home Depot and Lowe’s in my neighborhood, and they were all a bit smaller than what I had in mind.

Returning home, defeated but undaunted, I googled around and found a “shed superstore” with every type of garage, gazebo, pole and wood barn you can imagine… and a few sheds too. But they were a couple hours out of town, and most of the sheds I saw on their site were too big, I was starting to feel like Goldilocks, where would I find the shed that was just right for me?

Then, on the brink of despair, a search result caught my eye, modular sheds, long story short, this proved to be the answer to our shed search, and if you’re thinking about a 12×16 shed, then you should definitely consider the modular option.

What is modular design?

Any construction project that relies on modular design means that the structure can be broken down into component parts or sections, which have some degree of inter-change-ability and extensibility. You can swap one section out for another, say a door, window or roof, or you can add sections, usually to increase the size of the shed footprint (length x width). I have seen a few two-story sheds online, so you can go for height, just be sure you know what your residential zoning requirements are, and watch out for nearby power lines.

I’d never built a shed before, but I’m handy enough, and I’ve accumulated a pretty extensive set of tools in my workroom (which may or may not have gotten a few upgrades during the course of this project “strictly necessary” of course, but after reading a bunch of online how-to articles, and watching some videos, I felt like this was do-able, and would make a nice project for the fall.

I found a set of plans online that had flexible layout options to give us the footprint we wanted (L-shaped) — Shoot me an email if you want to know which ones and I’ll send you the link. Put in a call to my local lumberyard, and got psyched for a weekend (or four of shed raising!

Well then Murphy’s law, we then proceeded to have the wettest fall on record for the past eight years. I had my plans, and the materials were on order, but weekend after weekend was lost to heavy rains, and we had to postpone delivery 6 times. Finally though, we got a break, and the flatbed rolled up with my lumber.

When building your shed, expect the unexpected

I won’t lie and say things went perfectly smoothly from there on out. I got off to a rocky start because I hadn’t done enough work to plan out my foundation. Water is a wooden shed’s ultimate nemesis, and with all the rain, I had planned to pour out a slab foundation, but the rain had made that impossible, and so I shifted to a floating, or on-grade foundation.

Well a good thing to know if you’re putting in a floating foundation, is that you want your floor joists supported by solid concrete blocks, and blockhead that I am, guess what kind of blocks I had? Yep, good old hollow cinder blocks. So returning those and getting the solid blocks took out half of my building time the first weekend.

We hit a few more snags along the way, I was excited to try putting in a sky-light, but that will have to wait for my next shed. Thankfully, I live in a warm climate, and so we only had our first cold snap before my final weekend “sprint” to put on the finishing touches. My wife is happy with the way it looks, and we’ve got a nice, clean carport again.

Ready to build your own shed?

If a storage shed is your next DIY project, start with reliable, proven shed building plans. Just like me, you can find the perfect plans online, without paying out big bucks to an architect for a custom design. We got tired of all the lousy and confusing information out there on the internet, and so we put this website together to help you find your best shed design or made-to-assemble kit.

Building a shed is fun, and I love looking out my kitchen window each morning as the sun hits our backyard and thinking “Yep, I built that,” but it might not be for you. There are plenty of “off the shelf” solutions for a storage shed, but just be sure to look around and/or get in touch with any of us here, I’d hate for you to make an impulsive decision that ends up costing you big, and maybe even worse, reminds you every time you visit your back yard.

With the expanding issues of a worldwide temperature alteration, everything that you do for all intents and purpose either help or disturb the earth. This is the reason even the least difficult and most unassuming thing like purchasing a wooden garden shed ought to be finished with cautious arranging. Cedar wooden sheds are a decent choice regarding the matter of outside capacity in view of a ton of reasons. These are regular materials and consequently eco-accommodating.

Plastic, vinyl and metal are typically the ones individuals try for yet picking a cedar wooden garden shed will be more profitable for you on the grounds that it is eco-accommodating as well as in light of the fact that they are less demanding to keep up. These sheds additionally give a more extended solidness due to the durability of the material. It is additionally simple to keep up in light of the fact that it is regularly impervious to water, nuisances, molds, and other climate conditions. Not at all like alternate materials won’t you be worried about ensuring them from these things. Likewise, the wooden arrangement shed won’t have to be painted like alternate materials. They are completely rust free and the cedar woods are sturdy to the point that they won’t decay like the other material. This is additionally a flawless purchase for those of you who would prefer not to be annoyed with the undertaking of keeping up the sheds every once in a while. Truth be told, everything you need to do with your wooden garden shed is constructed them and they won’t trouble you any longer.

These simple to keep up, self managing cedar wooden arrangement sheds will likewise be much preferred looking over your neighbor’s metal shed. Wooden materials are typically alluring to the eye. They won’t simply serve as storage room to keep your apparatuses and gear, however they will likewise greatly improve the situation. Your cedar wooden shed won’t require additives on the grounds that they have properties that commonly discourage bugs that ruin the material of the shed. This will spare you the inconvenience and cost of utilizing additives on the wood which are both perilous to your wellbeing and to the nature’s turf.

These cedar wooden arrangement sheds will likewise be flawless in the event that you require an extra room either to work or use as a visitor room. Granted, any shed can be utilized for these reasons yet they won’t provide for you the same profits as a decent old cedar wooden arrangement shed would. They will be simpler and less expensive to keep up as contrasted with other material sheds. Alternate sheds will oblige legitimate warming in winter and fitting aerating and cooling amid summer. At exactly that point will they be bearable. Anyhow with wooden garden sheds, they have higher protecting properties. The cedar wood is made of little air pockets that remaining parts cool amid summer and warm amid winter. Unless you are in a compelling climate condition, you won’t have to introduce aeration and cooling system or a radiator.

On the off chance that you would prefer not to be irritated with the inconvenience of building the shed than your best choice ought to be to buy a prepanelized cedar wooden shed. This will save you the cost of procuring somebody to do it for you. Getting it from an overall rumored online merchant will likewise make it much less demanding for you in light of the fact that it will be transported comfortable doorstep. Additionally, a professionally planned cedar wooden garden shed will guarantee you an object free upkeep.

Wood shed plans are perfect for any individual who appreciates working with wood and open air building undertakings, sparing a colossal piece of cash on a shed, or exactly when you require a novel or altered storehouse. Next to no carpentry learning is required in the event that you have great wood shed plans to work from and a couple of essential apparatuses.

These plans can be utilized by either finish novices up to expert carpenters. There are such a variety of plans accessible nowadays that you are certain to discover one that suits your individual needs.




Wood Shed Plans

Shed plans are promptly accessible from various diverse sources. For learners, it is essential that your wood shed plans have exceptionally nitty gritty and simple to take after from beginning to end guidelines. Before you buy of a plan, there are a few steps to experience to settle on the size and style of shed that best addresses your needs.

You will need to pick an plan vast enough for your stockpiling needs both now and the future however not all that huge that it rules your back yard or enclosure abandoning you with insufficient space for enclosure furniture, children’s toys and plant tubs also the grass and plan itself.

Wood shed plans can likewise be a mainstream decision for anybody with restricted house stockpiling so you’ll have to ponder what you’ll be utilizing the shed for. In the event that its only for capacity you’ll likely need a truly essential configuration to keep things secure and protected from unsafe components like Sun, Rain, Snow and Wind. In the event that it is to be utilized as a potting shed, a kids’ playhouse or a workshop more specific plans may be more suitable.

Wood shed plans are an awesome approach to assemble your fantasy shed. In the event that you have ever considered the buy of an instant shed you will realize that they can be extravagant and the outlines are extremely constrained and comparable. With what you spare by building it yourself you can move up to a greater of more itemized shed.

In the event that your item is just to spare cash verify that you don’t hold back on the wood shed plans that you inevitably purchase. It is much better to put resources into great shed plans from the beginning than get a frightful astonishment at the building stage! Be exceptionally cautious if picking free wood shed plans – you normally get what you pay for.

Attempt to include different parts of the family or companions in your choice to buy a wood shed arrange as they will regularly consider things that you may have disregarded. Visit plan focuses or neighborhood DIY outlets and examine the instant sheds that are accessible. You can request handouts from the numerous carpentry firms that offer standard or specially crafted sheds.

Above all else recollect that the methodology of picking a wood shed plan ought to be fun! Take as much time as required and consider all your choices. Draw out a couple of thoughts of what you’d like on paper. It’s astonishing how that gets the imaginative juices streaming.

Have you encountered in your life the inclination of happiness after you’ve possessed the capacity to at last clean your carport? And afterward exchanged those undesirable burdens to the shed you constructed yourself utilizing DIY plans you discovered on the web. On the off chance that you’ve experienced these encounters then congrats for the occupation well done. Like myself, you’ve finished what you’ve envisioned for in the most practical way. The least expensive approach to construct your fantasy shed in case need an additional storage room inside your carport is to utilize DIY shed plans.



DIY Shed Plans

I’m not a master craftsman however I can read and comprehend point by point plans. In any case I’m reluctant to fabricate a shed myself. Maybe, I’m anxious about the result of the completed item. I had the capacity beat this inclination when one day my wife requested that me construct a suitable size stockpiling shed for the additional stuff that involved in our carport. Really, my wife began bothering and I simply needed to make a move in light of the fact that I couldn’t bear it any longer. What’s more, guess what? I assembled the shed utilizing a DIY shed plan. I couldn’t accept, I made it.

Toward the begin of the venture, I needed thoughts on the best way to begin. I never comprehended what to do and needed to go online for a short research. That was the place I found that there are three sorts of establishments. I likewise discovered that the most imperative perspective one must consider important when attempting to develop a shed is to assemble a robust establishment.

I went over a few incredible plans and was so flabbergasted at the pool of DIY plans I had entry to work with for nothing. They were great DIY shed plans that addressed my needs and I immediately began downloading them inside minutes. They all had a rundown of materials I expected to execute each one task outline including their measurements. The accurate estimations for the woods were incorporated excessively so I knew the precise number of timbers required for the undertaking and how to get them right.

On the off chance that you are most likely considering utilizing the free DIY plans, somewhat online examination can help you however you’ll just find the drawings of the outlines without the rundown of materials that were utilized. You would just be speculating the rundowns which can be so extravagant. There are several DIY shed plans without the rundown of materials utilized so you have to guarantee that you strive for DIY shed plans that have such records.

Separated from the time and cash obliged, you could be sparing yourself from a great deal of anxiety on the off chance that you can try for DIY shed plans. These plans are helps despite the fact that you need involvement in specialized matters. Indeed, most masters still utilize these plans – they scarcely attempt to construct any structure without them.

Need your next shed development undertaking to go on easily, and afterward use some cash sourcing for an expert DIY shed plan. Attempting to actually outline your shed from the scratch can be exceptionally troublesome toward the begin, still extravagant and prolonged excessively which is the reason you have to reconsider before settling for an plan.