20'x20 Storage shed plans.

[oldpops]

Hello! Due to a long story (involving being the default executor of my parents estate: I'm old so you can imagine how old my parents were!), I have to store an enormous amount of old furniture, tools, and other items that need to be distributed to family members, most of whom are out of state. I wish I could just give a deadline & then donate the stuff but I promised to keep the stuff until it was picked up. Anyway, there isn't enough $$ left to continue to pay storage fee's so with the money left I think it would be cheaper/smarter/better to build a storage shed large enough to hold everything in the 3 storage units currently being used.

We've got the room to build a 20'x20' shed, but unfortunately there isn't enough $$ to pay someone to come in and build one. However, I've got some of the materials needed already here, plus my son & a soon-to-be son-in-law already volunteering a week of their time to build the shed.

So, I've got the manpower and between the material that we already have on hand, and the remaining funds from the estate, we should be able to get a shed built. Just wondering if anyone here knows of a (hopefully free) plan for a 20' X 20" storage shed or even a 2 car garage that can be modified for what we need. I've seen several supposed "FREE PLANS" on the internet, but they always (purposely) plaster some ad or something else on/over the material and or cut list. My eyes aren't so good anymore so I can't make out what is under their ad.

Obviously they want you to spend $$ for their version of a shed plan, but who knows how good their plan really is? So I am hoping that someone here has some ideas on where to get some plans, perhaps someone who has built one themselves, that can link or share.

As always, thanks in advance to all who offer help and suggestions!

 

[TurnipTruck]

How much snow do you get?
What class of hurricane would it be required to sustain?
What does the HOA or AHJ require?
Concrete or wood floor?
Would a 40’ connex be permitted?
Does it have to match the house?

A skinny building may be cheaper/easier.

 

[mike93lx]

You have enough materials on hand for a 20x20? That's a big pile.

I just refreshed my plans for a 16x16 and materials excluding the floor are at 4k. You could save about 700 with a site built door and no windows but then you have to add a floor system or a slab

 

[dcg9381]

Connex if permitted. They have good resale. If this is going to be a perm structure that you can use later, different deal. Unless pre-fab, I'm pretty sure I couldn't build one in a week with a helper.

I think you need a deadline. There are lots of places that will provide you a container and ship it out of state...

 

[oldpops]

Oh, I should have said that we live in southern California. The ground is hard/rocky, and there's a bit of a slope (not too bad). Fortunately we don't suffer from hurricanes, and I'm near 70 and I've never seen snow. The most we get is rain. Due to the cost of concrete, and the fact that our backyard has a bit of a slope, I'd probably go with a raised foundation of some type.

 

[oldpops]

I should also mention that the big negative about our backyard is access. Because of the way the property lines are, we only have a 50' inch wide side gate. If we had 10 to 12 feet I would already have had a shipping container brought in.

 

[P0234]

I should also mention that the big negative about our backyard is access. Because of the way the property lines are, we only have a 50' inch wide side gate. If we had 10 to 12 feet I would already have had a shipping container brought in.

Crane is the answer.

 

[duneslider]

I should also mention that the big negative about our backyard is access. Because of the way the property lines are, we only have a 50' inch wide side gate. If we had 10 to 12 feet I would already have had a shipping container brought in.

It's not that expensive to have a crane pick and drop in the backyard, a neighbor just had that done recently. Might be worth looking into.

 

[Old Moparz]

Any friends or family nearby willing to let you park a container on their property?

As for a storage building, if you are looking at short term, what about a temporary shelter? I used a 10'x 20' one for about 5 years, then gave it to a friend who used it for another 3 years after I built my garage. Don't buy a Harbor Freight one for $12 or it'll disintegrate in a few months. I put pressure treated wood down underneath it at the perimeter, screwed in the 6 anchors & placed gravel down inside. You can get free forklift pallets to lay on the ground to elevate everything off the ground.

 

[oldpops]

Thanks, I must admit I kind-of like the idea of getting my tools out of our garage and putting them in the shed when enough of the stuff has been picked up/removed (Kind of tired of working around the washer dryer and Christmas decorations in our garage). My siblings, none of who wanted the job as executor (the 2 that were selected quit), and none of them will help unload/clear out the storage units, have no problem telling me to just keep the stuff at our place. I told them in order to do that, a shed would need to be built. They're OK with that as long as they don't have to do any work or spend any of their own money or time.

 

[DGersic]

Rent a dumpster. Dispose of the stuff. They're never going to come get it anyway. They’re going to be mad, and will ***** and moan about how you got rid of all of the good stuff that’s they were totally going to come get someday. But as long as it’s you storing the stuff, it’s never goin to be the right time to come pick it up.

 

[m6z]

Man, I'd probably take some time off and deliver it myself before I built a shed to store stuff that I don't plan to keep.

 

[pima67]

Those that want stuff but can't/won't come and get the stuff fairly quickly ought to pay for the rented storage space since the estate doesn't have the $$., If not sell the stuff they want if they won't pay for storage. Sorry but Bad promise on your part, unfortunately.

 

[Youngandfree]

Those that want stuff but can't/won't come and get the stuff fairly quickly ought to pay for the rented storage space since the estate doesn't have the $$., If not sell the stuff they want if they won't pay for storage. Sorry but Bad promise on your part, unfortunately.

Yep. When my FIL was on deaths door, the executor walked the house and made a video of all the belongings. He had everyone make a claim to what they wanted. We got a moving box for each sibling, my wife is the baby of 12 kids. The day of the funeral, all but 2 came, all from out of state. We held the box for the sister in Cali for a year or so, and finally had her pay to ship it to her. Everyone else carried their box home from the funeral.

 

[granturismo850]

So, you have a 50" wide access gate that you will be moving 3 storage units worth of **** in and out of.
You will never get to use the shed for yourself if you are storing **** for free.
Have a storage unit sale and send the $ to a good charity.
If your siblings wanted this **** they would have already taken it. Just send them an official notice that as of xxxx date the storage units will be emptied and the contents disposed of. You won't hear from them.

 

[P0234]

Rent a dumpster. Dispose of the stuff. They're never going to come get it anyway. They’re going to be mad, and will ***** and moan about how you got rid of all of the good stuff that’s they were totally going to come get someday. But as long as it’s you storing the stuff, it’s never goin to be the right time to come pick it up.

That's exactly what happened to a guy I knew. He kept it all in his garage and years later took it to the dump.

But it sounds like OP is making an excuse to build himself a shop.

 

[Sumboodie]

If you keep it ~14ft wide, it'll be far easier to sell/move.


I tried moving a 16x20 when i.sold my place.

About 19ft wide with eaves and gutters.
It made it from a shed move to a house move and added a 0 to the price.
It stayed, wasn't worth 12k to move a shed that cost me 10k to build.
Had it been 14ft wide, would have been ~$1500 to move

 

[cgrutt]

Just curious what type of roof do you plan for this shed? 20' span will be a challenge to piece together with materials on hand and volunteer help for a week. Just saying...

 

[DGersic]

But it sounds like OP is making an excuse to build himself a shop.

If so, go for it. But with this plan, he’ll never get to use it.

 

[Youngandfree]

Hello! Due to a long story (involving being the default executor of my parents estate: I'm old so you can imagine how old my parents were!), I have to store an enormous amount of old furniture, tools, and other items that need to be distributed to family members, most of whom are out of state. I wish I could just give a deadline & then donate the stuff but I promised to keep the stuff until it was picked up. Anyway, there isn't enough $$ left to continue to pay storage fee's so with the money left I think it would be cheaper/smarter/better to build a storage shed large enough to hold everything in the 3 storage units currently being used.

We've got the room to build a 20'x20' shed, but unfortunately there isn't enough $$ to pay someone to come in and build one. However, I've got some of the materials needed already here, plus my son & a soon-to-be son-in-law already volunteering a week of their time to build the shed.

So, I've got the manpower and between the material that we already have on hand, and the remaining funds from the estate, we should be able to get a shed built. Just wondering if anyone here knows of a (hopefully free) plan for a 20' X 20" storage shed or even a 2 car garage that can be modified for what we need. I've seen several supposed "FREE PLANS" on the internet, but they always (purposely) plaster some ad or something else on/over the material and or cut list. My eyes aren't so good anymore so I can't make out what is under their ad.

Obviously they want you to spend $$ for their version of a shed plan, but who knows how good their plan really is? So I am hoping that someone here has some ideas on where to get some plans, perhaps someone who has built one themselves, that can link or share.

As always, thanks in advance to all who offer help and suggestions!

If you don't give any deadlines, they will never pick it up.

 

[nadogail]

When I was considering building a structure, my local “Full Service” Lumber Yard gave me plans to build a Free Standing garage. That was in the mid 1980’s.
They also offered package deals on the materials.
If I were to do one I would want a saw station and a compressor and pneumatic nailer.

 

[Dig Doug]

Check your local codes for shed sq footage. A 20x20 will likely need a permit
a quick google search says a shed over 120 sf needs a permit if you add electric you need a permit

A narrower and longer With a slant (shed style roof ) would be fairly easy
a series of 10x12 sheds not connected to each other would get you no permit required

 

[sjvicker]

Lots of good options suggested. Here's what I think you could do

1. Rent a uhaul and use the remaining money to deliver the stuff
2. Tell the owners of the stuff that the unit is paid up through "X" date and beyond that they need to pay personally or the contents will be sold at auction
3. practice saying in the mirror "We got a rat infestation in the storage unit and most of the furniture was damaged and had to be thrown out" so it sounds believable and no one realizes that you just tossed it.
4. Buy a few books on "how to build a shed" and build a 16x24. At 16' wide the ridge beam and rafters will be easier to manage and its a much more useable space if you ever want to park a car in it.

You say that you're 70 so I'm assuming retired. If that's the case I think you should do #1 then split the remaining money if there is any. You're not in a hurry and it gives you a chance to visit family.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

I should also mention that the big negative about our backyard is access. Because of the way the property lines are, we only have a 50' inch wide side gate. If we had 10 to 12 feet I would already have had a shipping container brought in.

Take the fence down, put it back up.

 

[welder4956]

Do yourself and the rest of the family a favor and have an estate sale. Sounds like the others don't really want the stuff and are willing to leave you holding the bag. Split the estate sale proceeds among the heirs and be done with it.

 

[ddurrett896]

wish I could just give a deadline & then donate the stuff but I promised to keep the stuff until it was picked up. Anyway, there isn't enough $$ left to continue to pay storage fee's so with the money left I think it would be cheaper/smarter/better to build a storage shed large enough to hold everything in the 3 storage units currently being used.

Make a deadline, then start selling stuff. Everyone wants something until it's time to actually pick it up.

 

[oldpops]

After hearing everyone's advice, I think the best plan is to announce to everyone that the money for the storage units runs out at the end of summer. After that, if they haven't picked up their stuff - too bad. My wife, like many here, said we have enough problems and don't need to borrow anymore. I agree that most of the family members aren't going to come out and get their stuff (nothing of any real value, and if they really wanted something, they would have picked it up by now). The storage units are in my parents names so, there will no negative repercussions on me when the bill isn't paid & it goes to auction. As to a shed, the good part of all this is that I may now spend the time building a smaller shed (for my tools) instead of worrying about whether or not my family members want their stuff enough to come pick it up. Thanks again to all who offered suggestions and advice.

 

[Junkdrawer Dog]

After hearing everyone's advice, I think the best plan is to announce to everyone that the money for the storage units runs out at the end of summer. After that, if they haven't picked up their stuff - too bad. My wife, like many here, said we have enough problems and don't need to borrow anymore. I agree that most of the family members aren't going to come out and get their stuff (nothing of any real value, and if they really wanted something, they would have picked it up by now). The storage units are in my parents names so, there will no negative repercussions on me when the bill isn't paid & it goes to auction. As to a shed, the good part of all this is that I may now spend the time building a smaller shed (for my tools) instead of worrying about whether or not my family members want their stuff enough to come pick it up. Thanks again to all who offered suggestions and advice.

^^^^^ This is the way forward. When my Mom was reaching the end of living in her home she reached out to multiple family members in an attempt to give away much of her stuff. Everyone wanted something. No one ever showed up to collect any of it.

 

[CraigStu]

When my wife's parents went into a retirement home she, 2 sisters and brother grabbed what we wanted. One sister had just an old Accord so couldn't really move anything. SO she rented a closeby storage shed. I have never brought up the subject so don't know if she ever got any of the stuff home or not. I think w/ what the relatives have stated, there is near zero chance any of them will ever come for anything so you getting out of the middle of the situation is best for everyone. Sounds like they have 6 months or so to rent their own uhaul and come get what they want. If that doesn't work for them, tough stuff.

 

[PhantomEB]

It’s in my mothers will, that when the time comes, I am to continue her ways of donating her stuff. ***** for her….most of her stuff has been pissed on by her ever so beloved cat….week after the funeral, my sister will be told pack up what you want as the rest is going into a dumpster.

 

[oldpops]

My dad died 1st, (a few years before my mom) and 2 of my brothers waited until my mom went for a day trip to go through my dad's stuff for anything they wanted. The even went into the attic to go through boxes. My mom was PISSED! I think that's why/how I got picked to be the default executor.