Backyard Storage Shed

[TXST8tj]

I am not sure if this is a suitable place for this, so please move it if necessary.

I will first start with my initial questions because I will probably loose your attention after the babble to follow.

For those of you with sheds, what is a good size (dimensions?) for general yard tool storage, with a little breathing room? What works for you, and what of your sheds do you wish it had?
This will be used to store the push mower, blower, edger, weedeater, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrow, etc., and some of our son's ride-on toys. This stuff is dominating my garage.

I am planning to begin construction on a storage shed for my backyard this Spring. I use the larger word, 'construction' rather than 'build' because I told my wife that I plan to over-build this thing. She is one for asthetics, so she is going along with my basic ideas so far.
I am trying to get into the basic planning and design phase, which will then of course lead to a list of materials, which will then get me to a general budget. I am posting here because I figure that while it is not a garage, it will have the basic construction and function of one, just on a much smaller scale.

I know that I could buy a prefab unit probably much cheaper than I will finish at, but where is the fun and adventure of that? I also mentioned that I figure I will over build this shed which first and foremost means a concrete slab. My initial guess at length and width would be 8'x8', but I have not looked at that actual size shed to see if that is big enough. That is where my initial question comes in. Anyway, at 8'x8' even at 6" deep, I am only looking at about 1.20 cu. yards of concrete. Too little to bother with getting it off a ready mix truck, but plenty of hard work for me with sac-crete, which is the route I will likely go. At those dimensions, I am looking at about fifty-five 80# bags. I will be using a drum mixer.

Other basic plans are 2x4 frame, hardi-plank siding (painted to match house), shingled roof (to match house shingles), windows and/or skylight, steel door, interior shelves, plenty of floor space.


What is the best overall size for me to plan on? All of the plans I have found for such a thing are based on a pier and beam structure, so initial building plans will be different from what I am looking for. I think I am just going to draw it up and 'wing it.'
I am not sure if I will run any electrical to it for lights. It would not be too long of a run if I decided to.

 

[kornjulio]

First answer needs to be what do your zoning/subdivision rules allow in terms of size??

 

[TXST8tj]

Haha...very good question/point to bring up. I am actually in the process of getting my hands on a copy of such written documents. For some reason, we were not given a copy of our deed restrictions when we bought the house one year ago, or when we paid our dues last January. It was my fault for not getting them then, but I can't say we've needed them until now, so I have not been in any hurry.


Aside from those logistics, let's just say that a standard size will be acceptable (something prefab from Home Depot for instance).
My neighbors to each side of me and one behind me have prefab-type sheds, so I know either having one is not an issue, or they just don't care. Either way, while I do like the follow the rules with such things (especially permanent structures), it will not be seen without actually standing in my back yard.
I plan to run around to a couple places to look at some prefabs to get a basic idea on dimensions. I just asked because storage areas look completely different empty versus once you start wheeling in lawn mowers and power wheels.

 

[Boyd]

I plan on building this one in the spring (see link below). It's 14'w x 12'd. Through excellent planning, the total material list (if I remember correctly) was only $2300 and that included the foundation (sleepers in a gravel bed) and floor framing. It doesn't use cheap materials either.

The only change I may make will be to replace the custom windows and doors with craigslist finds. Come to think of it, I will probably buy most of the materials off of craigslist. My goal is to construct a well-built, very functional, attractive storage shed for as little as possible.

**Edit** The link is for the plans/materials list only - I've tried searching for the original article but cannot find it. You may be able to contact the publisher and request a back issue. The article originally appeared in the July/August 2009 issue.

http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-h...d-plans-and-materials-list/article140049.html

Good Luck with your project.

KB

 

[kornjulio]

OK - good that you are looking into what the rules allow.

First off, I have built two sheds: a 10x16 & 12x14. Anything smaller than 160 sq. ft. is a waste of time, in my opinion. Even my current 12x get small, but it's as big as I can go.

Foundation: elevated concrete slab. For my sheds, it ran about $1000 for a flatwork guy to come in and excavate, form, pour, and finish the slab. All I did was put some stakes in the ground. Screw wood, dirt, or gravel.

Construction: just like a house. 2X4, 16" on center, 8ft. walls, sheathed with OSB. Gable roof with ridgeboard & rafter, 7/12 pitch (a little too steep, but looks good), 1 ft. overhang all the way around

Finish: vinyl sided to match house, 1x4 painted trim & shingled to match house. Doors are homemade barn-type with exterior strap hinges.

Total cost? the 12x14 was about $2500 & the 10x16 $3500. But the 10x was built in 2004, when building materials were sky-high!

There you go.

ETA: windows are your call. I have none to keep peering eyes at bay.

 

[downs807]

I had a pre-fab unit from Lowes that I stored my stuff in for nearly two years. It was a 10x14 perfect size in my mind. Enough room to work around stuff but yet not too large.. I just recently bought a new house with a two car attached garage and will be getting another shed so it's not cluttered with "yard junk" I'm going to go back with the same size I had.

 

[nate379]

The shed I'm building this summer will be a 16x20.

My Dad built one off the back of his garage, 13x18 I think, and that led to a 12x14 garden shed out back, then another 45x70 shed a few miles from their house and then a 2nd garage, 26x26

Something like a 10x10 would be fine for a couple yard tools and a push mower/tiller etc, but for a tractor, etc it's going to be tight.


kornjulio I have no idea how you are building a shed for that cheap. Just the vinyl siding to do my shed to match the house will be around $2000

 

[nmk_61802]

Don't forget, more than likely opting for a concrete slab will throw a different set of zoning rules into the play than using runners and a wood floor.

 

[NUTTSGT]

How big? Go out to your garage, sweep the floor so it's clean. Take some masking tape or duct tape and a tape measure. Layout the size that you 8x8, and outline it with the tape. Now try to put everything you want in the box.



Ready to move the tape yet?

 

[kornjulio]

kornjulio I have no idea how you are building a shed for that cheap. Just the vinyl siding to do my shed to match the house will be around $2000

Looking a my receipt, I bought two cartons of Napco D4 Herald Flagstone. Each carton was $153. Throw in a bunch of J-strips and my siding bill was around $430. Not sure what to tell you....

 

[TXST8tj]

Ready to move the tape yet?

hahaha....yeap.

 

[datsunfan]

First answer needs to be what do your zoning/subdivision rules allow in terms of size??

He could do what everyone in my subdivision did...ignore all the rules and put up whatever you want.

 

[TXST8tj]

kornjulio, what you describe is just about what I am going for.

I did accounting for a ready-mix and road materials company for two years, but worked for them otherwise for five years. In that time, I learned how to work/finish concrete...mainly just because when I wasn't in my office, I was out in the yard or on a jobsite learning.

I currently work for a contruction supply company, and while believe it or not construction materials are not always marked up a whole heck of a lot, I can get just about everything I will need at cost....lumber, concrete mix, nails, screws, siding, etc.
I know that is still not going to make this project cheap by any means, but it might help a bit.

I still need to measure it out, and look at some prefabs, but 10x14-16 sounds like it is probably going to be a new starting point.

Doing the foundation work myself, I'm looking at about $400 for all materials. It would be right at 3 yards of concrete. For 3 yards, it might be worth having someone deliver it. I will have to call around for some estimates....140 eighty pound bags would get exhausting, even with a rented mixer.

 

[DirtyWhiteBoy]

I built a 12x20 with a gambrel roof that allowed a 2nd floor. I LOVE it. I have tons of stuff in there including 2 riding mowers and still not cluttered. I cannot find any good pics. I had plans for a 12x16 and added a 4' section

 

[TXST8tj]

Wow, that is nice. I think that is definitely bigger than I need, but it is very nice.

I think I would prefer not to have windows, but if I don't run electrical to it, I will need some sort of natural light source...I think. I think a window(s) would be easier to work with versus a skylight.
Running a single circuit to a switch and light may not be such a bad idea.

 

[usmc_noma]

why not get some painters tape and tape your garage floor for the size you're looking for. once the size is taped, start putting stuff in the box. you're looking for mainly the stuff you'll have on the floor. edgers, brooms, weedeaters, etc that will hang on the wall won't really matter.

for me, i think a decent size will either be 8x10 or 10x14.

 

[rwhite692]

Here is a little info on a shed I completed recently

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44209

 

[UncleJoe]

I am putting the roof on my shed today. Here is what I found useful, though your mileage may vary.

I have a 24x26 garage and I wanted to get the John Deere Riding mower out and other things so I can use the garage as only a workshop and not a storage area. One day I cleared a large area in the shop and then moved everything into that area that I would want in the shed. It took a while but when I was done I measured of the area with all the "shed stuff" in it and found I needed about a 10x10 area. Well everyone I talked to told me to build it bigger than I thought would need because you just always need extra room so I went with a 12x12 shed. With 12 foot long walls I get 3 full sheets of plywood for roof and walls and no waste cuts. Works for me. I am sure a 12x 14 or 16 would look better but if you go bigger than 12x12 you have to get the government involved in my little community so 12x12 it is for me.

Even if you just mark off an area on the driveway and move all your stuff out there, I advise test fitting all your stuff so you build your shed big enough. You don't want to get finished and still not have enough room.

Have fun with your shed project.

 

[pseudorealityx]

I have a 16x12 in my backyard. Previous owner built it. It has a 2nd story attic area with a pull-down ladder. Single window looking into the attic space above the door. I've only been in the attic a few times, and am not storing anything up there yet. But I bought this past spring, so I'm still accumulating stuff. It's definitely big. I don't have nearly the number of tools, yard equipment that many of the guys on here. More of a amateur on this stuff. But the shed is currently hope for a bunch of big plastic totes, misc boxes, the push mower, weed-eater, blower, rakes, shovel, gas tank, parts for my kid's convertible bed (crib -> day-bed -> full size frame), extra wheels and tires that I don't want to put in my 2 car attached.

 

[JMURiz]

Wow, these sheds are garage sized, I'm impressed.
Checking with zoning is the best plan, in my county you can only do a 150 sq/ft shed w/o a variance/permit. The only one that fit aesthetically in my yard was a odd-shaped ~6'x6', so I made do and crammed all my stuff in there.

Bigger is better with a shed (and garage for that matter), as long as your yard is big enough to handle them.

also: I have a mower, string trimmer, edger, wheelbarrow, hose caddy, fertilizer spreader, fertilizer, gardening tools, shovels etc in my tiny shed...have to take the mower and hose caddy out to get some stuff, but it works.

 

[35mastr]

I built a 12x16 and wished it was a 16x20. Built it all on the weekends. No goverment involved and no permits taken.

Around here if you dont advertize what you are doing. People dont seem to bother you.

Town hall is less than 100 yards from my front door and I have never had any problems with them.

 

[tcianci]

It is doubtful that you will need a 6 inch slab for your purposes. Since you are in TX, frost probably isn't going to be a big issue but typically, state building codes will direct the footing/foundation that you install. Everyone seems to always talk about the number of bags of Quick-crete or whatever that it will take to do a given job. And they mention the PITA of mixing it. The issue that seldom gets mentioned is that unless you have a bunch of buddies and some tag-team mixing going on, you really can't mix and place fast enough to eliminate "cold" joints. It's kinda like painting, you need to keep a "wet edge". Once you get much past a 6 x 6 slab or so, you will find that it's hard to keep leading edge of the pour nice and green and if things progress too slowly you're going to need a bucket loader to screed the earliest end of the job, let alone trying to finish it. Flat work is heavy stuff. If you do end up with a pad that is like 12 x 16 or so, bite the bullet and bring in the truck, but have help, the drivers usually have something else to do besides watch you slog through wet concrete by your lonesome. Once it is placed, have a little "dump" area where you can toss the excess after you screed it. You will find that finishing a slab that is more or less uniform in it's state of cure takes a lot less work and yields the best result.
Ok, concrete 101 is dismissed, you have your homework assignment...Now, to the size of your building...unless you have special constraints, try to keep the wall dimensions in multiples of 2 feet. This will minimize waste. For example, wall that is 12 feet long by 8 feet high uses exactly 4 sheets of OSB or plywood for sheathing. A wall that is 10 feet long by 8 feet high uses 2 1/2 but since you will likely have the mirror image of that wall on the other end of the building, that comes out to 5 sheets, again, no waste. One of the things we do when we build sheds is to keep the dimensions so that a standard length of 1x will make a complete soffit or fascia for example, say you're gonna build a 12 x 16 (nominal) shed, well instead of making the frame exactly 16 feet for instance, you make it 15-9 1/2 so when you total up the frame, sheathing and the kickers for the rake trim, you come up with 16 feet from the inside face of the rake to the other inside face of the rake...16 foot boards work out perfectly for fascia and soffit. Sometimes we will build a shed or other outbuilding with T-111 siding but apply the rake trim like the building was going to be sided anyway. This lets the owner save a few bucks on the build and then later on down the road, the building can be sided with any number of products. One last thing to note, for those folks that will build with a wood floor, T&G subfloors, while called 4x8 do not have a 4x8 "face". The sheet itself is 4x8 but the face dimension is about 47-5/8. So, if your floor framing is say, 12 x 16, you're going to end up with 3 rows of subflooring and it will be about an inch short of the 12 foot dimension of the frame. I know I ramble, but I just like to throw out the stuff I have learned after all these years. If nothing else it makes me feel like I actually do know something!

 

[purpony]

Here is a pic of the shed i built in my backyard a few years ago. Needed a place for yard equipment, my tractor, storage, and all the kids outdoor toys. Its a little overkill with a full slab, frost walls, and 2x6 construction, but it should last forever.... haha

its a 16x20 with 11ft interior ceiling just incase i wanted to put a lift sideways across the back for more storage. Instead at this time i have a 16x4 loft about 7' off the ground and a 16x2 workbench all across the back. I lined all the walls with white pegboard to orginize everything. Also have a full walk in attic. The door is 12x8 and allows me to store my tractor and all my yard equipment and woodworking tools. Plans are to put a 12x20 car port off the left side to park my enclosed trailer under and a 16x16 lean-to off the back for extra storage.

Build as big as you can afford and area allowed, its amazing how quickly a building becomes filled!!!!!!!!!

 

[Brett K]

I built a 10 x 16 with an overhead storage space. I puchased a brand new "mistake order" garage door for $150 and was given two Anderson windows for free. For tax purposes and permit issues, I did not build it on a slab. I built it on piers and framed the floor with pressure treated 4 x 6s and 2 x 6 floor joists run every 12" topped with 3/4" marine grade plywood for the floor. I do wish I would have gone 12 x 16 though.

 

[nate379]

I have to do the same with mine.

I don't know why, but the HOA won't allow another building on the property other than a shed. To them a shed is a building that does not have a slab. In theory, I could built a 30x40 "shed" if it had a dirt or wood floor.

Slab would run me ~$700 in material. I know I will be well over that with PT 2x8s and 3/4" Plywood.

 

[burger]

My advice is to build as big as zoning allows. I am limited to 100 sq-ft. The ready-made kits that I found came in 8x10 or 10x12 sizes, so I went with the 8x10 to comply with code. I manage to fit all of the yard stuff in it, but wish it were a little bigger so it would also fit my kid's bikes & strollers.

 

[1Garageman]

Here is a little info on a shed I completed recently

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44209

I might build one on the side of are house just like yours. When you build a shed do you have to have a concrete floor? I am just curious as to how much that will/does that cost?

 

[jvitez]

Previous house in the city I built as big as I could fit beside the house and fence, keeping the 2 ft clearance required by the city. Drumroll please.......5.5 ft x 14 ft. Yes,weird, but it was better than nothing. A concrete slab meant it was a permanent structure and would have required a building permit, then added to the tax assessment. I built it on compacted gravel, 6x6 beams x 3 and T&G 3/4 in plywood foundation, 2x4 studs 16" OC, 1/2" plywood sheathing, vinyl siding, etc. Yup, overbuilt. But nothing shifted and it looked as good as the house for the 7 years we lived there.

2 story sheds that look better than many houses leave me in awe.

 

[jshillin]

I bought a 10'x12' mini barn over the summer to get some of the yard stuff out of my garage and to store a lot of stuff over the winter. If I wouldn't have picked it up new on craigslist for $900 I would have went a little bigger, but I have a good bit in it. Right now, I have a big 4' wide 3 tier shelf, 4' work bench, 2 sets of 17" wheels/tires, my 42" riding lawn mower, weed eater, 3 kids bicycles, my full size bicycle, a table saw, my big gas grill, patio table, 4 patio chairs, rocking chair, water hose and reel, shovels, rakes, etc, etc, etc. It's pretty full right now because everything is put away for winter, but it works for what I need and still have room for more...

 

[Lippyp]

This is a link to a thread about the shed I built to house my firewood at my holiday home in France, basically a 6' x 9' mini pole barn with a single pitch roof. Can easily be scaled up, a concrete floor laid and a door fitted to make a storage shed. I may well make a bigger one in a couple of years time to house my ride-on etc when I convert the ground floor of the house where they are currently stored. Took me about four or five days to build from scratch largely working on my own.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45766

 

[nonhog]

Interesting how all the codes differ. My area Pierce County in Washington state says 200 s.f. they told me they don't care if I pour a slab because if its
200 or less there NOT coming out.
It use to be 120 with no restrictions as to how many. Now its 1 200 sf .

No second story (of course)

I am waiting for some extra cash (whats new) to start mine so I can rid the garage and shop and yard of many items.

Great thread !

 

[rwhite692]

I might build one on the side of are house just like yours. When you build a shed do you have to have a concrete floor? I am just curious as to how much that will/does that cost?

I don't have any pics of my shed's floor construction handy...but if you look at the pics you can see...my shed is actually sitting on a whole area which is concrete slab; The floor construction is treated lumber (standing on edge) 2x8, framed, on 16" centers with 1 and 1/8 plywood decking; I did not want the floor of the shed to be the existing concrete slab, since in my case it would be very hard to keep water out (this was the problem with the original shed that was there when we bought the house...)

So now the shed floor is a good 10" above the slab. -Rob