Shed Plans

[bowanna03]

I am thinking about tackling a shed this upcoming summer. Anyoen have some good plans for an affordable nice shed? I want enough room to store the atv.riding mower and all of the tools that are taking up my garage space. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[RobSmith]

buy a small shipping container

 

[MAYOR28]

I designed and built my own shed last May. Got all of the yard work junk out of the garage to free up space.

A few tips I would have:

I hand cut roof rafters out of 2x8 so that I would have what looked like a 2x4 overhanging for the soffits - I would never do this again.

I used crushed concrete for the inside of the shed that I tamped down with a plate compactor that I rented - I would do this again

I made the pitch of the roof something like 8/12, it is terribly steep to work on - I will not shingle a roof again.

I made doors out of a single sheet of plywood with trim on the outside, the plywood should ensure that the door never sags, but unfortunately it did warp outwards. This spring I plan on adding some sort of bracing to the inside of each door to bring that back in plane.

I also bought two windows from a Habitat for Humanity store, one was a true window and one is a single pane from a double hung window - these turned out to work awesome. I have ample light in the shed and the windows were a total of $20.

 

[MAYOR28]

I may have a bunch of bookmarks still for design ideas, I can look when I get home if you are interested.

 

[RPH]

Check these out, you may have to poke around them.
http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/extension/extpubs/planlist97.htm#Roof Framing and Truss Plans

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_o...atures/Extension/Building_Plans/agricultural/

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mwps_dis/mwps_web/ut_plans.html

 

[tolken4]

Shoot me an IM.

 

[kbs2244]

Your local big box home improvment store will have a book stand with two or three books of shed plans.

 

[Car Collector Chronicles]

Designed/built my own. It has windows. Like another poster here, I highly recommend them. Makes a world of difference. Mine has a sliding door. Recommend that also. No warp, alignment, etc. probs.

Best feature of my shed is the gambrel roof, which provides an loft for extra storage. I highly recommend this feature!

 

[bowanna03]

I am intersted MAYOR if you could look.

 

[964haus]

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=163328

Here's mine - I started by reading through posts on sheds here on GJ. I then briefly scanned through some small construction books at HD, but after that it was really an exercise in figuring out what would fit on my site, what "look" i was after, how I wanted it to fit in with the yard, etc. I settled on an overall size, then went through and added details as needed.

All done using SketchUp first.

I then was able to look at the lumber needs, etc for ordering. While it varied slightly upon construction, it was a good reference for checking back to the original intent. I wanted lots of light and enough space for my motorbike. It's done both.

I'd suggest choosing things like:
- roof pitch (look at your main house for reference)
- door locations
- window placement (where can people see in? where is the sunlight coming from?)
- purpose (i.e. storage, workshop, clean room, ?)
- exterior materials (again, look at your main house as inspiration, ideas)
- constructability (what can you build yourself? how should you adjust your design so you CAN build it yourself)

From there, sketch something up, learn the basics of framing/roofing/etc, then get at it.

It's a fun project.

Matthew.

 

[46Nash]

I too plan to build my own shed to match the house, but probably not until next year. I'm going to do a 12/12 roof pitch so that should be fun.

 

[kazlx]

Mine is 9x14 to avoid permit requirements. You could easily make it bigger. I framed/built it just like a mini house.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173900&showall=1

 

[68rustang]

My recommendation is to hire somebody else to build it

I hired somebody from Alpine Structures (Amish) to build my 10'x14'. It was only a couple hundred (seriously, $200 if that) more than I would've spent on materials and it was built in 3 hours! It was also much nicer than the rinky dink things you see at HD and Lowes.

 

[crazytrain]

Designed/built my own. It has windows. Like another poster here, I highly recommend them. Makes a world of difference. Mine has a sliding door. Recommend that also. No warp, alignment, etc. probs.

Best feature of my shed is the gambrel roof, which provides an loft for extra storage. I highly recommend this feature!

+1 on the gambrel roof and loft, Helps store lots more junk out of the way and adds extra room which YOU WILL NEED!!! Think of a size shed that you think you need and then double it, You will fill it and won't be disappointed.

I bought my shed used and fixed it up and have less money invested then if I built it myself or bought a new one. My only regret is not buying a bigger shed, hence my advise on doubling the size if possible.

12x14

my loft space before last summers clean up.

 

[codyjb1000]

Like many things, you get what you pay for...You can lots of free shed plans online but many of them are incomplete or contain errors.

I've found a few good sites they sell storage shed plans at a reasonable price....

icreatables.com
just-sheds.com
ShedPlans.us

Good luck with your search!

 

[Eslader]

My recommendation is to hire somebody else to build it

I hired somebody from Alpine Structures (Amish) to build my 10'x14'. It was only a couple hundred (seriously, $200 if that) more than I would've spent on materials and it was built in 3 hours! It was also much nicer than the rinky dink things you see at HD and Lowes.

Especially when you find out that the "complete sheds" at HD and Lowes do not include shingles.

I've got one being built next week for about $500 more than the same sized plain one at Lowes, but with a custom interior (dividing wall between a studio and the storage area with an extension loft over the studio), and 2 separate doors. And shingles are included, and the warranty is twice as long. Seemed like a no-brainer to me.

 

[BrianMcCallister]

Building a garage is similar in many ways to building a shed. Aside from the excavation and foundation work, which is best left to specialist contractors, if you are a handy do-it-yourself you should be able to complete most of the work involved in this major project and so add to the resale value of your home. Before you begin work, call local authorities to identify utility lines near your building site.

 

[Nowater]

I built a 10 by 14 (the largest without a permit in my area at the time). I suggest putting the door for the mower in the long direction-it just make storage easier.

 

[jd_1138]

I built a workbench and a lot of shelving in my shed -- attached to the 2x4's of the shed. It really gets a lot of the stuff off the ground and organized. I even installed a small HF vise on the workbench. I installed a piece of pegboard to hang up weedwhacker line, scissors, basic hand tools that I'd use a lot, etc..

 

[codyjb1000]

If you are still looking for a different shed plans, I'd add one more website. DIY-Plans. I built this Gambrel shed a few months ago using their plan it worked out great.

 

[MushCreek]

For gambrel roof buildings, check out barnplans.com for ideas and plans.