How to Make a Storage Shed Yourself - Six Basic Steps

A well designed backyard shed can really improve the look and feel of your home and yard. With a little planning, landscaping, and preparation you can make a shed fast. Here are a few basic guidelines on how to make a shed yourself.

There are a variety of shed plans and designs to choose from so the first thing you will want to do before you start building is to find a design that will enhance the beauty and style of your home and garden. You can pick any kind of shed design but it is important when choosing a design to consider the placement and spacing of the shed. For example, what will be stored in it or is it going to be used for potting purposes, a workshop, storage, or all of the above.

Some sheds will have sinks on the inside with water lines on the outside. They may even have heating and air-conditioning, and they often have electricity for power and lighting. Once you have figured out your dream design, here are six steps on how to make a shed yourself.

Step One: Start with the foundation of the ground; it should be flat, solid, and excavated with at least two to three feet of space around the base of the shed leaving room for landscaping. Make sure the door ways are in open areas for easy access. Typically a shed will be built on cement or a gravel surface. Check to make sure you are not building over a sprinkler system or cable lines. Small sheds can be placed on railroad ties but larger sheds will need a much stronger foundation.

Step Two: The next thing you need to know about how to make a shed is how to build the base. The most common sized shed is a 10 X 12 or 10 X 15 medium-sized shed with double barnyard doors. The base is typically started by using five pre-treated 2 x 4 studs measured to the length of the shed base chosen. These first five studs are laid vertically for the longest span of the shed and a series of 2 X 4 or 2 X 6 studs are laid horizontally on top of the pre-treated studs.

The outside frame will be marked and each horizontal stud will be nailed to the outside frame. The outside frame will then be squared up from corner to corner to make sure it is measured to the precise size. You will then nail each vertical stud to the horizontal studs. You can then put construction wood glue onto the top of the horizontal studs. Now lay down the floor joists on the glued studs and nail it to the horizontal studs forming the base of the shed. You can also use a router to cut off any unnecessary edges around the frame to finish the base of your shed.

Step Three: The next step you need to know about is how to build the walls. The walls will be built with 2 X 4 or 2 X 6 studs. Measure the length of the base, then mark the top and bottom studs spacing them about 18 inches apart. Using the marked studs, nail the vertical studs to the horizontal studs on a flat surface and the walls will then be lifted up and nailed to the base of the shed. The walls should also be squared up both on the floor before they are raised and again after they are raised and nailed to each corner wall.

Step Four: Door frames and window frames should be measured properly and some consideration should go into the study of this process before you start building. A good set of blue prints or shed plans can assist you. When measuring for the windows, make sure to add at least another 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of space for the placement of the windows. The window frames are usually cut out with a router before they are lifted into place. The doors need space for hinges and easy movement to open and shut the doors properly.

Step Five: Now that the walls are raised and in place, we can start building the roof. Depending on the design of the roof, we may need to pre-cut some of the roofing sheets before we add the gables or trusts. You start by measuring the placement and spacing of each trust. You will then lift them into place on top of your walls. You may need to nail a stud across the trusts to keep them stable and aligned. Once you have the trusts nailed in position then you can add wood sheets to form the face of the roof and nail them to the trusts forming the roof.

Step Six: Now that your shed is fully framed you can finish it by adding paint, electricity, shelving, shingles, wood paneling or metal siding, and accessories. If you want to learn how to make a shed fast, it's critical to spend some time planning each process before you start. Most of all get a shed plan and design that you can use to guide you as you build your dream shed.

Information Just like this will help you discover how to make a shed yourself that you'll love, and also how to make storage sheds