How to build your own shed
***CLICK HERE for PART TWO of this “How to build your own custom shed” series!***
This past weekend we started on a project we’ve had on our to-do list for over a year! If you guys have been around for awhile then you already know that we converted our garage into a bedroom for our two oldest sons. If you missed that check out the transformation HERE. In order to convert the garage we had to move everything that was in it to our basement. We’ve been dreaming on a shed for the past year. We looked around at the pre-fab sheds, but couldn’t really get over the price tag. We knew that by building a shed by ourselves we could cut costs and customize it exactly how we wanted it.
Before we could begin building we would need to solidify a game plan when it came to design. Scot drew up a blueprint and we got to work! One thing you’ll want to do prior to building a shed is to lock down a location of where you’d like the shed to go. We knew we wanted a larger shed to house all of our items in (kayaks, lawn mowers, bikes, scooters, dirt bikes), so we chose a spot towards the back of our yard that offered the flattest ground for the base of the shed.
We had our plans and location so now it was time to come up with our material list. This post is going to be part one of the shed series. I’ll add the rest of the series on this post as we complete our do it yourself shed. Don’t feel obligated to use the same materials or drawing we are using. This post is simply to inspire you to tackle a build vs a pre-build shed that has a higher price tag. However if you’re interested or have any additional questions about how we build our shed feel free to reach out via Instagram or email at thisminimalhouse@gmail.com!
Sheds are such a great addition to your backyard. I wanted to briefly touch on a few positives that sheds can add to your home.
They’re great for expanding your storage space.
Even though we’re minimalists, we never restrict outdoor toys. Along with children’s toys we need a space for all of our lawn care equipment along with a space to utilize as a shop. We plan on storing our leftover wood from projects in our shed as well. Speaking of shop space…
It can be used for an array of different things.
If lawn care equipment and toys aren’t your thing, build your own shed to use for things like:
A personal gym
A photography studio
An in-law suite
An air-bnb
So let’s get into it shall we?
Here’s a material list for the first part of our “How to build your own shed on a budget” series.
The build…
Before beginning your shed you’ll want to make sure the ground you’ll be building on is level. We achieved this by marking the corners of the shed. By using mason string and a line level we were able to determine the slope of the ground. Once the slope was determined we knew how many concrete blocks we would need.
As you can see from the photo above we level the skids using the solid concrete blocks. To get the blocks level we had to dig and level the ground below them using a shovel. Once this step was completed we began constructing the floor framing.
We constructed the floor framing using (13) 2x8x12 floor joists resting on top of the 4x4 skids. The joists span ten feet between skids and cantilever one foot. The joists are held upright using (2) 2x8x16 rim joists.
We then secured 23/32 in OSB decking perpendicular to the joists, making sure to stagger the joints. We chose to use tongue and groove decking, but regular flat edge decking would work as well.
Here’s what the shed floor looked like before walls.
Scot constructed the walls in smaller sections in lieu of having to lift one single 16 ft wall section into place by himself. Once walls were in place, squared, and leveled a 2x4 brace was nailed to keep it in place as the other walls went up.
Here’s Scot framing our 5 ft double door frame.
To ensure maximum structural integrity we overlapped the second top plate of each wall and nailed them together.
We decided we wanted two windows on the front of our shed. Once we chose a window we used the rough opening size provided and framed them in.
Here’s Scot wondering how he’s going to lift this 10 foot wall into place.
Below you can find the last wall being put up. This is where we stopped due to weather. The next step is installing the roof.
We will be working on the roof this week, and will be posting a part two to our “How to build your own shed” series! Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out our latest build! Make sure you’re following us along on Instagram and Pinterest, as we will be posting behind the scenes footage of this do it yourself shed!
