Kieran Gracie is a professional engineer and DIY enthusiast. His website, buildthingsdirect.com,provides many ideas and interesting projects for beginners and experienced do-it-yourself people alike.
These straightforward tips will help you build a storage shed from scratch and remember, you do not need to be a professional or an expert to build a practical and good-looking shed. However, you must use high-quality storage shed plans or you will most likely end up wasting lots of time and materials to make an unsatisfactory shed.
First, carefully choose the site where you will build your storage shed. For instance, if it will store your ride-on mower, there should be easy access between the shed and the lawn. The size of the storage shed is very important, and it is wise to choose the next size up – you will inevitably find things that you want to store in the shed after it has been built, and that were overlooked when you chose your shed plans!
Now you need to list the larger things to be stored in the shed, and plan a space for them. For instance, will you need an oversize door to get that tractor in? Will you need lots of shelves? Will you want a window or windows, remembering that many things such as paint are best kept in the dark? If you think that a small 6 x 6 ft storage shed will be enough, go for the next size up. You will congratulate yourself later.
When you buy your storage shed plans you will get many options for the shape, size and materials. Apex, pent or Dutch style roof? Wooden, metal or plastic construction? It is very easy to adapt your storage shed to to meet all your requirements, and good-quality plans should also provide a comprehensive list of tools and materials needed for putting the shed together.
In deciding how to build a storage shed you could choose to construct it from metal or plastic, but wood is the preferred option for most sheds because it is a renewable resource, it is easy to use and it blends in well on any site. It should be treated with chemical preserving agents or, better still, be pressure-treated during final manufacture.
Your final decision is the type of foundation or base you require. Your shed plans will probably recommend a wooden floor depending on the shed size, and this will be satisfactory for light use. However wooden floors are not suitable for storing heavy machinery, oil products or corrosive liquids. A concrete foundation is the best solution. It needs to be at least 4 inches deep and 2 or 3 inches wider than the shed footprint. This will cost a bit more (perhaps $200 more than the wooden alternative, depending on the size) but will last for many years, be immensely hard-wearing and never need any maintenance.
From our experience we have a ton of ideas and advice for building a storage shed from the ground up, and we invite you to visit our website to find out more.
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