How to Build a Shed of Your Dreams

With some smart planning, it is really not too hard to build a shed of your dreams. You will want something large enough to accomodate your lawnmower and garden tools plus have some extra space for some things that just don’t fit in the house. Once you have found a suitable location on your property, you are ready to build your shed.

You will be building a shed out of plywood and lumber, but will also need roofing shingles and some good exterior paint. Don’t forget the screws, nails and other hardware required to hold everything together. You will need some

hardware to attach the roof to the top of your structure and some strong hinges and a handle for your door.

Construction starts by preparing the ground. Make sure it is completely cleared of all grass, weeds and any other vegetation. Make sure it is nice and level. Assuming you don’t want a concrete floor, there is no need to pour a foundation. Mark the four corners where the shed will be placed and dig postholes approximately 2 feet deep. On one side, dig two more postholes aproximately 3 feet apart. Next, sink 4 x 4 posts into each hole and fill with concrete. Make sure they are perfectly vertical and line up correctly. Once the posts have set, you are ready to continue.

Attach crossbeams out of 2 x 4′s every 24 inches high to add strength to the structure. Be sure to leave the space between the two posts that were set 3 feet apart empty. This area will be used for the door. If you are tired, take a little rest and then come back and complete the structure for the roof.

The roof is probably the hardest part of the job. You will need to attach two vertical beams to the center of the two side walls and they shoud extend two and one half feet above the top of the 8 foot walls. Next, build a crossbeam the length of the structure and attach it to the two vertical beams. From here you will need to cut a series of two by 4 lengths that will attach to the center beam and come down at an angle and extencd slightly past the edge of the beams that formed the top sides of the shed. Attach the 2 x 4′s and you should have a roof structure that slopes down in a triangular shape.

Next, you will attach your plywood to the frame you just built. You may have to cut some pieces to size, depending on the size of the shed you are building. If you want to avoid some cutting and make putting up the walls a little easier, try to build your shed in a size that is equally divisible by 4 feet (the width of plywood sheets). Also, make your shed with 8 foot walls, the standard height of plywood. Once the plywood has been attached for the walls and roof, you are about half way through the project. You still need to cut a door out of plywood, give it some reinforcement and hang it in the open space on the one wall.

Putting in a floor is fairly simple. Cut your 2 x 4′s into lengths that fit snugly from side to side (of the longer walls).

Space them every 16 inches apart and attach some heavy plywood (at least 3/4 of an inch) to form the floors. Don’t forget to lay your shingles on the roof. Starting at the top ridge, bend the first row over the center line and then work your way down, overlapping each row so water will not be able to leak under the shingles.

Finally, give the shed a good coat or two of paint and the job is done. If you want, you can get some indoor outdoor carpeting to give the floor a more finished look. Add shelves or other storage ideas to the inside and you are ready to put your shed to good use.