How to Build Your Own Garden Shed
If you’re a prolific gardener, then you undoubtedly have a lot of garden tools. These can include shovels, hoe, rake, spade, and so on. You may even have a rototiller that you need to store. These items can take up valuable space in your garage, so why not build your own garden shed? A garden shed is a handy place to store your tools in. And, you can build your shed close to your garden so your tools are handy when you’re working outside in the garden. You can also place the tools you use in your yard in your own garden shed too!
A small garden shed will measure approximately four feet wide and be eight feet long. You can change the measurements for the shed to fit your needs. No matter if you’re short or tall, you should build your own garden shed at least seven feet tall. That way, you’ll have room to hang
garden and yard tools overhead without hitting your head on them.
You can make your shed any length or width you want so it’s large enough to hold everything.
A strong foundation is the key to build your own garden shed to last a long time. Afterall, the foundation is what holds the majority of the weight of the structure. You can build a strong foundation for your garden shed by using two by six inch, pressure treated boards. I prefer to build with spikes to secure the corners together.
Once you build a strong, rectangular foundation, you’ll need to build it stronger by adding several more two by six, pressure treated boards. You can place these boards from one end of the foundation to the other end. Then, nail them in place with spikes or other large nails.
The floor of your own garden shed will lay on the top of the frame. You can easily build a floor by using sheets of strong, three quarter inch plywood. Or, you can use pressure treated boards instead. To build the floor of your garden shed so it’s strong, you should nail the floor to the frame below every three inches or so. Common nails or wood screws will do the job nicely. I preferred to build with wood screws and my cordless power drill to finish the floor of my garden shed quickly.
You can build the vertical frames of the walls of your garden shed by using two by four wood and nailing them onto the foundation. You’ll need enough two by fours to so they are spaced evenly about a foot apart from each other. To build your own garden shed, you’ll need to measure and cut enough wood to cover all four sides.
You’ll need to decide where you’re going to locate the door and the windows in your own garden shed before you build the wood frames. A three foot doorway in your garden shed should be wide enough.
Then once the vertical frames are in place, you’ll need to top them off with additional two by four wood. These additional pieces will lay horizontally across the top of the frame of your own garden shed.
You’ll also need to measure and cut several two by fours to use as supports in between the wall frames of your garden shed. These pieces will also be nailed into place.
Once you build the frame of your shed, you’ll need to measure and cut some additional two by fours. These wood pieces will reinforce the corners of the frame. The doorway frame needs to be reinforced with double two by fours also. “Double” reinforcement means nailing two of the two by fours together.
Your own garden shed can be covered with metal, vinyl, or cedar siding to match your home if you desire. Or, you simply build it so it’s covered it with additional sheets of plywood. Use nails or wood screws to secure the plywood to the frame.
Once you build the walls of your shed, you’ll need to build the frame of the roof. You can use two by fours for this step too. You can double frame the entire top of your own garden shed if you wish to make it stronger to hold the roof. But, it’s just a suggestion. You shouldn’t have to.
Secure a piece of a two by four across the top of the front wall of your shed. Then, to build the roof, measure and cut additional two by fours that are the length of the roof. These pieces of wood will need to be secured into place so they are located about twelve inches apart. Again, you can use nails or wood screw to secure the wood into place.
Again, you’ll need to measure and cut two by fours to make roof supports to build with. These wood pieces will be nailed in between the longer supports.
Plywood is a relatively inexpensive material to build the roof of your garden shed as well. After the plywood is nailed or screwed into place, top it with roof felt and shingles.
Finally, build or buy a door and windows for your shed and hang them in place. Apply a couple coats of a good quality exterior paint on your own garden shed, or cover it with siding, et cetera, and it’s ready to use.
