I Can Build You a Shed That's
Bigger, Better, and CHEAPER, Too!
Get a cup of coffee or a can of beer and spend some time here. You will learn some tricks.
Even if you buy your shed somewhere else, at least it will be harder for them to cheat you.
COMMON MISTAKES!
Don't EVER buy a shed that makes these mistakes.
Remember, once you buy it, you gotta live with it!
In fact, when you try to sell your house, a stupid shed could scare away perfectly good house-buying prospects.
Small Barn Style
- You can't put shelves up against the side walls!
- You can't put anything up against the front wall, either!
- There's no room for an overhead loft, either!
This shed won't hold much, and it provides so little organization that you can't even fill up what space you have.
If you're going to get a shed, you might as well get one that you can use.
Too Froo-Froo
Windows? Every window is a place where you can't put shelves. Plus they're expensive. And you don't need the light! Remember, when you're in there getting something, the door will be open.
This one also has flower boxes. And shutters! And a STEEPLE???
This one is almost a playhouse. You don't want an eyesore, but you don't need to pay for gingerbread, either.
You should think more about the INSIDE!
Too Short
Those wall panels come in 8-foot lengths. Why would anyone cut them to 6 feet? Less space for you, more work for me, and more disposal, too.
They actually call this one 8 feet high, because the peak of the roof is that high.
But the door is 6 feet, and the side wall panels are 6 feet. It's only 8 feet in the exact center. You can't really use those 8 feet.
Too Deep
This shed has a double door on the right end.
Look how deep it is! You will never be able to get at your deepest stuff.
They solved this problem with a second door at the left end!
It's simpler and cheaper to solve this problem with a better layout in the first place. Why not put ONE door in the middle?
Instead of one of those flower boxes!
Steel Shed Kits
These can be cheap. This steel shed sells at Sears for $399.
But it has no floor. Add $129 for the floor frame kit, plus your own plywood.
A level platform, made of pressure treated wood is better than a floor kit. If your ground is not table-top flat, a platform makes your shed easier to build, because its pre-drilled holes will line up nicely.
If you add about $300 for the platform, and about $300 for the shed assembly, your $400 shed actually costs about $1,000.
This is still cheaper than a wooden shed, but steel does rust, and the space is not as useable (no head room, no loft shelves, etc.)
Necessary Options
Many companies draw you in with a low price, but then add options. But you really need these options! They aren't really options at all. Isn't this the same as "bait-and-switch"?
Vents - Only the "Too Froo-Froo" example above has them. Look at the side wall, up near the roof peak. But vents are NOT Froo-Froo! You NEED them! Without a vent, moisture builds up inside. Metal things will rust. Everything else will rot. Don't pick up any wet cardboard boxes! A shed keeps the rain out, but why bother if moisture grows inside?
Pressure Treated Floors - And the framework underneath, too. How can ANYBODY build a shed that's doomed to rot? And how do you replace a rotted framework and floor?
NO FLOOR AT ALL? - OK. Maybe if you have a concrete slab from an older shed. But for everybody else, THIS IS NUTS! Do you plan to put these sidewalls (which are NOT pressure treated) directly on the ground? How will you keep the bugs out? And the RODENTS?
Other Mistakes
Too Big - Ross Township (check with your own township) has a maximum shed size of 100 Sq Ft. More than that and you need a building permit, which brings inspections and higher taxes. At 100 Sq Ft or less, all they want is an occupancy permit, and all they care about is how close you are to your neighbor. Some sheds are 10x12, which is 120 square feet, which crosses that line.
Unfinished Pine - Sometimes it's just the trim or the door. You have to prime bare wood before you paint it. You'll get right on that, right?
Now you are safe from making any of those common mistakes.
My shed doesn't make them either!
My Shed Is BIGGER, BETTER, and CHEAPER, Too!
MY SHED IS BIGGER!
It's TALL! Full 8-foot wall panels, not cut to 6 feet. Not 8 feet only at the peak.
8x12 floor, three full sheets of plywood, almost as big as the law allows (without a building permit, that is).
And you can use ALL of the space you get. No windows or deep corners.
Your friends' first words will be, "It's So TALL!"
Yes, it's plain. But it's huge, and practical, and better organized, and CHEAPER, Too!
Shed Sizes and Shapes
There is no zoning limit on height. If you could have a shed that's 8 feet high or one that's only 6 feet high, you might as well take the 8-foot one.
Our standard size is 8 ft by 12 ft, which is 96 Sq Ft. The floor consists of three full 4x8 sheets of plywood.
Another common size is 8x8. There are only two sheets for the floor, saving one sheet. You save 2 sheets of wall panel, and some roof, too. But that meager savings isn't worth giving up a third of your space.
A third common shed size is 10 x 10, which is 100 Sq Ft . Now, 100 is a little bigger than 96, but 8 x 12 is better for two reasons:
- The 8 x 12 shed is more useable. You are never more than 4 feet away from
the farthest reaches. As you step into the shed, and stand on the middle
sheet of plywood, you are only 4 feet away from the far wall. Take one step
to the left or right, and you are only 4 feet from the end
wall.
A 10x10 shed's corners are farther away, and you will not be able to get to the things you put in first. If you CAN get to the corners, you must have a TON of unused space in the middle of the floor.
- The 8 x 12 shed uses the materials more efficiently. Three full sheets form the floor, with no cutting. 10 x 10 shed uses three sheets, with one of them cut in half, plus 4 more square feet from a fourth sheet. It uses an extra sheet on the walls, too, and the roof is also bigger. More materials, more labor, for only 4 more square feet. That you can't use.
And of course, there are many sheds that are bigger than 100 square feet. But you won't make that mistake, will you?
MY SHED IS BETTER!
Pressure Treated Wood
The plywood floor, and the framework underneath it, are all made from pressure treated wood, which resists moisture and insects.
Some companies offer this as an extra, but I think it's irresponsible to make a shed without it.
And NONE of our wood even touches the ground! The framework rests on cement paver stones.
We also use 12-inch spacing between the joists. Sixteen-inch spacing is standard, but 12-inch spacing uses only THREE more joists, which cost less than $3 each. You could drive a lawn tractor onto this floor.
More Useable Storage
You get TWO loft shelves. These are almost a full 4x8 sheet, except for a few inches taken by the wall studs. I have seen sheds with a shelf big enough for a row of paint cans.
Imagine putting your lawn mower inside a shed with no loft shelf. Nothing can go above the lawn mower. All that space above the lawn mower is wasted!
These shelves are big enough to put your lawn mower underneath. Then you can store two rows of boxes or some extra furniture above.
I can put these two lofts at any height you want, or you can put one on either side of the shed.
Reclaim Lost Space
Pegboard on the doors! Hang light stuff here, like your leaf blower and weed wacker.
A shelf above the door! Some sheds don't do this because there IS no space above the door.
Hang stuff from the ceiling! Most ceilings are too low for this.
Extras
Deck Step. Better than a ramp for most people. Tip your lawn mower up and walk it in. $50.
Ramp. Approx 5 feet long. $100.
Key lock. A hasp lock is standard, where you can hang your own padlock. A key lock is $25 extra.
