How to Build a Timber Frame Wood Shed

Here's the dilemma you're going to discover the minute you build your wood shed: everybody wants to store their stuff in your hideaway. At first, family members will be subtle and pretend they have no intention of hogging your space. Then, one day, you notice a bicycle tucked between your lawnmower and hedger. Next, gardening tools and a few rakes mysteriously appear deep within the recesses of the shed. Live in a northern climate? Winter will be a particularly tempting season for folks like cousins and neighbors in need of a little under-roof space. What's a shed builder to do in such situations? Make the tough choice: put a lock on the door or build a shed that's large enough to make everybody happy!

Things You'll Need

• 2 x 4 lumber -- enough to complete the shed to your size specifications
• Nails and screws
• String and stakes
• Electric saw
• Carpentry tools
• Door with hardware or enough lumber to build a door
• Secure lock
• Concrete blocks (optional)

Instructions

1. Decide whether an attached shed or one that is freestanding is the right style for your needs and exterior yard parameters. The second option works particularly well if you have concrete slab that's unoccupied, but you can build a stand-alone without a slab if the area isn't subject to water intrusion by using cement blocks for a foundation.

2. Determine the size of the shed by measuring the area you've selected for installation, then do the math required to ascertain width and height dimensions. Your shed size must take into consideration the largest items you'll be storing there, so work backward from the tractor or lawnmower when you start your calculations.

3. Sketch out the shed and calculate the amount of lumber you will need to accomplish the project. Figure into your equation three walls if the shed abuts the house and four if the unit is to be freestanding. Calculate the amount of lumber you will need for the roof and factor in materials to make a door if you don't plan to hang one that's pre-made. Bring your specs to the lumberyard when you retrieve your supplies. It never hurts to get another opinion on the math.

4. Use string and stakes to lay out the parameters of the shed floor. If you are making a freestanding shed and there is no slab, use concrete blocks as a base. Build out the floor with 2 by 4 lengths of lumber and nails, and then cover the surface with plywood.

5. Frame up four walls to spec and add braces at the corners to reinforce the wall frames. You may choose to attach the wall frames directly to the exterior wall of the house or you can frame up the sides and front of the lean-to on the ground before lifting them into place and anchoring them. Secure the frames to the shed floor.

6. Determine where the door will be installed. Frame up the door area. Either build a door with 2 by 4s to fit the opening or install a ready-made door with hinges and hardware.

7. Nail 2 by 4 planks of lumber vertically or horizontally to the wall frames, completely enclosing the shed. Hang a plumb line to make certain all of the corners are square.

8. Construct rafters. If you want a flat roof, mount a series of 2 by 4s across the tops of the wall frames, then cover the roof area with plywood. If you prefer a pitched roof, join together boards to create L-shaped rafters and bolt the rafters to the wall frames before installing plywood. Nail shingles to either style roof to keep the shed's interior dry.

9. Retrofit the interior of the shed with shelving, large utility hooks and other racking systems to efficiently stow contents and maximize interior room.

10. Finish off the project by sanding, priming and painting the structure with several coats of waterproof outdoor paint.

Tips & Warnings

• It's never a good idea to store combustibles in a wood structure, but if you do, keep the structure locked at all times. If you plan to use the shed for all-purpose family storage, never store combustibles there or anywhere children may gain access to the contents for both safety and liability reasons.