How to Build a 10X12 Storage Building

Building a shed for outdoor storage can free up valuable space in your home.

If you're a homeowner with a yard to maintain, you'll quickly find that the tools and supplies needed to do yardwork will take up a lot of space. You probably won't want to store these items in your house, and you might not have room in your garage, so the answer could be to build a shed for outdoor storage. It's fairly easy to build a shed, and the space freed up in your garage can allow you to store other items, or use it as a workspace.

Things You'll Need

• Plans for the shed
• Stakes
• String
• Tape measure
• Mini-excavator
• 2" x 4" boards
• Vapor barrier
• Sand or gravel
• Rebar or wire mesh
• Concrete mixer
• Concrete mix
• Water
• Pressure-treated 2" x 4" boards
• Masonry screws
• Nail gun
• Nails
• Level
• Prefabricated roof trusses
• Plywood sheathing
• Reciprocating saw
• Brick, siding, or shingles
• 30-pound roofing felt
• Shingles
• Doors
• Windows

Instructions

Preparation

1. Go to your local zoning board and acquiring any permits you need to build the shed. Also find out the building codes that you'll need to follow.

2. Design your shed. You could do it yourself with a pencil and paper, or buy plans from a site like Shedplans.com.

3. Decide which parts of the shed you'll build yourself, and which you'll have a contractor do. Again, check with your local zoning board to see if they require you to hire a contractor for certain tasks.

Foundation

1. Mark off the area where the shed will be by driving stakes into the ground around the perimeter and tying string to them.

2. Excavate the ground where the shed will be, making sure that you go deep enough that you're below the frost line (your zoning board can tell you how deep this is as it varies by area). You could do this by hand, but you might want to rent a 1.5 ton mini-excavator.

3. Frame out the foundation. For a 10-foot by 12-foot building, frame out at a space at least 11 feet by 13 feet. To do this, drive stakes into the ground around the perimeter of where the foundation will be every three feet, then nail two 2 by 4 boards to the stakes. This frame will help hold the concrete in place as it cures.

4. Cover the area inside the framed out area with a vapor barrier. This is a plastic material that prevents moisture from seeping up and damaging the foundation.

5. Add a layer of sand or gravel on top of the vapor barrier. Ask your zoning board for requirements regarding the type of material used and how deep that layer needs to be.

6. Place rebar or wire mesh (again, follow the zoning board's requirements) over the sand or gravel.

7. Mix the concrete inside a concrete mixer following the instructions on the packaging, then pour it out inside the frame. For a job this size, rent a concrete mixer.

8. Allow the concrete to cure for at least four days.

Building the Walls and Roof

1. Attach the sill plates to the concrete foundation with masonry screws. The sill plates are pieces of pressure-treated lumber that attach the walls to the foundation. For a job this small, 2 inch x 4 inch boards will work.

2. Cut the boards that will be the sill plates so that you have a frame that measures 10 feet by 12 feet.

3. Mark spots on the concrete where the sill plates will be anchored in, and drill pilot holes in the concrete. Follow local zoning regulations regarding the spacing of the masonry screws.

4. Drill holes into the sill plates to match the pilot holes in the concrete, and secure the sill plates to the concrete with masonry screws.

5. Build the walls by framing them out on the ground, then lift the entire wall into place (you'll need some help to do this). To frame them, lay a 2 x 4 on edge to act as the bottom plate, and nail another 2 x 4, which will be the end stud, into it (the two boards nailed together will form an L-shape). Nail the other studs into the bottom plate following local regulations regarding the spacing between the studs, as well as how you'll need to frame the doors and windows.

6. Put the frame of the wall into place on top of the sill plate. Make sure that it's level (horizontally straight) and plumb (vertically straight), and nail it into the sill plate.

7. Repeat this process until all of the walls are up.

8. Order prefabricated trusses to provide the frame for the roof, making sure that they fit your local building codes. Nail them into place on top of the walls.

9. Cover the walls (except the one where the door is) and roof with plywood sheathing, staggering the boards to make the walls stronger. When staggering the boards, each new row of boards should be off-center from the previous row, similar to how bricks are laid.

10. Cut holes in the sheathing where the windows will go (if you have them) with a reciprocating saw. Be sure to wear safety goggles when using the saw.

11. While you're standing inside the shed, have one of your friends cover the front of the shed with sheathing, then use the reciprocating saw to cut the sheathing off of the doorway. Again, use safety goggles, and make sure that the area around the doorway is clear so that you don't cut anybody.

12. Add the exterior finish to the walls of the shed. This can be brick, siding, or shingles.

13. Apply 30-pound roofing felt to the roof, flattening out the felt and overlapping the ends to prevent leaks. Install shingles on top of the roofing felt.

14. Install the doors and windows.

Tips & Warnings

• Always check local zoning regulations before building. They will tell you what the construction requirements are for the task that you're doing, and they can vary in different states and cities. Failure to follow building codes can lead to fines, and you might even be forced to tear your structure down.

References

• Fine Homebuilding: How to Build a Shed
• Pine Harbor Wood Products: How to Build a Shed
• Ask the Builder: How to Build a Shed

Resources

• shedplans.com