DIY: Yard Sheds
Sheds come in all sizes, shapes and styles. You can buy kits for metal, vinyl or wood sheds or you can make your own, to your own design. The type of shed will depend on its use. A shed to store a lawn tractor and other big machines will be far different from a simple potting shed for garden tools and supplies. A basic yard shed, 8 by 10 feet, will house lawnmowers, bicycles and other basic household equipment in a fairly small space, without taking up a lot of lawn. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Rake
- Stakes
- Builder's twine
- Tape measure
- Concrete pavers
- Level
- 2-by-4-inch pressure-treated lumber
- Hammer
- Framing nails
- 2-by-4-inch framing lumber
- Circular saw
- Joist hangers (optional)
- 3/4-inch plywood
- 2-by-6-inch header board
- Reciprocal saw
- Exterior grade plywood
- 1-by-2-inch batten boards
- Corrugated metal roofing, aluminum or galvanized steel
- Screw gun
- Aluminum or galvanized steel screws with plastic caps
- 1-by-4-inch trim boards
- Pre-hung door
Instructions
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1
Clear the area with a rake and outline the shed site with stakes and builder's twine. Use a tape measure to check diagonal, or corner to corner, distances and adjust stakes until these measurements are identical. Lay three rows of concrete pavers at each corner, in the middle of each wall and in the center of the area. Put a board across them with a level on it and adjust the dirt under the pavers until the tops are level all the way around.
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2
Build a platform floor with 2-by-4-inch pressure-treated lumber. Make a frame with end boards 8 feet long and side bands cut 9 feet 9 inches with a circular saw, to allow for the end boards. Nail corners together with a hammer and framing nails and use diagonal measurements to square it. Cut four 2-by-4s 7 feet 9 inches long for floor joists across the shed. Nail those 24 inches apart along the side bands or fasten them with u-shaped metal hangers nailed to the inside of the bands, with the rafters set inside and then nailed in place. Cover the floor with 3/4-inch plywood fastened with the top grain running lengthwise, across the joists.
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3
Make four walls with 2-by-4-inch framing lumber. Build side walls with top and bottom plates 7 feet 9 inches long and studs spaced 16 inches apart. Make a back wall with 8-foot top and bottom plates and studs. Build an 8-foot front wall, but frame a door opening with a 2-by-6-inch header board at the top of the door space. Secure the header with full studs on the side and shorter studs next to them from the bottom of the header to the wall bottom plate. Finish that wall with short studs between the header and top plate and studs to fill the end gaps. Cut the bottom plate out at the door opening with a reciprocating saw.
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4
Erect the walls and nail them in place through the bottom plates into the side bands and joists. Use a level to set them plumb. Nail corner studs together and add wall caps, 2-by-4s nailed over the top plates to tie the walls together. Make side wall caps 10 feet long, end wall caps 7 feet 5 inches to allow for the side caps. Add a second cap board, 8 feet long, atop the front wall, to provide a slope to the shed roof.
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5
Cover the walls with exterior grade plywood. Use two 4-by-8-foot panels for the back wall, two full panels and one lengthwise half-panel on the side walls; put the half-panel in the center of the wall. Cut panels to fit the front wall around the door opening. Nail 1-by-2-inch batten boards over all the vertical plywood seams.
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6
Make five 2-by-4 rafters to go from the front wall to the back. Mark a slight angle on the top end of each rafter with a framing square with the 1-inch mark on the thin edge and the 12-inch mark on the wide blade aligned on top of a board. Nail rafters into the wall caps on each end. Use toenailing, driving nails at an angle through the rafter into the cap board.
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7
Use corrugated aluminum or galvanized steel panels for the roof; four, 26-inch panels which overlap to actually cover 24 inches, should fit exactly. Get 12-foot panels to allow for a foot of overhang on each end. Install panels starting at one side on the back. Fasten panels with a screw gun using galvanized steel or aluminum screws with plastic washer caps. Place screws in the corrugated valleys, into rafters, about 24 inches apart.
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8
Finish the shed with 1-by-4-inch trim boards at the tops of all walls to cover any gaps above the siding. Install a pre-hung door in the door opening. Set the door and frame in place, level and square it using tapered wood shims and screw its frame into the rough opening with long screws. Trim the door with 1-by-4s.
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