subject: Should You Build Your Own Storage Shed? [print this page] There's no question that a storage shed can make your home run a lot smoother. Sometimes having a small shed out back to store bicycles, or to use for potting plants or as a workshop can not only make your back yard much neater, but free up valuable space inside your house and garage. Storage sheds come in all sizes, and only require a level, well-drained site. Adding some landscaping around a storage shed can make it harmonize well with the rest of your lot.
You have several choices for storage sheds. You can get small ones ready made and trucked in, you can build one yourself from scratch, or you can build one from a kit. Building a shed from scratch can save you money if you're an accomplished DIY backyard builder, but if your not, you should carefully consider whether you really want to tackle the job of building a shed from the ground up.
Once you have a set of plans, you'll have to get all the lumber sawn to length for the framing, add siding, walls, roof, floor, and any windows, as well as doors. And you'll have to make sure you don't cut any corners so that you meet your local building codes. It's a big undertaking to build even a small storage shed from the ground up, and you have to have the tools and equipment to do it, or else you risk quitting partway through or hiring someone else to finish it for you, which definitely won't save you any money.
There are plenty of advantages to building your own storage shed from a kit, if you're not experienced in framing, roofing, wiring, and all the skills you need for a complete DIY shed.
For one thing, shed kits come with customer service numbers staffed by people who can help you out if you have trouble with the instructions. Usually, they've heard it all and know how to help. Plus, when building from a kit, if you have a decent tool kit and some basic power tools, you won't have to purchase a lot of specialty tools and / or rent equipment.
Most of today's shed kits for building storage sheds are adaptable, so you can make changes to them to customize them to your needs, perhaps adding an extra set of doors, a window, or special ventilation without causing major delays and headaches. Another advantage of using a kit for the fairly accomplished DIY builder is that you know that the floor plan and engineering are sound, and that the roof and windows meet certain engineering specifications. That means you'll have an easier time meeting your local building codes, and you'll know your shed design takes into account basic structural engineering principles.
Building from a kit is not that much more expensive than building from scratch, particularly when you factor in the cost of buying or renting equipment and tools that you don't own that you would need in order to build from ground up. Building your own shed with the help of a kit is a great way to ensure a custom result that's solid, functional, and that won't require you to give up all your weekends for the foreseeable future.
