How To” Top 10 List - Building Perfect Wooden Sheds

1. How To Determine Your Shed’s Best Location

Take special care regarding the placement of your wooden sheds. You should have plenty of room so the door will swing open freely and you’ll need the space to build it. Try not to locate your shed where it will look like it was dropped into place, but more so it blends into its surroundings. Where you locate your shed will be determined by how you will use it. As an example, if you are using it as a pool cabana where you keep your pool equipment and chemicals, then the wooden shed should be located near the pool. Remember that your shed’s roof can get messy with bird droppings if you locate it directly under a tree.

2. How To Chose Plans

A good set of plans should have it all. Your plans should contain plenty of photos of the wooden shed in the progress of being built. It should also have step-by-step instructions. Another helpful item is to have exploded diagrams along with a detailed materials list to make the trip to the supply store much easier.

3. How To Decide if You Should Buy a Shed Kit

Cost, time and skill level are the three main factors that help you determine if you should purchase a wooden shed kit. It should take approximately one weekend to build your wooden shed once it arrives. Your skill level of using tools is one you should be honest and comfortable with. Another consideration you will have is how much this will cost. Wooden shed kits tend to cost more but the time you will save is the big payoff.

4. How To Choose The Right Kind of Shed

Wooden sheds come in four basic styles. A lean-to usually shares one wall with an existing structure and is perfect for storing a small amount of items. Saltbox sheds allow more headroom towards the front of the shed. Gable sheds have a roof with two equal sides and are popular because of their simplicity. And, Gambrel sheds have roofs with two pitches to look like a barn. Because of the extra pitch, there is more room in this shed than the other types.

5. How To Choose The Right Materials for Building

Cedar contains oil that insects hate and it also resists rotting. This alone makes it the best material for making wooden sheds. But it also has an unmistakable beauty and aroma.

6. How To Properly Prep The Site

Start by removing any debris, including large rocks and plants or grass. You will want to make the site flat but slightly sloped from where the front of the shed will go to where the back will go. This will result in the best drainage for water and keep puddles from forming at the front of the shed.

7. How To Stake Out Your Site

First, determine where the first corner will be located and hammer in a temporary stake. Then, take a second stake and drive it just past the first stake but in line with one of the wall you are marking. Measure from the first corner to where the second corner will be and drive a stake just past that. Now, between these two stakes, run a piece of string. Do the same thing to stake out the next wall. To make this wall 90 from the first one, measure out from the corner point where the strings cross. Measure four feet (units) up on one side, and three on the other. Now, from these two points, the measurement should be five feet (units). Make any necessary adjustments until it measures exactly five feet. To finish, continue around the remaining sides in the same fashion.

8. How To Make The Walls Square

When you have one of your walls or floor completely framed, measure the distance of the opposing corners (bottom left to top right, then bottom right to top left). The wall is square if the measurements are the same length. Make small adjustments if they aren’t by pushing in (or squeezing) on one of the corners with the longer measurement.

9. How To Make The Most of All The Small Spaces

Perhaps the spaces in wooden sheds that get overlooked the most are the spaces between the studs. Add shelves made of 1×4 or 2×4 boards. They can be made adjustable by installing slotted metal tracks that accept shelving clips. They can be found at most building material stores.

10. How To Make Your Shed Last A Lifetime

If your shed is made from the right materials and you take care of it properly, it is sure to last a long time. Use a high quality water sealant on all exposed wood and try to keep the roof clear of debris. It will make all the difference if your shed is made out of hardwood such as redwood or cedar.

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