building my first shed

mike_2006_2006

17 years ago

hi. i am going to build a new shed with the old one falling down.

Home Depot will set me up with materials for any dimension that i want so i thought 10 x 12 was good enough even though 8 x 12 is the cut of wood, think i need that extra two feet. anyway, a lot of the plans online for sale don't have that dimension. i'm not a carpenter so i thought i'd ask the experts first off.

mike

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Comments (10)

baymee
17 years ago
Your best bet is to tell the Despot that you want a 10X12 shed and let them do the figuring.
montesa_vr
17 years ago
Think twice about buying a kit. Some stores have shed kits that are "preframed". That means they have cut the framing pieces and connected them with metal truss webbing, then folded the pieces in half to get them on the truck. I bought one of those kits thinking it would be easier than framing the shed myself. It ended up being more difficult, because even following the directions very closely, it's very difficult to get the results square the first time. Mine came out with a big sag in the ridgeline, and it took a lot of headscratching and some trial and error to pull it apart and put it back together again. After all the rework it came out really nice, but if I had it to do over again I would frame it myself.

Most of those stores have shed plans with parts lists; that might be a direction to go for a first timer. It saves you having to sift through a pile of lumber and try to guess what you're supposed to use for what.
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canguy
17 years ago
You will find that even the 10x12 will be too small. Trust me LOL
earthworm
17 years ago
You will find that even the 10x12 will be too small. Trust me LOL

Mine is 12 by 24, the compost is outdoors, the "trash" cans outdoors.. no greenhouse......

Even 12 by 24 is too small !
Design an easily expandable shed..
Try a 15 by 30 slab as a starter..
waterbird
17 years ago
I built a 12x12 back in 1990 for around $400 and it has served me well,I built a high pitch roof with a half loft
so I can store lumber,christmas decorations,off season tools
etc,and have plenty of room for two work benches,a desk
and I even installed a/c ....all my power tools and mechanic
tools are neatly organized,and my riding mower is kept there
although I push it out when I need to work in there..plenty of room for most any project.....
woodywoodchuck
17 years ago
I am going to echo with the it will be too small gang. Having been a carpenter in my first life, I saw it happen all too often. People choose a convenient package size and plan their floor plan around that, not good. If this is for more than storage, plan for the room you will need not the room they will sell you. Since this is replacing a shed you already used, use that as a starting point for room needed.

Start with a blank piece of graph paper and no specific dimensions in mind. Make each larger square (usually one inch apiece) one foot. Measure some of the tools you have that need to go into it, mower, tractor, tiller, garbage can and all. Plan the entry door and Âgarage doorÂ for the tractor. Now, put in a workbench, if you need one, shelving, hanging room for implements etc. Leave plenty of room around things also! 2Â for between the wall and the tractor for instance, 1Â shelves with 3Â between them and anything elseÂ Nothing more inconvenient than a crowded shed! You can also plan for expansion or add shed roofs on the sides for extra out of the rain storage of items.

My father planned a shed, for the lake house and his idea was something like 10 x 14. Knowing all of what he planned to put in it and use it for I drew up a 14 x 24 plan. He kept fighting me that it would be huge, look ugly and be too large. Well, I built it and he could not have been happier. A little design magic and a dark stain that blended into the background made it invisible to most. Even the 6Â overhanging porch is used for temporary storage. So, be careful and plan what you will be using it for rather than settling for something.
99solara
17 years ago
Go bigger. my 12 by 16 gets smaller every day.
bas157
17 years ago
I'll say go as big as you can also. I'm planning on 12x20 as that is the largest I can go unless I want to go through the zoning board, and then I couldn't put it where I'd want as it would require a larger setback from property line.
baymee
17 years ago
I've always mused that if I had a million sq. ft. warehouse, I'd probably collect tractor trailers. There is never enough room.
tkendr01
17 years ago
Excellent counsel - build as large as you can afford and will fit; definitely build a loft; don't buy a puzzle. Here are more:
- Consider a gambrel roof style for additional headroom
- electric power: allow for it even if you don't install at first
- ventilation, insulation, illumination
- elevation - how to keep it dry
- construction: what to learn on and what to hire out

building my first shed

Comments (10)

baymee

montesa_vr

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