worth it building a shed instead of buying??

Gnfanatic

Guys, in the near future I am going to need a real shed (at least 10x10) . I checked out lowes and HD for ideas and the min cost is roughly $900. The reviews are somewhat favorable but alot of complaints about "thin" metal and plastic. So, is it worth it building your own with 2x4's,concrete slab and such?? Or will get much more exp?? I am using only for lawn equipment and tools.

thanks

oh'mike

Expect to spend a little over $1000 for a shed that size with a concrete slab---

Materials only,with you mixing concrete. You will end up with a much better shed--much much better.

Some areas require permits for a shed--check that out first--a neighbor had to move his shed

three inches--he wishes he had a permit first.---Mike--

Gnfanatic

Sheesh. the town does not mention anything about floor material.

“ALL SHEDS MUST COMPLY WITH ZONING”
ALL SHEDS OVER 50 SQ.FT.
REQUIRE
A BUILDING PERMIT
Wood sheds over 50 sq.ft. will be assessed
All accessory buildings over 144 sq.ft. will be assessed
NO ACCESSORY SHED/ACCESSORY STRUCTURE MAY BE LOCATED IN THE
REQUIRED FRONT OR SIDE YARDS
Sheds over 240 sq.ft. and/or 8 feet or more in height must comply with accessory structure
setbacks from lot lines (located in your required rear yard)
Districts Distance
RM-7 4 ft
R-10 6 ft
R-15 8 ft
R-21 8 ft
R-43 10 ft
One shed/accessory building, when located in the required rear yard,
may be 3 feet from the property lines if less than 240 sq.ft. and less than 8 ft. in height
(one shed only)
SHEDS & ACCESSORY BUILDINGS
ACCESSORY USE, STRUCTURE OR BUILDING
A subordinate use, structure or building customarily incidental to and located on
the same lot occupied by the main use or building or on a contiguous lot in the same ownership.
The term "accessory building" may include a private garage and/or private greenhouse

Gnfanatic

Thanks Mike. looks like a 10x14 will suit me nice. Wondering If I should buy one of those plans online for it. I have a bunch of hardiplank siding I am going to use

Jack Olsen

I built mine for a lot less than $1000. About half, if I remember right.



It's 20'x6', but not tall enough to stand in -- I didn't want to block the kitchen windows.

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Gnfanatic

awesome jack, If I build something that big my taxes will go up and they are already high for a little house! You did a great job. I am hoping I can build a 10x14 in the $500 range.

Scuba_Dave

Definitely build your own

sweaty

I would go with a pre-fab without a concrete foundation. They come big enough to hold all your stuff, are strong enough to withstand wind and heavy snow, and are movable.

vsheetz

Build it of a size large enough to add value to the property - build it from scratch on a proper concrete slab foundation - in the long run you will be glad you did it right by creating a permanent structure and value add to teh property.

Nailer

If you build it off the ground it is considered a temporary building and not taxable. Concrete floor makes it a permanent structure which may (by code) require a foundation as well.

Jack Olsen

Maybe the picture makes it look bigger, but at 20'x6', mine is 20 square feet smaller than a 10'x14' shed would be.

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LDSGJA

That's really cool - a bit inspiring, seeing as I need to build something due to my lack of a garage.

Jack Olsen

Thanks. The history on it is kind of accidental. I'd gotten a $500 Home Depot gift certificate because of some credit card offer, and it arrived in the mail just after I'd moved all the crap out of my garage as part of cleaning it up. So one morning at breakfast I took some graph paper and drew out a shed that would fit in some unuesed space along my driveway. The curves of the roof correspond to a dessert plate and a juice glass that were handy when I drew out the plan. I reproduced the curve for cutting it by using a string and a pencil.

Putting it alongside an existing wall made it easy to make it structurally strong without having to use a lot of heavy lumber. But I also had to extend out a water spigot and a hot air vent from the clothes dryer.

The other trick -- since I was able to tie it into the house wall studs, was putting in stainless steel spacers underneath it so that the wood would never come in actual contact with the ground (to keep it from absorbing water).

The construction itself was quick and dirty. I needed it up quickly, since I had a lot of stuff sitting in the driveway that was going to get damaged by rain. I don't have many pictures from the build, but here's some info:

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Gnfanatic

jack, whats with the metal strip going across the roof????? What's the purpose of it?

Jack Olsen

Well, I was kind of making it up as I went along. But the idea was to make a kind of drip rail, so there wasn't an exposed edge of wood just under the line of shingles. I was able to bend a piece of OSB for the roof with the gentler arch. For the one with the tighter arch, the OSB broke under the pressure of bending, so I used two 1/4" sheets, and the sheet betal L-bracket along the edge covered the fact that there were two sheet edges showing.

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