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Build or buy a shed and costs?

54K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  flamtap 
I am building a shed right now. I chose to build because I could do it for less $ and better quality. I also enjoy building stuff like this as a hobby.

I bought shed plans from an internet site and modified them slightly. Then I drew it up in Google sketchup as I planned to build it. Once I had it in sketchup I came up with a materials list and priced that out. The materials alone were much less than the cheapo flimsy Lowe's shed "kit" would have been.

If you have the time and a little bit of know-how (to avoid really costly mistakes) you will save money by doing it yourself. If you have better things to do with your time you might consider having it built.

One thing to consider is what tools do you own already or can you borrow? I already have ladder, power miter saw, drills, squares, levels, etc. (I also used the shed as an excuse to buy a compressor and a framing nailer : ) If I included the cost of all the tools in the project it would send the cost way up.

So far my only mistakes will be easily covered by the trim : )

One other suggestion... if you order 12' lumber don't assume it's exactly 12 feet! That's why my shed will be 12 feet 1 inch long!

flamtap
 
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