Great Shed Plans

Just about every homeowner at one time or another has a problem with storage.  Most homes come with closets and cabinets and attics to store things in but what about outside stuff like lawn mowers, wheel barrows and other power tools the wife won’t let you put in the hall closet?Well, if you are lucky you might have a garage but one of the best things you could possibly add to your landscape is a shed… and it does not have to be a monstrous thing either.  Small shed plans are just the ticket for those who do not have a ton of stuff to store or live on a small parcel of property.A small shed is affordable and easy to build and will help you organize your outdoor living space.  It will keep your lawn and garden tools safe and dry and out of the way of curious children too!If your wife has been pestering you about how cluttered the garage is or that the yard is not a place to store your car engine parts then you may want to look into this practical outdoor structure.You can build one over the course of a couple of weekends and if you have a good set of plans the job could not be easier.  Your valuable power tools will last longer and your property value will actually go up… never under estimate the power of curb appeal!

Shed Plans

Great Shed Plans

One of the most important and often over looked tools needed to build a shed is a god set of construction plans.  You may not think of this as a tool but without it you will spend more time and money than is necessary and your shed project may turn into a real nightmare.Once you have your plans you can see what type of wood and hardware you will need and then you can make sure you have the proper tools.  At a minimum you will need a high quality hammer, a circular saw, a power or cordless drill and an assortment of hand-tools like screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers.You will need a level, a framing square and chalk line.  Also, if you are using a permanent foundation you will need a shovel, post-hole diggers and something to mix concrete in like a wheel barrow.  Get a good set of work gloves as well.You will need to finish your shed so you will need paint brushes or a paint sprayer as well.  It is a good idea to have a reciprocating saw for odd cuts on wood that is in place but this is not necessary with proper planning.  Again, the best tool of all is your set of plans.One great thing about a high quality blue print is it will also list all the cut sizes you need to make and you can give this list to a lumber yard and for a nominal fee they will cut all the pieces to size for you and you simply put everything together like a big puzzle.  This could save you tons of time and you will not need as many expensive power tools if you do it this way.

Shed Plans

Great Shed Plans

My wife is really into her flowers!  She has more tools for gardening than I knew even existed.  She has hundreds of pots and bags and bags of topsoil, fertilizer and other things that make flowers do what flowers do.  Aside from all this stuff filling up my garage I wanted to give my wife a unique birthday present so I went online and looked for potting shed plans.Okay, maybe this would be a great gift maybe it wouldn’t, that is for you to decide.  However, I was pretty surprised at all the different designs and various functions a potting shed can have.  First and foremost is for storage of course but you can actually design the structure so even on a rainy day your wife can pot plants to her heart’s content!The shed can be beautiful as well and fit nicely into any backyard landscape.  Being much more than a box with four sides and a roof, these little gems of the storage world can take on a life of their own.  The only limit is in your imagination and budget.It is a very good idea to get a good set of professionally created potting shed plans so you know exactly what you will need, how much you will need and how much this little project is going to cost you.  Plans also let you determine how much time the build will take and if her birthday has snuck up on you it might be better to do this for Valentine’s Day.The plans will also conform to local building codes and if you build a shed that can actually be used for more than just simple storage it may be required that you get a permit.  As with any building, the foundation is one of the most important aspects of the entire project.  A poorly designed foundation will lead to other structure failures and your investment could be gone before it has had a chance to pay for itself.Another factor to consider along with the cost of materials will be the cost in paint or stain to protect the sheds surfaces.  Make sure you factor in a day or two to apply these finishes as well and please, use a quality paint to further protect this worthwhile investment!

Shed Plans

Great Shed Plans

As summer drew to an end I looked at my list of unfinished projects to decide which ones I would leave until spring and which ones I’d try and complete before the first snowfall.  I rifled through my tool box and come across some kids picnic table plans I had recently purchased and remembered the promise I had made to my wife, and to my kids.As a family, we spend a lot of time outdoors.  I thought that building a picnic table for the kids would be a pretty cool thing and something that might bring my son and daughter closer together… you know, break bread before a long afternoon nap.And there the plans sat, wrinkled and unused in my tool box.  I decided that we still had about 2 months of reasonable weather coming and that I would build the picnic table this weekend.  I checked off the material list and made a mental calculation on price and decided this would definitely be worthwhile.I picked up the materials and started building early Saturday morning.  I was surprised how easy this was to do but figured I would not have been able to do it without the plans and was glad I had picked them up.The kids were impressed that I had actually finished something and immediately planned a picnic for the next day.  It was a hit and I’m telling you, if you want to do something that the entire family can share in then you might want to consider building your very own children’s picnic table.

Shed Plans

Great Shed Plans

I had to replace my lawnmower this summer.  I do not have a garage so I just put it under a tree with a bucket over the motor during the winter.  Not a great idea, but the wife would not let me put it in the dining room so what was I to do?A friend suggested I build a shed to store my tools in and I told him I could never afford to buy one and would not even attempt to build one myself.My friend then told me that there are actually wood shed building kits that have everything you need to do the job yourself.  You can even buy a kit that has all the wood precut for you!  All you really have to do is just put the thing together.I have a few Christmases under my belt and I know how “easy” things are that say “some assembly required”… they are anything but!My friend said if I bought one he would help me put it together.  He also told me how happy my wife would be that my shovel would no longer find its home leaning against the bathroom window or the old engine that I would one day do something with could finally be stored away from the neighbor’s site. Funny my neighbor mentioned the engine!  Anyway, I decided to give it a shot and started looking around for wood shed building kits.  There were some at the local home and garden shop but I picked one I found online and had it shipped to the house.The kit had everything I needed and me and my buddy had it put together in a couple of weekends.  I could not convince him to help me paint it so if you do this project yourself you need to understand that all the kits come unfinished so you will have to paint it.I do not like painting so I paid a guy to do it and when I did the math, I saved hundreds of dollars over a pre-built shed and actually enjoyed putting it together.  The project gave me a great sense of accomplishment and the shed is a welcome addition to our backyard.

Shed Plans

Great Shed Plans

Wood shed kits are an awesome way to save a lot of time and money when you need to add some type of storage structure to your yard.  However, there are a lot of things to consider before plopping down your hard earned money so the project will go as smooth as possible.Not all shed kits come complete with everything you need to complete your project.  Many just come with the hardware and give you a list of the materials you will need to buy from the lumber yard.  You will then have to cut your wood to size and then start building.Other kits are complete and include all the wood necessary for the project and it comes precut and ready to assemble.Many people do not realize that they need to make sure the foundation on which their shed will be placed is one of the most important considerations when it comes to making sure your shed is safe and will last for years.It is important to check with your local building codes to see what type of foundation is required for the type of shed you plan to buy.  Also, you need to make sure the location is level and within any type of building restrictions in your community.Also, shed kits come with unfinished wood so you need to factor in the cost of paint or stain and also the tools you will use to apply the finish, which can be costly.  I recommend that you invest in quality paint and brushes in order to achieve the best results and to protect your valuable investment.

Shed Plans