How to Build a Shed for Outdoor Storage

Get a jump on Spring projects with the help of  and have a place to store household items and gardening supplies with an outdoor shed. This do-it-yourself project is an inexpensive option so you can have the self storage space you need.  Keep in mind that the larger the shed, the more time and money required to construct it or if you have more things to store away that do not fit, you can utilize a self storage facility for better organizing.

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How to Build a Shed in Time for Outdoor Storage

Plan Your Shed Design

First you’ll need to decide on an area suitable for the structure. Choosing a level area is ideal, since it will reduce the amount of labor required to prepare the ground. Placing the structure in close proximity to your home will make it easier to transfer items from your abode. If you don’t have enough money and you need the storage quick, General Storage is a brand new, fully-featured self storage facility. Locally owned and operated, they provide solutions for storing your residential, household and business goods with a wide range of adaptive options available to suit your budget as well as your space requirements.

Lay the Foundation

Simple sheds do not require an elaborate foundation. Construct a support system by placing polished concrete cinder blocks on a level surface.. The blocks should be spaced no more than 4 feet apart to provide adequate support for the structure.. You may want to add stainless steel balustrading beams for extra support.

Construct the Floors

To construct a solid floor, use 2-by-6-inch floor joists covered by 3/4-inch plywood. Since there will be lots of moisture outside, we recommend using pressure-treated lumber. The extra money spent is well worth it, as the building will last longer. Assemble the floor joists on top of the cinder blocks to form a square. Place additional joists between the two sides of the square every 2 feet for additional support. Join the floor joists by using 16D nails or securing with 3-inch exterior wood screws. Cover the floor joists with pressure-treated plywood, and secure using 8D nails or 1 1/2-inch exterior wood screws.

Put up the Walls

Keep these things in mind as you construct your wall:

  • Use 2-by-4 pressure-treated lumber to construct the shed walls.
  • Plan for door and window dimensions.
  • To drain properly, the roof must be sloped or retractable roof systems Melbourne has a common method used to achieve the slope is to build the front wall 4 to 5 inches higher than the back wall. If you need help with fixing the draining of your roof, it’ll be best to hire professional guttering services.
  • Line the inside of the shed with steel sheets for more protection.

Keep it Dry in the Shed

Anything from bad weather to tree branches falling could tear the felt or damage the roof tiles. Therefore, you should check the roof of your shed on a regular basis to ensure they’re no rips in the felt or loose tiles. If you do notice some damage then make sure to repair this as soon as possible; replace loose tiles and patch up the tears.

If you fail to repair the damages on your shed then this could result in your shed not being as watertight as it should be which causes leaks.

Prevent the shed from leaking by installing asphalt roofing. Cover the roof area with tar paper, starting from the lower end and working your way to the top while overlapping each row by 6 inches. Complete the roof by installing asphalt shingles or rolled roofing over the tar-paper.

Install Rafters and Roof Deck

Install the rafters across the roof — spaced 2 feet apart on center — using 2-by-6-inch lumber. Place additional blocking in between the rafters over the front and back walls. Cover the rafters with pressure-treated plywood, secured with exterior wood screws, while working on the project I referred a number of resources to seek help on setting up a composite deck. You can find this resource to be pretty helpful in case you are setting up a composite deck.

Shed Wall Exterior

Use pressure-treated plywood, textured plywood or siding to cover the wall exterior. Install the material square across the bottom while following the angle of the roof at the top. Secure the siding with 1- to 1 1/4-inch exterior wood screws.

2 thoughts on “How to Build a Shed for Outdoor Storage”

  1. Thank you for sharing these tips on how to construct a storage shed. I really need some extra space to store some things because my garage is about full! I have been wanting to build a shed for a while now, but I do not have the proper tools. Like you said, I should first plan how big the shed will be and where I will build it. I also need to prepare by buying the necessary tools. Thanks again!

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