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How to Build a Garden Shed

Updated on 05/17/21

Project Overview

Total Time: 8 - 12 hrs

Skill Level: Advanced
Estimated Cost: $500-$1,000

If you love gardening, you know the value of having a weathertight garden shed to protect your tools and to keep soil, fertilizer, and other materials dry. Storing these items under tarps or out in the open cannot compare to the security and ease of access provided by a solidly built garden shed.

In classic red and white barn colors with a whitewashed interior, this charming shed will be both an aesthetic and a functional asset to your yard. Double barn-style doors allow easy access, and you can add an optional ramp to roll in a lawnmower. Install hooks and shelves inside to store your gardening implements.

When to Build Your Garden Shed

You will find it more comfortable to build your garden shed from spring to early fall. However, since the interior is not especially weather-sensitive, you can build the shed in nearly any condition. Painting is the chief limitation since exterior paint cannot be applied in wet or freezing conditions. Alternatively, you can construct the garden shed in an offseason but leave it unpainted until drier, warmer months arrive.

Codes, Permits, and Utilities

Check your local permitting and zoning departments about permits, codes, zoning, and easements. Also, call your local utilities marking hotline. They will mark your property to indicate electric, sewer, water, gas, and other service lines.

Equipment / Tools

Speed Square
Circular saw
Cordless drill
Six-foot step ladder
Laser level
Electric miter saw
Bubble level or rotary level
Framing hammer
Shovel
Tape measure

Materials

Tongue and groove siding, 6 inches wide by 8 feet long
Utility-grade tongue and groove wood flooring, 56 square feet
Concrete deck blocks, each 7-3/4 inch by 10-3/4 inch by 10-3/4 inch
Bagged landscape gravel
Two-by-fours, each 8-foot
16d galvanized nails, 3 1/2-inch
Roofing nails
Carpenter's pencil
Composite shingles
Roofing paper
Wood stakes and twine
Hinges
Exterior-grade paint
Painting supplies

Stake and Level the Intended Shed Area

Pound the four wood stakes into level ground to indicate the intended building area and run the twine around the stakes.
Build the Floor Frame and Flooring

Lay five two-by-fours parallel to each other, 18 inches apart. Cut two two-by-fours to 6 feet long, each. Nail the 6-foot two-by-fours at the ends of the other boards. Install the utility- or cabin-grade flooring to these joists, running the floorboards width-wise.
Install the Footers

If you are building on a concrete slab patio, additional footers should not be necessary. If building on soil, dig nine holes for the concrete blocks, fill with landscape gravel, then place a block in each hole. The footers should be placed equidistantly, with three on each of the two outer joists and three running down the center joist. Tip the floor frame onto the concrete blocks.
Frame the Long Walls

Cut four of the two-by-fours to 7 feet long, each. Lay out two 8-foot two-by-fours about 7 feet apart. Attach two of the 7-foot two-by-fours to the ends to form a rectangle. Repeat for the second long side.
Attach Siding and Braces to the Long Sides

Nail siding boards horizontally along one of the frames. Turn the wall over. Position two two-by-fours in a V-shape for cross-bracing. With the miter saw, cut the ends at an angle to fit the space. Tack into place with a couple of nails, then turn the wall over and nail it firmly into place at several points. Repeat for the other wall.
Build the Back Wall

Cut three of the two-by-fours to 7 feet long and two at 6 feet long. Frame the wall, with the three 7-foot boards running vertically and the two 6-foot boards running horizontally. Cut siding boards at 6 feet long and nail them to the wall frame.
Build the Front Wall

Cut two of the two-by-fours to 7 feet long and two at 6 feet long. Similar to the back wall, build a frame with the two 7-foot boards running vertically and the two 6-foot boards running horizontally. Cut siding boards each 6 feet long and nail them to the frame.
Build the Door Frames

The barn-style doors will each be 2 feet wide and 6 feet high with vertical facing boards. For each door, cut two two-by-fours at 6 feet long and two two-by-fours at 2 feet long. Form a rectangle with the two long boards 2 feet apart and the short boards between the two at top and bottom.
Add Siding to the Doors

Cut siding boards at 6-foot each, then nail them lengthwise (vertically) on the door frames. Turn the doors over and add two two-by-four cross-braces to the back of the doors. Cut the ends of the boards at angles to fit. First tack into place, then flip over and nail each cross-brace into place with one nail per siding board.
Frame the Front Door Opening

Lay down the doors as a template and outline with the carpenter's pencil. Remove the doors, then build a frame of that size out of two-by-fours. Nail the frame to the back of siding boards. Attach the doors with hinges.
Mount the Walls

Attach the walls to the flooring structure with nails driven down into the frame. Attach walls to each other at the corners.
Create Gables and Rafters

Cut and attach two-by-fours to create the triangular gables at each end of the structure. Run a single two-by-four from front to back as a ridge board.
Attach the Roof

Create the roof from tongue-and-groove siding boards installed lengthwise up each end of the structure.
Add Shingles

Add shingles of your choice such as composite, or asphalt, shingles. Use roofing nails to add the shingles from the lower end upward to the ridge.
Paint the Shed

Paint the shed in any color scheme. Red as the field color with white trim is a classic farmhouse or barn look. Use exterior-grade acrylic-latex paint.