Building a DIY Backyard Shed

Introduction:

The longer we live in a house the more the house seems to get smaller simply because we either outgrow it or we collect too much stuff. This is especially true when it comes to garages. Garages in modern home construction are built toward the small side to accommodate smaller cars or cars that are smaller than full size. Unfortunately these modern garages can hardly accommodate two mid size cars with little to no space for garden tools, lawnmower or snow blower.

When you reach this point you have only three choices: buy a bigger house, throw away more of your collectables or build a shed. Building a shed is a practical solution to limited storage space. Most DIY homeowners have the talent and skills to build their own sheds. Building a DIY backyard shed really is not a difficult DIY task. The typical shed can be built in two or three weekends including the finish painting.

The shed illustrated in this article was built in five days. Coming up with the right size to meet your storage needs is a tough task. Most sheds are built too small and others are too large. Before determining the shed size perform an inventory of what you want to store in it and how many square feet will be required. Typically a shed is either 7 X 8 or 8 X 10 feet. The shed shown here is 12 X 14 feet which is a large shed. It will accommodate two sit down lawnmowers, a snow blower and all the lawn and garden tools required to maintain several flower gardens and a vegetable gardens. 

This shed is a little large for a shed and a lot to small for a barn. It’s something in between a shed and a barn. My granddaughter suggested that we call it a “Shabarn”. A Shabarn is defined as a shed-barn with a French language twist. It works and looks great.

The Shabarn is built on a pressure treated wood foundation frame that sets on concrete blocks. The walls are built with standard 2 x 4s covered with a T-111 (groove plywood). The roof is constructed using engineered trusses covered with plywood sheathing with a metal roof. It also has a 26 x 36 inch window and a side door. The main doors are fabricated from 2 x 4s and T-111.

The cost of material for this shed was $2,145. This may seem expensive but keep in mind that it is a large shed (Shabarn). All the material was purchased from a local building supplier, Brock’s Building Material of Rochester, NH. If you have a DIY project Brock's is the place to purchase you material. Their price are competitive and they are a great organization to do business with. 

When it comes to painting T-111, I would recommend spray painting it as it has a rough finish and is very porous. If you choose not to spray paint I recommend using a heavy nap roller and a four inch brush to really lay on the paint and get deep into the pours.

Building a DIY backyard shed can solve a lot of your storage problems and restore order to your garage.

Related articles:

Building a Shed

Building a Shed Tips

Building a Sunroom Addition

Building Arbors

Building Pole Barn Structures

For more DIY information Check out these Resources