For most home owners there’s never enough storage space. What should you do when you’ve used up all available storage space in the basement and in the garage? Build a garden shed of course!

When building a garden shed, it must be big enough to accommodate the power tools you use outdoors and rakes, shovels, fertilizers and other stuff you use for the garden.

You have the option to either but a kit that you can simply assemble or you can decide and build the shed yourself. The second option is more challenging and costs more. But if you want to get exactly what you want, it’s the way to go. Keep in mind that the kits come in various designs and sizes. It’s not that hard to find one that will suit your particular needs or taste. But after you have checked all the available models and nothing seems to meet your needs, it’s time for a little DIY project.

Building the Foundation

Concrete blocks are the best material you can use as your shed’s foundation. Lay-out the four corners of your shed first. On each corner, dig a hole six inches deep. If you have fairly wide walls, you may have to dig a hole in the middle of width of those walls.

The bottom of each hole must be level. You can use a torpedo level to check this. Fill up to 4 inches of the hole with crushed rocks. The crushed rocks must be level and compacted.

Building the Floor

For the floor, use 2 x 6 lumber so that the edges line up with the concrete blocks. These pieces of lumber are called sills. The band joists will sit on top of the sills. Placement of the band-joists and sills must be staggered. Put 2 x 6 joists between the band joists. Make sure to use 16d nails to secure the pieces together. Next, add plywood floors. The floor boards must be ¾ inch thick. Used 8d nails to secure the floor boards to the joists.

Building the Walls, Sidings, Door and Windows

Since most sheds are rectangular in shape, install the long walls first. At the end of the long walls, install studs. These studs will serve as nailers for the short walls.

When cutting window openings, make sure that the sidings are already in place. The placement of the window openings must be square with the wall. Use roofing nails on the flanges.

Mark an outline of the door opening on one of the walls. Use ½ inch plywood spacers sandwiching 2 x 6 lumber.

Building the Roof

The exact step by step instructions on building the roof will not be tackled by this article. Popular mechanics has a detailed article on building the roof for your shed. There are still a few steps to do after you’ve completed the roof.

Finishing

To protect your shed from the elements, you might want to paint it inside and out. Don’t forget to use primer first before actually painting.

If these steps seem like a lot of work for you, you probably should consider using a kit instead. All you’ll have to do is assemble the pieces. Just follow the instructions that come with the package.

Lewis Miller is a DIY enthusiast and writer. He contributes to comparesheds.co.uk, a hand site when you want to compare sheds you’re considering for purchase.