How To Build Your Own Shed

What you need to know before building your own shed

From choosing the best materials to getting the right tools, we look at your must-have essential info for building the shed of your dreams without a professional. For many people, the garden is the heart of their home.

Whether it’s summer barbecues, late-night parties or relaxing on lazy weekends, a beautiful garden is always a welcome addition to any property. And with a beautiful garden comes the need for plenty of tools – and a secure place to store them.

A well-built garden shed is an essential for any true gardener, but you needn’t shell out a fortune to get the wooden shed of your dreams. Here, we look at how you can build your own garden shed, focusing on the materials and tools you will need to do the job right.

Happy shed building!

Get the right materials for shed building

When you decide to build your own shed, getting the best materials is essential ­– after all, poor quality timber, fixings and foundations will lead to a poor finished product.

To build your own wooden shed you will need the following basic items:

• Shed frame timber and batten
• Shed boarding
• Shed flooring
• Shed roofing
• Shed ironmongery (hinges, latches, and locks)
• Shed fixings and fastings (including nails, screws, and brackets)
• And shed glazing

High quality, long lasting timber products are the best choice for erecting a wooden shed. Not only will timber weather well, it will also help to keep your lawnmower, tools and other garden essentials safe from the elements and would-be thieves. And the good news is, we offer a wide range of affordable shed building materials that will make your garden complete in no time.

You can choose to buy your garden shed materials in a kit or individually, but always ensure you measure the area you want to use and order the correct size – measure twice, cut once as the pros say!

Make sure you have the right tools for shed building

Any professional finish will only be achieved by using professional quality tools. And that’s why it is so important to ensure you have the right tools for building a garden shed.

First, it’s important to make sure you have the correct safety equipment before starting to build a shed. This includes heavy duty gloves, eye goggles, and protective clothing. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Next, you will also need a ladder, spirit level (an essential for a sturdy structure), tape measure, power drill and a claw hammer. Depending on whether you decide to insulate your shed or leave it as a wooden shell, you might also need shed felt and a sealant gun. As you work, keep your tools clean and organised to make your shed building go off without a hitch.

Get organised and make a plan for your shed project

Building a wooden shed structure for the garden should be fairly straightforward for anyone
well practiced in DIY. But it can still be a challenge. As any tradesman will tell you, the best way to get on top of a job is to get organised right from the start of the project – and stay organised through to the end.

If you’ve decided to build a garden shed, the first step is to lay out all the materials and tools, taking an inventory to ensure you have everything ready to go.

Building a shed is split up into the following basic steps:

• Laying the base and foundation – you’ll need treated wooden shed beams and a concrete base
• Assembling the shed floor
• Raising the walls into place
• Fitting the roof
• Fixing the windows (if you decide to add any)
• And finally fixing the walls to the floor.

If you’re in any doubt about building your own shed, there are lots of free plans and designs available online to help you make a plan. Make sure to set aside plenty of time to complete building the shed and get a friend to help with the tricky bits – it really is a job for two or more.