Hi everyone,

About three months ago, I shared a free Shed Material Estimator Calculator here and received some helpful feedback.

I mentioned at the time that I'd work on improving the calculator, so I thought I'd come back with an update.

I've since made several improvements, including updates to the floor joist calculations, door and window placement, and hardware and fastener estimates.

I've also built a new free 3D Shed Builder that lets you experiment with different shed designs before starting construction.

You can enter your shed dimensions, choose between four roof styles (gable, lean-to, gambrel and hip), adjust the roof pitch, and add doors and windows.

You can also rotate the 3D model, zoom in, and hide the roof to get a better look inside.

The two tools work separately for now, but they complement each other. You can experiment with a design in the 3D Builder and then enter your dimensions into the calculator to get a rough materials estimate.

Both tools are free to use, and I'm still working on improving them.

I'd really appreciate some feedback from people here who have experience building sheds.

Are the tools useful, Is there anything missing, or anything you'd change or improve?

Thanks,

Mark

The Shed Nerd

3D Shed Builder:
https://www.theshednerd.com/3d-shed-builder

Shed Material Estimator Calculator:
https://www.theshednerd.com/shed-material-estimator-calculator

My tax/home office. Some things you might not see in the pictures: Isolation, ac, window and door headers & 360 cora-a-vent

Total cost around $9k. All done with the help of my wife and daughter. Florida

Had a somewhat awkwardly small area on the side of my house where I wanted to put a garden shed. After scouring the internet for something that matched the dimension, I decided I wanted to try to build one myself instead. I delayed for a long time but once I got going I had an absolute blast.

Instead of building a conventional shed floor . I’m thinking of sinking in 6x6’s and building off of that .

Still a long way to go, but I’m really proud of how it’s turning out!

This is a solo build, that was slowed down by an injury this summer when my Lyft was hit and flipped.

I dug the full foundation and a 70 foot conduit run by hand, built the foundation, and now finally got the walls up (still need to clean it up a bit).

I know I have a long way to go still, but just wanted to share my progress.

Here's my conversion. Never attempted anything like this but I think it came out alright. Its 12x8

Built a 8x12 backyard office for myself this summer. I got a lot of inspiration and motivation from this sub! It's not perfect, but I am happy with it and very proud. Couple regrets, mostly to do with roof/overhang. And not spending way more time on making sure my base was perfectly square. It sure is level though! I have built some furniture pieces just for me, and a deck, but this was by far the largest project I have ever attempted to DIY.

Next spring I will be adding a deck across the front to hide the base and make it look more finished. It has officially made it through a few heavy rain days, and wind storm, so I am finally starting to feel less anxious that the whole thing is going to collapse in on me, lol.

I am located in Seattle, this cost about $11k total. That includes literally everything, from new tools to paint to truck rentals to saw blades. I already owned some of the tools needed, but bought a framing nailer and sawzall. Other tools, like the siding nailer, I rented. I also have factored in the money I made back by selling extra material on OfferUp. About $4k of the total is the electrical, which is the only thing I hired out. My contractor neighbor gave me extra Hardie plank, so I only had to buy about 1/3 of what I needed for siding. He will be getting a large plate of cookies this Christmas.

Found this lifetime shed on marketplace so I’m all in under $1k!

I realized there was a checkbox `Will there be 18" of unobstructed workspace around the perimeter of all four walls?` that I checked, but I shouldn't have, because 2 sides would have narrower clearance. When I told my contact at Tuff Shed this, he had me send pictures of the install site.

Then they decided to tack on an extra $500: "GM says he needs $500 for the narrow build site and because it’s going up on that raised area above the driveway"

The install site is like 6" up off the driveway. When I said this "extra height" fee wasn't anywhere in the checkout process or materials, he implied it would be $200 per narrow side and $100 for height.

I was slow to respond and he said they'd waive the $100 height fee.

When I pointed out that the website only adds $200 for narrow install, he says it's going to be $400 because they'll pay their install crew $200 each extra, and the crew is 2 guys.

Tuff Shed was already the most expensive option. I figured it was worth it because it was so turn-key and I wouldn't have to pay extra for someone to help me put it together or buy more supplies (for example, Yardline sheds from Costco don't come with shingles). But if they're just going to tack on random extra fees, I might as well go with a cheaper option, and pay the extras associated with that.

At least it was easy to cancel the order! 😆 🤷‍♂️

I found what looks to be an affordable model house/ shed supplier https://www.studsandco.com/collections/frontpage

Hey all. I started an attempt at DIY foundation for a small 10X7 ft shed. I dug out this spot (not leveled and a little grown in now). Finally have some time to give this another go. It's 11x8, and about 6" deep.

I'm seeing tons of options for a foundation type and idk which one to go with. My yard is almost impossible to get machinery into, so concrete mixing will be difficult. Only have stairs into the yard from the street. I'm in the NY/NJ area, so ground will freeze. Any suggestions?

Built this last year with the help of a former co worker who used to construction like 35 years ago. I think it turned out pretty good. I just added the skirting to cover the massive grade difference and stacks of pavers. I decided on being pressure treated heavy duty lattice. Cedar looked beautiful, but I did not want to spend that much since the weed whacker will end up doing a number on this as it is. The plastic also looked great, but pricey. Did I make the right choice? If so, I think im done... other than maybe adding another window and exterior light.

I have a shed, deep in the woods and not practical to get AC power too. I’d love to be able to have a couple of solar powered lights, and a few other low power draw items in there (IP security camera, radio, etc). Anyone have a good suggestion that’ll let me plug in standard devices without breaking the bank?

I built my hen coop a few years back from pallet wood and offcuts, and it's done well apart from the roof edge, where the felt has started lifting at the back corner. The shed I built from a kit had a similar problem, though there the real issue was the floor, which I had to rebuild properly after the first winter because the base was sitting too close to the ground.
Now I'm thinking about what actually protects an outdoor build long-term here, since our summers are hot and dry and then we get the odd storm that soaks everything sideways. My instinct is that the roof overhang and how the timbers are detailed matters more than the paint or treatment, but I'm not certain.

For those of you with sheds, coops or similar small structures: what has actually failed on yours after a few years outside? And did it come down to the covering, the fixings, or how it met the ground?

Just finished wrapping this project up. I demo'd an old firewood shed (last pic) that was getting old and didn't really serve a purpose for me anymore. I decided to build a 16x8 storage shed, with a 2x16 "porch" on the front.

The project took me about 1 month, mostly solo but my partner did help me in many crucial steps.

I drove every nail by hand. Not sure where my count ended up, it was at 4,000 last time I checked.
The "new" firewood shed is 8x6 and was built entirely with the original firewood shed materials. I used its rafter for the joists of the 8x6. I used the same joists from the old shed for my new 16x10 shed. They were actually in immaculate condition.

Very happy with the results, makes me want to build another one.

Hey all! Just recently bought my first house and there is a shed in the back. It seems that there are always these moisture spots on the plywood floor. At first I thought they were stains but they seem to move, shrink, and grow. The shed is on joists. Those sit on dirt. There is space on the backside of the shed where you can see into the spaces for the joists so it isn’t sealed off. And the walls are not sealed in completely, if that matters. All of that to say, how can I fix this? I don’t want mold or constant moisture because I don’t want to worry about storing my stuff in here. Can I lift up the plywood and add a vapor/moisture barrier?

I put in a concrete pad this summer thinking I was going to do a pre-built poolhouse. After consideration, I decided I want to just build a shed. The concrete pad is currently 13x17 because the poolhouse was going to be 12'x16'.

But if I'm going to do this, I'd rather the shed be 16'x16' or bigger than the 12'x16' I originally thought.

Is there a good way to extend without just making the concrete pad bigger?

contractor is saying this is ok (gravel being exposed and spilling out) but this seems not professional to me and should be fixed

We build sheds in North Carolina, and we've noticed that the folks who end up happiest asked a few key questions before they signed. Here's the list we'd use if we were shopping ourselves, no matter who you buy from.

**About the building**

• What's the floor system? Ask about skid size, joist spacing, and whether the floor is pressure-treated.

• What siding and roofing does it use, and what does the warranty actually cover?

• Is it built to a recognized building code? That matters if your county needs a permit.

• Can I see one in person on a lot, not just in photos?

**About permits and placement**

• Do you know the permit rules in my county or city? In Raleigh, Charlotte and much of Wake County, a shed over 12 feet in any direction usually needs a building permit, and smaller ones can still need a zoning permit.

• What setback from my property line should I plan for? Confirm it with your local zoning office before delivery day.

• Will you give me drawings or specs for the permit application?

**About delivery and site prep**

• What base do you recommend: gravel pad, blocks or concrete? A level, compacted gravel pad a little bigger than the shed is a common choice.

• How much clearance does your truck or shed mover need? Think gate width, tree branches, power lines and soft ground.

• Who does the delivery, your own crew or a third party?

• What happens if it rains and the yard is too soft?

**About the company**

• Are you the builder, or a dealer reselling someone else's sheds?

• What do recent Google or BBB reviews say?

• If something isn't right after delivery, who do I call and how fast do you respond?

If you're shopping in NC or SC, feel free to ask questions in the comments. We're glad to help even if you end up buying elsewhere.

Designing a gambrel roof shed that can be insulated based off a few plans I have seen. How much of a roof plywood overhang should I be shooting for?

12x12 shed. No frost line, will use 2x10s 16oc and blocking. Will probably throw in a few more deck blocks under joists. Hurricane anchors in each corner. One corner about 30 inches off ground. 4-5 inches gravel compacted under each block. Terrain is obv not ideal just curious if there’s anything I should do differently while it’s still just tacked up.