ShedBuilder’s Outdoor Storage Sheds

Build Yourself

One of the best way to save a lot of money is to build your outdoor storage shed yourself. Of course if you choose this route you will trade money for time and efforts. But most people who have built their sheds will tell you it’s more fun than efforts - and I would agree with that.

You can find economical plans, pick materials and even use ones from an old shed. If you have the basic woodworking tools (assuming you are going to build a wooden shed), you should have no problem to get your small garden building up there in a week or two.

If you want to know more, read how to build a garden shed.

Get A Small Steel Shed

This is what most people on budget do. They just go and pick the cheapest shed they can find - usually those are small 4×4 feet steel sheds. This is an acceptable option - finally you will have a shed for just few hundred bucks. If you just want to store some things out there, it’s fine.

However I am not a big fan of this idea. The shed may be a simple building, but it’s still a building. Moving and replacing are time and money consuming actions and are you sure you will still like this shed few years later? Chances are you will need a bigger one or will at least want it a better looking. So, unless you are in a hurry to have a shed and are very short in money (and cannot build yourself), better don’t buy the smallest and cheaper one.

Spend More Time Researching And Less Money Buying

It sounds very simple and yet most people skip doing it and rush into buying the first shed they liked. There is a huge difference between the prices of the sheds, the quality and the design. A careful research will let you pick the optimal shed for you.

It’s very important to know that some shed are designed to be economical. They may be better in storage and functionality than other more expensive sheds, but still be cheaper. This is possible, because they are designed with less bells and wishes but also less waste of materials. The construction of such sheds is simpler therefore they are easier for building for the producers, which leads to the lower price.

So if you want an economical shed but still want it good and functional, the best thing to do is to find plans for economical sheds (such plans will let you build easier and with no material waste) and built it yourself. Are you game?

The plastic outdoor storage sheds were not very popular in the last few years mostly because people didn’t know much about them. Now you can see a vinyl or fibreglass shed pretty often in people’s backyards. Now enough gardeners know about the plastic shed advantages so they no longer avoid this materials.

Plastic Outdoor Shed Advantages

One of the best things about this kind of sheds is the easy support. They are absolutely maintenance free - besides some cleaning, nothing else is required. They don’t rot or rust, don’t get dark with the time and don’t lose strength due to the weather condition changes.

The fibreglass storage sheds can even keep good isolation from the outside temperature so your stuff doesn’t get too hot or cold when weather changes.

These sheds are looking great and usually are cheaper than similar timber sheds. On top of all said above, plastic sheds are very light so they can be moved easily and don’t need very robust foundation.

Plastic Outdoor Shed Disadvantages

There are really very few disadvantages of the vinyl and other plastic storage sheds. Maybe the most important one is that they are not appropriate for large models that you want to use as green house/summer office.

For anything else plastic or vinyl is a very good choice for material. Not much to argue here.

Where To Find Good Plastic Outdoor Sheds And Shed Kits

If you go to Google and search for “plastic outdoor sheds” you will find thousands of results. The problem is you won’t get the best ones on the first page. Finding really good plastic shed requires some research. Here is what you must have in mind:

• The shed price. Don’t pay more than several hundreds unless the shed is really large and cool. Some plastic sheds cost a bit more than a thousand dollars, but these are only the large and complex ones. You can find a simple small plastic shed for $200 - $400 or even less.
• Processing time. No matter if you purchase online or offline, it may take some time to get your shed delivered. Don’t buy from stores that take a month or so to deliver. I’ll show you a store which does it faster.
• Seller’s reputation. Willing to save some money, sometimes we buy very low quality products. Don’t buy from store that you never heard before. Pick a reputable provider like Amazon and you won’t regret.

I already mentioned the most reputable supplier. Amazon is the best place to buy plastic storage sheds or plastic storage shed kits - just pick some and go ahead.

Can you design and build a shed from scratch?

Sure, you can. Hopefully you have experience in architecture design, because you will need to create good sketches of the shed. Then you’ll have to print them out and start your work.

While designing your shed you should have in mind its size, the space in your yard, the cost of actual building, the materials that will be used and that the final look should match the look of your house and around. When you are the shed designer, everything is in your hands, so you take all the risks.

Can you at least use a ready design?

Of course, and that’s what I recommend you, unless you are an architect. You can purchase paper plans or download shed plans online for a small amount of money - usually $20 - $40. There is a great choice of plans available so you should not worry about not finding the one that is right for you.

Building a shed with a plan has the advantage that you are building some proven design. You don’t have to worry if the walls and the door will match. This is probably the most cost effective way to build outdoor storage sheds - you should skip the plan purchase only if designing yourself is something you enjoy.

Doing it easier - using a shed kit

Building a shed with shed plans is fool proof in the sense that you can’t go wrong if you follow the plan. But it’s quite time consuming and requires hard work.

If your reasons to want to build a shed yourself are less about cost saving and more about not being able to find the right outdoor shed design, then buying a shed kit is the best option for you. Why is that? Mostly because there are thousands of shed kits stores available online and they can ship you your kit in a matter of days.

One of the greatest advantages of using a kit is that building a shed with it is easy - you can finish it in 2-3 days. At the same time you’ll have much better choice compared to when you want to purchase a ready garden shed and you’ll pay less.

If you want to build a shed yourself, don’t be scared. The above three options allow everyone do it depending on their experience level. Just go ahead, estimate your skills and start work!