• Home
    • About
    • Services & Policies
    • Just the Woods Media Kit
  • Furniture
    • Past Painted Projects- SOLD
  • Shop Products
    • Shop Wise Owl Chalk Synthesis Paint
    • Shop Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint
    • Shop my Favorite Tools & Supplies
    • eBook
  • FREE Stuff
    • Affordable Back Drop Options
    • How to Paint Furniture – A Beginners Guide
  • Learn
    • Video Tutorials & Downloadable eBooks
  • Blog
    • Recipes
    • painted furniture
    • DIY / Crafts
    • Home Decor
    • Monthly Social Blog Hops with the Best DIY Blogs
  • About Me
    • Nutrition & Health Coaching
  • 0 items

Just the Woods, LLC | a Colorful Home & Healthy Lifestyle Blog

a Colorful Home & Healthy Lifestyle Blog

  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Nutrition & Health Coaching
  • Painted Furniture
  • DIY / Crafts
    • Home Decor
  • About Me

How to Build a Shed From Scratch

Share & Save for later!

16.8K shares
  • Share191
  • Tweet
  • Email

How to build a shed from scratch. Not only how to build a shed but how to do it with your spouse and your kids. Not an easy task. 

To be honest, I almost named this project “How to Build a Shed from Scratch with your Spouse and Not Bury them Under the Concrete.” Working together as a team in life is one thing, but working together on a home DIY project is another. It’s like being on a drunken see-saw with “stay out here and work with me, but don’t get in my way.” Or, “keep me company, but don’t talk to me” How about, “just play with the kids while I work but keep them away from what I’m working on” Or even “Get me this tool, get me that tool, where are my tools? Don’t touch the tools” As it turns out that title is just a bit too wordy anyway, so I had to shorten it up a bit.

Then I considered “How to Build a Shed with Kids.” But I wouldn’t suggest building a shed with kids. This project is hard enough without them demanding to be involved or asking for juice and snacks. They track dirt in and out of the house because they can’t decide if they really want to help outside or if they want to hang out inside and watch TV.

In the end, I went with the simplest and most direct title for the project. That may be the only thing that is short and simple on this project. We mainly worked on this over the course of the weekends and it took about 5 weekends to complete.

A DIY Secret

Can I tell you a secret? I don’t think I would ever do this again because I have another secret. Shhh, don’t tell, but DIY projects that are a joint effort between my hubby and myself really aren’t fun. They are stressful, and hard and take a toll on us. Which may seem strange in a way because we are both handy and we both enjoy these type of projects and we even have a pretty good idea as to what we are doing. Actually, I think we really have it together – separately! Once you throw the two of us together is gets a little intense. Enough about that, let’s get on to the project.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Click here for my full disclosure policy.build-a-backyard-shed, how to build a shed, build a shed with kids

Tearing Out the Garden and Bushes

Step 1 – Clearing the area to build the shed. We decided that the area along the back fence was a bit of wasted space. It had a few bushes that had been there since we bought the house, but any flowers we ever planted there never really took off or did well. This is the perfect spot to build a storage shed. cut-out-bushes, diy with kids, garden with kids, how to build a shed

Clearing out this area was a bit more involved than just pulling a few flowers and weeds. We literally had to cut out the bush by cutting the branches until it was small enough to dig out the root. cutting-branches, build a shed with kids

You don’t realize how much is there until you start to tear it out.clear-area-for-shed

We enlisted the kids to help as well. They were quite eager to get involved. dig-out-bushes, garden with kids, diy with kids

The yard started to have bushes, branches, and dirt everywhere.cut-out-yard-bushes, garden with kids

The branches all had to be bagged up before being placed on the curb for sanitation, so once again the kids got involved. hehebag-up-cut-up-bushes, bagging tree branches, build a shed

This portion of the project was tedious and tiresome, but once all cleared out we have a location to build a shed. In addition to removing the bushes and roots, we had to dig down a bit for a bed location.  clear-out-area-for-shed, build a shed, staten island, just the woods

Digging out this area turned into a worm hunt for the kids. They made it into a game of how many worms they could find and then relocated the worms to the vegetable garden so they could “do their work” in there.  kids-find-worms, hunt for worms, kids find worms

relocating-worms, hunt for worms, garden kids,

How to Build a Shed From Scratch

Materials Needed / Source List

  • Building Plans for Shed
    • plans will tell you what wood you will need:
      • 2 x 4
      • 1x 4
      • 1 x 6
  • Paint Brush
  • Hammer Drill
  • 80 lbs bags of 5000 psi concrete (22 bags)
  • Sandpaper
  • Behr Exterior Paint – Color ‘Anonymous’
  • HomeRight Paint Sprayer
  • Screwdriver or Electric Drill 
  • Level
  • Shingles

Building a Frame to Make a Concrete Floor

Step 2 – With the area cleared out we could now build a foundation frame for the concrete floor. With Mother Nature NOT on our side, we headed to Home Depot to gather supplies and shed material.  supplies-for-building-shed-floor, diy with kids

To build the frame we started with 2 x 4 pieces of wood. Jackson (6) learned about measuring and cutting wood to size. diy-builds-with-kids, diy kids, kids with tools, teach them young

Since we don’t have a large yard, the shed will only be 4′ x 8′. The frame pieces were measured and cut. circular-saw, teach kids to use tools, diy kids, how to build a shed

The simple frame was nailed together using the nailgun, because who has time for a hammer? build-frame-for-shed-floor, build a concrete floor for shed

Once squared off and fully assembled the foundation frame is ready.  framed-out-shed-floor

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, Mother Nature was not on our side for the project and it had been raining non-stop all week. The rain had turned our cleared out area into a bit of a swamp. This will certainly make things difficult.  mush-mud, how to build a shed in the rain

The frame for the slab can now be dropped into place, and we can only hope to make some progress in the mud. drop-floor-frame-in-place

Though not ideal, the soft mud allowed us the maneuver the frame into place. place-frame, frame for concrete floor, build shed

A little bang with a hammer will help get that frame where it needs to be. I think Brian took out a little anger about the rain on that wooden frame too.bang-down-to-level

Once down, make sure that the frame is level.level-the-frame, pour concrete in the rain

It’s a good thing Brian has his fishing boots. rain-creates-swamp

At this point, we had to walk away and leave the project for a week to allow some of the water to dry before we could continue.  frame-in-place

Creating a Base and Laying a Concrete Floor for the Shed

Step 3 – After waiting a week in hopes that some of that water had disappeared and evaporated we are ready to start the foundation work for the floor of the storage shed. White stones were poured into the wooden foundation frame. rocks, rock bed under concrete floor, marble chips before concrete

Bags and bags of these white stones were poured in to create a bottom layer base. white-marble-chips

After multiple bags were poured in to cover the entire floor we decided to wait on pouring the concrete since the ground was still a bit too soft. add-stones-to-floor-base, rocks under concrete floor

When we returned to the shed build the following weekend, Mother Nature again rained on our parade. Seriously? More rain! Our framed out stone base had been yet again turned into a swampy mess. rain, build a shed in rain, how to build a shed, concrete after rain

We waited, yet again for this to dry up a bit. But out of concerns for future water issues, we decided that a taller frame was in order. A second level frame was also built to raise the floor base. build-second-level-frame

By this, I mean that another frame was built and placed directly on top of the existing frame to allow more stones and a deeper base for under the slab.   double-frame-base

The second level frame was attached to the original frame with a few pieces of wood to make sure they stay together and in place. The frame doesn’t have to be pretty since it will be removed once the concrete is finished. add-second-frame, frame concrete floor, shed floor

Once the second tier of the frame is added, make sure it is level and fill with the white stones yet again.  checking-if-level, level

how to build a shed, how to build a table

Pouring Concrete Floor for Shed

Step 4 – Time to finally pour the concrete floor. This requires another trip to Home Depot. The kids are getting tired of this project and at this point, I don’t think they really care about how to build a shed, but would rather take a nap. Layla did kick butt at her morning JuJitsu tournament and won third place for her age group. If you are feeling tired like Layla and overwhelmed you can always get some help with you DIY shed project. Click here for assistance: HELPtired-kids-and-diy

For the concrete slab, we used twenty-two 80 lb bags of 5000 psi concrete and we were able to rent the concrete mixer for the afternoon.  supplies-to-lay-concrete

The reinforcing mesh was added over the white stones for structural support to the slab. framed-out-floor, concrete shed floor

Concrete was mixed a few bags at a time in the mixer with water. add-water-to-mix-concrete, mixing concrete, concrete mixer, how to mix concrete

Jackson was here to supervise because the next time we need a shed, this kid will be the one to build a shed.concrete-helper, build a shed with kids

As the concrete was mixed it was poured into the frame over the white stones.  how-to-build-concrete-shed-floor

This process continued until the frame was filled with concrete. dump-concrete, build a shed floor

Bag after bag, mix after mix. one-bag-at-a-time, how to mix concrete, how to pour concrete floor, build a shed

Once all of the concrete was poured into the wooden frame it had to be spread out. lay-concrete, pour concrete, build a shed, build with kids

When the traditional way of spreading concrete doesn’t work fast enough, its okay to start a non-traditional way.

Next, the wet concrete is smoothed and all the bumps removed.    smooth-wet-concrete, lay concrete, how to smooth concrete

Once smoothed out it just needs to dry. Make sure to spray the concrete with water occasionally to prevent it from cracking while drying. wet-concrete-base, how to prevent concrete from cracking, wet concrete

Once dry, the wood frame was removed, pried off with a crowbar. Its job is done. concrete-floor-after-removing-wood-frame

Building the Back Wall of the Shed

Step 5 – We bought the shed plans online for a mere $14.99. You can find the plans to build a shed yourself online HERE.  and due to the fact that the back wall of the shed will be up against the fence, we decided to build that first. Of course, we took another trip, yep, you guessed it. Layla was quite excited to get the wood because she has convinced herself that this is a playhouse for herself and her dolls. She expects it to be fully equipped with bunk beds and a place for her dresses. She also doesn’t want daddy to put his dirty tools in her playhouse. I think she and Brian need to work that out amongst themselves. wood-supplies, not daddys shed, playhouse

The wall was framed out using 2 x 4 pieces of wood. Our poor patio acted as a work area for building the shed, as did our entire yard really.  frame-for-shed-back, how to frame shed walls

Once the frame was built the walls were attached. The walls are made of T111 siding panels. adding-walls-to-frame, t111 panels, shed walls, build a shed

Painting the Shed Walls

Step 6- Like I mentioned, the back wall won’t be accessible once it’s in place so we have to paint it first. We tried to color match with the vinyl siding on the house as close as possible and choose Behr Exterior Paint in a gray called Anonymous. (Third row down, second from the right).behr-anonymous-exterior-paint, behr paint

We started off painting with brushes and rollers. painting-shed-walls-with-brush, painting with kids

The kids were ecstatic that they were able to help paint. But if you look up ‘things not to let the kids help with’, Im sure this image would come up: painting-with-kids

There was paint everywhere. They stepped in the paint, fought over brushes, painted the dirt, and quit a few times in between. If you know anything about T111 then you know it’s not the easiest thing to paint either. So I decided to try something different. home-right-finish-max, home right, paint sprayer

After getting the majority of the back wall painted we decided to prop it up vertically and use the Home Right Finish Max Paint Sprayer to finish it up and touch up the spots we missed. back-of-shed-painted, home right sprayer

The sprayer is very easy to use, the kids even got to use it. homeright-paint-sprayer

It really is this easy to use, and less messy – no one is stepping in the paint this way. You can get one HEREhomeright-sprayer-kid, easy paint sprayer, diy with kids

homeright, homeright projects, diy expert team, homeright team

With the wall vertical we were able to add the trim as well before installing the wall itself. back-shed-wall

Anchoring Shed Walls to the Concrete Floor

Step 7 – The back wall in place and front wall framed out. The front wall is framed to accommodate the door as well as a window. building-frame-for-shed-door-and-window

Moving the finished back wall to the rear was a bit of a chore and included a few bad words between hubby and I. Usually, I’m yelling that I don’t have a full grip and he assures me that it’s fine when it’s not fine. But we managed, and we lived to tell about it.  framed-out-shed-walls

A hammer drill is used to anchor all of the walls into the concrete.  anchor-shed-frame-to-ground

This makes sure the entire shed is secure and stays in place. anchor-shed-walls-into-concrete

Framing the Walls for the Rest of the Shed

Step 8- All of the walls were framed out using 2 x 4s and then pieced together. fit-side-walls-in-between-front-and-back-walls, build a shed from scratch

The corner joints where the frame pieces meet are built to fit within each other for strength and security. framed-corners, build a shed,

They all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and then are nailed to one another. nail-framed-walls-together, how to build a shed from scratch

Again, the sides are also anchored to the concrete floor. concrete-drill, hammer drill, anchor walls to concrete floor, build a shed

Adding Walls to the Shed & Building a Door

Step 9 – Once the entire frame is finished its time to add the walls. The T111 panels are cut and secured to the frame. front-wall-of-shed, how to add walls to a shed, building a shed from scratch

The door was framed out and built before being attached. In addition to the door, we also added a small window. how-to-build-a-shed-door, build a shed, how to build a shed door

Building a Roof for the Shed

Step 10 – You can’t build a shed without a roof. The roof was framed with roof rafters to support the top. With the back of the shed being taller than the front, the rafters supplied the needed support for the roof.  build-roof-rafters

The angled pieces were cut first followed by the front support piece. frame-roof, how to build a roof for a shed, how to build a shed roof

Once the rafters were in place the shed roof was added.   how-to-build-roof-for-shed

A fascia was added to the rooftop and sides.add-fascia, build a shed

The roof was waterproofed using 30 lb roofing felt. roof-liner

And shingled. kids-on-roof, adding shingles to roof, build a shed roof

Eventually, the kids were kicked off the roof before any accidents happened.  how-to-shingle-roof, roofing with kids

Adding Trim and Finishing Touches

Nearing the end, FINALLY. Trim was added to the door, window and along the sides. trim-1-x-4

All of the nails were caulked over before finishing with paint. caulk-nail-holes

The rest of the shed was painted, then painted again, then touched up before we finally said enough. There was actually a big fight debate over the order of things in this portion of the project. We butt heads on whether to build completely then paint, or build – add walls, paint walls, paint trim then add trim.shed-roof-shingled

An adorable flower box was added under the window. add-flower-box-under-window

Lastly, we threw down some grass seed around the shed so that it will be surrounded by lush green grass and not soil. With all the rain we’ve been getting lately that should happen in no time.  grass-seed, throw grass seed

In Conclusion on How to Build a Shed from Scratch

Would we do it again? I won’t sugar coat it, this is real life so probably not. Some things aren’t worth the aggravation or the stress. In the end, we didn’t save that much money by building the shed ourselves. I think the total cost was around $1200. But I can tell you one thing, if we are ever attacked by zombies or if there is an Armageddon I am hiding in the shed because the big bad wolf can huff and puff and nothing is taking this structure down. how-to-build-a-shed-from-start-to-finish

build-a-shed

shed-with-flower-box

how-to-build-a-backyard-shed

build-a-shed-from-scratch

After a couple of weeks, the grass has started coming in beautifully. how to build a shed, completed shed

Once the shed was finished I decided to give my Adirondack chairs an update to match the shed. Check out the update here:

 Painting Outdoor Adirondack Chairs with HomeRight 

To see other joint effort DIY project between hubby and I check out:

Bursting with Color Living Room Makeover 

vibrant-living-room-makeover

How to Build a Farmhouse Table With Reclaimed Barn Wood

barn-wood-table

I’ll be sharing this post at these fabulous link parties.

Don’t Forget – Follow Just the Woods and Share this post to Inspire others:

FACEBOOK  *  INSTAGRAM  *  PINTEREST

Subscribe to our mailing list here:

How to build a shed from scratch. Not only how to build a shed but how to do it with your spouse and your kids. Not an easy task. |how to build a shed | build a shed from scratch | build a shed with kids | how to build a storage shed, building a shed, how to build a shed roof, how to build a shed door, small storage shed, diy shed, shed designs, wooden sheds, shed foundation, yard sheds, backyard shed

How to build a shed from scratch. Not only how to build a shed but how to do it with your spouse and your kids. Not an easy task. |how to build a shed | build a shed from scratch | build a shed with kids | how to build a storage shed, building a shed, how to build a shed roof, how to build a shed door, small storage shed, diy shed, shed designs, wooden sheds, shed foundation, yard sheds, backyard shed

 how-to-build-a-shed-with-kids  how-to-build-a-shed-with-kid-helpers  build-a-shed-with-kids  teaching-kids-to-use-tools

More from my site

  • Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus to Make, Eat, Share & EnjoyGrilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus to Make, Eat, Share & Enjoy
  • How to Make a DIY Bench from ChairsHow to Make a DIY Bench from Chairs
  • How to Paint a Wooden Rocking Chair with Spindles the Easy WayHow to Paint a Wooden Rocking Chair with Spindles the Easy Way
  • How to Spray Paint Furniture with the Best Paint SprayerHow to Spray Paint Furniture with the Best Paint Sprayer
  • How to Clean a Paint SprayerHow to Clean a Paint Sprayer
  • 20+ Creative Beginner Woodworking Projects for the Serial DIYer20+ Creative Beginner Woodworking Projects for the Serial DIYer

Share & Save for later!

16.8K shares
  • Share191
  • Tweet
  • Email
« How to Paint Furniture in Layers for a Gorgeous Finish
Modern Desk Makeover Painted True Black »

Comments

  1. Angie ~ ambient wares says

    May 3, 2017 at 7:38 pm

    The amount of work you put into this is really admirable. We’ve never built a shed but, have definitely worked on our share of renovations that have tested us in every way. This turned out awesome and I loved seeing the process. Pinned & sharing!

    Reply
    • Kandice says

      May 3, 2017 at 7:59 pm

      thank you so much! to be honest, Im so glad its over lol

      Reply
  2. Leanna says

    May 4, 2017 at 6:48 pm

    Talk about working around hurdles. It certainly is charming now that its done.

    I also have a tiny yard and was attracted to your post as this little shed is just the right size, yet has style.

    I love it. Pinning.

    Reply
  3. Vineta @ The Handyman's Daughter says

    May 5, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    Wow! Even though it was a huge ordeal, the final result is amazing! We’ve been thinking about building a shed under our deck since nothing grows under there anyway. This size would be perfect!

    Reply
    • Kandice says

      May 6, 2017 at 10:34 am

      thank you! Im so glad its over lol

      Reply
  4. Debrashoppeno5 says

    May 6, 2017 at 12:14 pm

    You did a wonderful job. It looks so much better than the metal sheds you see around. And yes it can be stressful working with your spouse but you made it and the kids looked like they were having fun.

    Reply
  5. Toni says

    May 8, 2017 at 2:52 pm

    We’ve done a ton of big projects at my house and I have threatened to quit so many times. I agree with everything you said about working with your spouse. I like it when he’s helping me with a project, then he knows I’m the journeyman and he’s my apprentice 🙂

    Reply
  6. Debbie says

    May 9, 2017 at 12:03 pm

    Love your cute shed! We’ve been contemplating getting a small storage shed too but decided it would be easier to buy one that the Amish have built and have them deliver it. And we’re not that mechanically inclined either – LOL!! Have you thought about getting any chickens for it?

    Reply
  7. Nicole says

    May 31, 2017 at 12:29 am

    Wow! Although I am sure a huge project like this is stressful, it sure turned out to look amazing. Thank you for linking up with us at the #HomeMattersParty this week.

    Reply
  8. Diana says

    June 2, 2019 at 9:10 pm

    Do you happen to have the blueprint? We would LOVE to do this exact shed at our house.

    Reply
    • kandice kullmann says

      June 3, 2019 at 4:52 pm

      Diana, I actually have the link in the post where we got the plans for the shed ourselves. I think we only paid around $14 for them 🙂 Let me know if you cant find them and I can send them to you directly

      Reply
  9. Angelia Johnson says

    October 1, 2019 at 4:46 pm

    I hope you don’t mind me asking as I am looking to for an outside small office to take calls in. This seems like if would work for a small desk and chair. Can you tell me about how much it will cost to build one. Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • kandice kullmann says

      December 9, 2020 at 12:57 pm

      hi. I included a link to the site where we obtained the plans for the shed. You would have to check there to see which one you would want to go with

      Reply
  10. addy says

    January 21, 2021 at 7:21 am

    Hi, I’m strongly considering building a shed myself. I’m fairly handy and looking to save thousands from the prefabs.
    I love the look of your shed; it’s a fantastic job! Since it’s been a couple of years, I’m curious to see how it’s been holding up. I’m concerned about paint not being able to hold up from weather. Have you considered siding and other waterproofing options? Thanks again!

    Reply
    • kandice kullmann says

      January 21, 2021 at 8:25 am

      hi! The shed is holding up great to be honest! I would do it the same again if I had to. The paint looks great, (a little dirty since its January lol) but otherwise great! Good luck with your project!

      Reply
  11. Shelly says

    April 11, 2021 at 3:30 pm

    Beautiful shed! Well done. We are having an Amish-built shed installed this summer and are looking for color ideas. I was immediately drawn to your colors and appreciate your listing the gray paint info. Can you please tell me the white paint color you used on the trim? Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • kandice kullmann says

      April 12, 2021 at 11:12 am

      Thank you so much! Its been a few years since this project. Im going to assume that we used a basic white trim paint, or an outdoor white trim paint. I don’t think there was anything really special about the white. 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Meet the Artist

Meet the Artist – Hey there and welcome to my blog!

Click Here to get to know me better and visit my blog.

Click to Order Furniture Paint

dixie belle, dixie belle paint, chalk paint, chalk mineral paint, order paint, order dixie belle
wise owl, wise owl paint, chalk paint, chalk synthesis paint, furniture paint, non toxix paint

Categories

Copyright

 

All content on this blog is the property of Just the Woods, LLC. You are welcome to share my content (to include one photo only) as long as you provide a link back the original post. DO NOT copy entire posts, or crop, edit, or remove watermarks from photos without written permission from me first. Sharing a post from Just the Woods in a capacity where YOU will be compensated is not permitted. Thank you!

  • Privacy & Disclosure

QUICK LINKS

  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Galleries
  • Contact Us

OUR LOCATION

Saint Johns
Florida
32259
United States
[email protected]

Copyright © 2023 · Market Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

16.8K shares
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email