Building A Wooden Shed – Are You Up To It?

Just what kind of skills do you need to be able to build your own backyard wooden shed? If you don’t consider yourself handy with tools, this can be the perfect project to learn some basic carpentry skills. The easiest way is to order a pre-cut shed kit. These kits come with all the pieces and instructions needed to simplify the process. Since all the pieces are already cut, construction is as easy as laying the parts out flat on the ground and nailing them together. Because of the shed’s small size, building the foundation, setting up the walls, and putting on the roof can all be done by yourself (if necessary). For instance, when setting the walls, you simply nail temporary braces to hold the walls in place until you can attach them to each other.

For the most part, you will only need basic tools to get the job done such as, a hammer, a drill, a level, a saw (even though kits are pre-cut, it will still be necessary to make a few cuts) and a tape measure. You will use the tape to measure walls to make them square. This is done by measuring the distance of opposite corners (such as bottom left to top right). Then measure the other two corners. If square, the measurements will be the same. Instead of hammering everything together with nails, I would recommend screwing the boards together. It’s actually easier than nailing and has the extra benefit of being a stronger connection and can be taken apart simply by unscrewing the screws if you mess up.

One of the most important tools you can use is a level. Usually, the longer the level is the better your results will be. But for this project, a 12 inch level should be fine. First check to make sure the foundation is level horizontally. If not, you will have to add or subtract dirt or sand under the cinder block(s) that need adjusting. Check for level both ways – North/South and East/West. When you start adding the walls, you will also need to check that the walls are level vertically (or plumb). Its really important to have all the walls plumb, level and square or you will have noticeable problems when you start assembling the roof.

Remember, building your shed should be fun as well as a great learning experience. The reward comes in knowing that you built it with your own two hands.

By: Donald Rickerby

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Donald Rickerby has been constructing and consulting on backyard wooden sheds for over 10 years. If you are considering building a wooden shed visit bestwoodensheds.com