Shed - Buy, buy a kit, make?

[Garandman]

We are fortunate enough that the place came with a 24x24 garage. But I hate to tie it up all winter with stuff like grills and the like. I could probably get by with a couple Rubbermaid shelters but that's no fun!

 

[Garandman]

Varies by town. In mine it is 120SF, and must also follow the setbacks (30 feet in my zone, 10 feet downtown) and there is also limit on % of the lot covered. So oddly enough, I have two 120sf tool sheds, a 8x10 woodshed, and a 6x10 greenhouse...and a chicken coop. There is also a height limit...32'. I have so far not built anything much over half that... :laughing:

If you live in MA the state law was changed to 200sf. A lot of town bylaws still say 120 but they are out of date.

 

[GLyford]

If you live in MA the state law was changed to 200sf. A lot of town bylaws still say 120 but they are out of date.

Hmmm...I wonder if I could expand a couple of mine, then...

 

[mike69440]

Unfortunately, Unless you cam get material at bulk pricing, the shed kits/shed builders have a lot lower material cost. Me I pick stuff up as tore it but you have to have room t\o do so.

Some friends of ours scored a $2500 Home Depot Kit, all put together, roofed and painted (normally extra) for $800 as HD has to get it out of the parking lot for snow removal.

The Standard kit does not include fasteners, shingles or paint, or floor kit so really it was a +$4000 shed plus free assembly labor.

Hauled it away on a flatbed, They are in good with the local cops, so no wide load issues and we managed to get the shed off the flatbed on a foundation in one piece more or less.

PS the big chicken coop I built last year had I bought the materials at HD etc. or local lumber yard would have been near $5,000. Even scrounging I had over $1800 in it when done.

 

[Will_C]

I bought a 12 x 24 shed 2 years ago. I am planning to build a house in the near future, and I wanted something I could take with me if I can't get enough from the sale of my house to leave a garage here.

I paid $4500 for the shed- actually a one car garage. I researched prices to build one, and stopped when the materials went above $ 3500. The structure I purchased has pressure treated skids, floor joists 12" of, 3/4" pressure treated Plywood for a floor, shingle roof, T-11 siding, roof vent, a 36" man door, and 2 windows. A pressure treated ramp was also included.

If a permanent structure would have been in the plans, I obviously would have done things differently, although the company I dealt with has impressive prices on pre-fab garages designed to installed on a slab.

Another benefit is that is termed personal property for my tax bill- not subject to real estate taxes.

Will

 

[hunterridgefarm]

I build this myself for around $3500.00. The enclosed part is 12x16 with the full footprint being 16x16.

 

[PILOON]

Check your local lumber yard. Around here they stock factory made trusses at very affordable prices.
Generally 10', 12' 24' 16' and even 20' 'shed trusses' with pricing very affordable like as low as $12-15 up to $50 ish.
The specs being less than for a home.
No way can a guy match prices. Believe they make them as a fill in work basis and during off seasons.

I have used them often and very satisfied.
To keep costs down I use 2 x 4 studs at 16" and nail Canexel directly to the studs. Same could be done using Hardee siding.
I brace my corners with the metal 'T' bracing.
There are more than a few that I made this way and most are now over 12 years old and we are in a very heavy snow fall area
When a garage door is involved I face the inner door wall with plywood to prevent any swaying from side to side.

In one case we had metal siding available so we simply used furring strips at 16" centers.

On a few car sized 'sheds' I simply had a load of 3/4" gravel dumped and carefully spread and leveled.
For my 'foundation' I laid out railroad ties on top of the crushed stone and simply mounted my 2 x 4 stud walls on them. Every so often I'd drive 2-3' rebar pins into the ground to 'lock' the structure in place with more near the doorway.*

I built such a garage* for my mother this way for an 'out of pocket' of $1000. or so.
OK, so I had a deal for Canexel 'seconds', but nothing that is visible.

*Doing snow removal I accidentally caught a corner and other than a missing chunk nothing moved one inch and the electric door functions normally.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I built my 12x16' shed for around $1200, course it's be a few yrs ago. Very similar to your picture and with shingled roof. Very easy to build. I parked my little massey ferguson in it for years before I built a pole barn.

Our code allows 120sf without a permit, but I was building my house at the same time and the inspectors ignored my shed being a little larger.

Kits are good also as they figure out the material for you, or at least come close. I helped build a shed kit for the boy scouts,it didn't come with plans but we figured it out with the material we got. Here is a pic of the scout shed.

 

[chad22]

I'd build it as well. Once I get done with the house remodel I plan to build a garage on the lot. Was thinking about having one of those sheds brought in. But decided that I'd want a building with a concrete floor so I'm gonna build a nice garage big enough to drive my truck into.