8 x 10 Storage Shed on the Cheap

It's a familiar story. You've got a bunch of stuff to stow and not a whole lot of bread to make it happen. That's what lead me to build my own shed from scratch. I looked at the ready-made sheds and kits and nothing filled my needs while meeting my budget. I ended up picking the closest set of plans I could find and I adapted them.

My shed started out as an 8' x 10', but I needed more room ... so I extended it to 8' x 12'. The door was on the side and too narrow to park my lawn tractor, so I moved the door to the side and made it wider. Necessity isn't just the mother of invention, it's the inspiration for adaptation.

Jim wrote:

I am building a traditional shed or baby barn (8' x 10' size) to hold a snow blower and ride on lawn mower and perhaps a small workbench about 18 - 30 inches. Not insulated or wired, an extension cord will do. I need the material list for it and also free plans but can not find either one. If it is not exact to plans I have the smarts to adapt it to what I can build, can you help? The magic words here are free... it is going to cost over 800 dollars for a do it yourself kit and I am trying to do it by using economy grade 2 x 4's and cheap flake board and old paint. Quite a project huh?

I've linked to a bunch of free shed plans over the years and it's been frustrating ... as some of the best freebie plans seem to disappear over time. Problem is, folks often fixate on the free aspect, but overlook the quality issues. While some folks have the ability to look at simple set of plans and create their own takeoff list, it's a complete mystery for others.

You might be able to get by with the economy grade sticks, but I would use T-111 rather than flake board, any day of the week. Old paint is just fine if you have enough of it ... there's nothing wrong with one or two sides of a shed painted in a different color ... as long as they complement each other.