Imaginative Plans for Shed

Using a set of plans to build a wood shed.

Most people with gardens, or those who are simply into DIY, like the idea of some sort of shed where they can store tools and other items safely and securely – out of the house.

The challenge though is to design and build – or buy – a shed that is not only practical but attractive as well.

It's helpful to have a set of plans that are easy and inexpensive when building your shed. I can't imagine build one without having a set. It's like going on a road trip without a map or GPS.

In fact many of them lack any sort of imagination at all, but you can still use them as a starting point for building an attractive garden shed that will meet your needs.

A Custom Design for an Attractive Backyard Shed

Given the challenge to build an attractive, imaginative garden shed on a limited budget some years ago, we decided to use lumber, but to add a few decorative details, and to paint the wood in customary dark green and white.

Instead of making a stud structure with pre-constructed wooden panels, we opted for a pole or stick structure, using one of the oldest and most basic construction methods around. What this involves is sinking upright poles or posts into the ground, in concrete. Then the horizontal framework is assembled and bolted into place. Another option would be to build a shed on skids, also with a wooden floor of some sort – either tongue-and-groove or orientated strand board (OSB).

We constructed a straightforward suspended wooden tongue-and-groove floor, and used wider tongue-and-groove lapboard for the walls. We built the decking with relatively narrow planks.

We drew a basic plan for the 3 m x 2.5 m or approximately 10 ft x 8 ft little building (deck included). This was based on the most cost effective building materials available, including the lumber and the organic-fiber roof sheeting. We decided on one fixed window that would allow light to enter the shed, but for security reasons could not be opened. We also opted for a single solid-wood door that could be locked. Both were carefully measured and specified on the plan.

We constructed a basic crisscross railing – easy to do if you notch the diagonal lengths of wood so that they slot together – around the little deck, for looks rather than anything else. Then we cut out a relatively simple zigzag trim from lengths of plywood and drilled holes to create an attractive pattern. We nailed this to the top of the shed to give it a little extra charm and character.

Whether you design your own shed or build from off-the-shelf shed plans, shed plans of some sort are absolutely essential.

Working From Plans When you Build a Backyard Shed

Plans for a shed don't have to be elaborate, but they do need to be detailed, both in terms of size and the materials that should be used. Not only will the plan show you how to lay out the structure, but it will also show you how to put the structure together.

If you don't work from plans, it is virtually impossible to be organized and to ensure that you have all the materials required for the job. There's nothing quite as irritating as having to stop a job halfway through a build to rush off and buy more cement, or lumber, or nails, screws and bolts. But it happens all the time.

A good set of plans will obviate this potential problem. Plans will also help you to work logically.

Where to Find Ready-made Shed Plans

In addition to paying a qualified person to draw plans for you from scratch – which you may need to do, depending on the local authority laws and regulations – you can find loads of plans in books, magazines and on the Internet. Even if you do need to submit plans for sheds before you start building, you can often adapt off-the-shelf designs, or have them adapted for you.

For more information on shed plans, please read these articles:

A Guide to Free Shed Blueprints

Information on Shed Plans: Gambrel Roof Plan