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Looking for a cheap shed? Consider using shed plans to build your own. Maybe you need some additional storage for your gardening tools or the kids bikes? One way to get a really cheap shed is to build one yourself. You may be surprised how many people are taking this route and trying a bit of DIY. With the aid of some good shed plans building a shed is well within the capability of many DIY enthusiasts . Of course if your needs are bigger then this can be catered for as well. After all, when it comes to sheds, the bigger they are – the bigger the savings!

Why should you you build your own? What’s wrong with a prefab shed or an easy assemble shed kit? Well a few advantages are that you can make it any size and design you want with ahuge selction of shed plans. You can select your own materials, you can take as much time as you like and even build it over time based on your budget availability.

So you want a cheap shed but you don’t want an eyesore. You don’t want a shed that will collapse the first time someone slams the door and you don’t want to pay someone a fortune just to make sure your design is sound.

Having shed plans with details and illustrations that you can read, understand and visualise will make building your shed much simpler and importantly it will keep you on track so that you end up with the shed that you wanted in the first place!

When looking for shed plans keep in mind how you plan to use this space, this will give you an idea how big you will want to build.

When deciding on your shed plans consider how you intend to use the space. Is it for garden tools or do you intend parking your sit-on mower in there? Get a good idea of how big you will want to build your shed.

When you have chosen your desired shed make sure you look through the shed plans thoroughly before attempting construction. Plans will make building easier but more importantly the material list will allow you to estimate the final cost. After all you are still after a cheap shed right?

OK, so you decide to build your own cheap shed. Where do you start?
Well like all buildings (and many other things for that matter) it needs a good foundation. There are many ‘foundation’ metaphors I could use here but I will resist.

If your constructing a small shed then a skid foundation is fairly comon. Erecting your cheap shed on a skid foundation will make it portable, in case you ever need to move it. The skid is simply a wooden base that is not attached to the ground.

Always ensure the area is level (we don’t want any leaning towers of Pisa here). Create a poured concrete base or four inches of gravel. Setting your shed on concrete or gravel will help stop the wooden base drawing up moisture that leads to premature rotting.

You can then frame the walls around the base and put the roof supports in place. This will give your basic skeleton structure. It is then a relatively simple task of fitting the sidings and and roof.

Finally install the door and any window glass and add any trim and weather proofing.

Like I mentioned earlier it’s all about good foundations and that includes the preparation of your materials and an understanding of the plans.
If you plan to build a large shed or cabin then you may want to check on any local regulations especially if you in an area of special interest.
Even for a complete novice building a shed can be simple and rewarding. Just make sure you do your prep work first, follow the shed plans instructions carefully and you will have you first structure up in no time. I tell you something, once you build that first shed you will looking for something bigger and better to build – mark my word!.

Still not sure that building from scratch is for you? Then maybe you do need to consider a shed kit but bare in mind you will still need to build the concrete or gravel foundation base.

If your still up for this then where do you get these shed plans? You have two main options, either a book from a book store or download plans online. Although real books are nice in themselves if its real, value for money you are after then downloadable online plans offer the very best deals for a cheap shed.