Rough estimate on overall cost of 100 sq ft shed versus having one delivered

[mmendozabn]

I've never built a structure in my life - but - I am considering building a small shed in the back yard.

Both my friends who have sheds told me it's not worth building your own shed; just have one delivered and you put it together on site.

They say the cost, in the end, is about the same. Of course, both of them had theirs delivered (and even then, it was a pain to erect) so maybe I need to ask others.

I don't have any special-price access to materials, so, I'd be paying whatever the local cost is for materials.

For those of you who have built a (roughly 100 sq ft) shed, can you give me a rough estimate on the overall costs?

For the moment, I have no definite plans, but, to give you an idea, I assume I'd want at least a concrete foundation for the edges (even though there is no frost to speak of where I live).

The floor will be whatever materials make sense. I'm sure concrete would be wonderful but probably expensive so I might end up opting for a slightly elevated wood floor (while there is no freeze, in the winter, it does rain a lot).

The sides would be of wood, and, I might stucco it for easy maintenance. I'm open on the windows & doors (dunno why a shed would need windows but many seem to have 'em).

Roof would be whatever roofs are made of nowadays. It never rains here from about May to about December (roughly). Then it pours for the entire winter. And then no rain again for the entire summer. (Only two seasons, in effect.)

I'm assuming I'll do all my own work. I've seen plans on the net, so, I'd end up mixing and matching a few sets of those, I guess.

I realize costs can vary greatly - but - I was just wondering if you had experience comparing the cost of the pre-fab ones versus building your own.

Any advice?

[RogerT]

Just curious -- where are you located where the temperatures and weather conditions are as you have described?

And, I would say to listen to what your two friends who already have sheds have said. Since you said you have never built a structure in your life, trying to do what you have in mind (with stucco, and a roof made of "whatever roofs are made of nowadays", etc.) sounds like overreaching to me.

[Ed Pawlowski]

"mmendozabn" wrote

You can build a shed for half the pre-made. You can build a shed for double the pre-made. You can buy a pre-made for $300 or for $3000.

There are so many variables from low end junk to high end masterpieces. Not knowing what you are looking for it is impossible to give an answer. The big question, do you want to tackle the project? If you are doing it to save money, you can buy for the same or less pre-made. If you like doing that kind of work, want to be able to say "I built that", then go for it. Don't forget to add in the cost of tools if you do not already have them.

[Joe]

Don't fret about the cost, just give it a go. It's part of growing up.

Joe

[HeyBub]

Every once in a while I see a shed on Craigslist for cheap. I've bit on a couple of metal sheds (disassembly required), but was too late in my response.

[mmendozabn]

I have hammers & circular saws & t-squares & shovels & a wheelbarrow to mix the concrete & a tape measure & a set of levels & plumb lines & a sawzall & I don't mind buying necessary tools.

What other tools would I need?

Note: While I have a large 220v compressor, I don't see the need for the fancy air tools, even when working on my car.

[mmendozabn]

I don't like the 'cheapness' look and feel to the metal sheds.

And, I certainly can't stand the plastic.

What's I'm going to attempt is wood with stucco. I'm not sure if I'll opt for the all-cement floor or if I'll just dig a foundation of cement blocks around the perimeter.

[mmendozabn]

I'm not sure exactly where you're going with that, but, in a way, it's good advice.

I mean, how much can it possibly cost? It should add as much value to the home (and utility) as it costs, at the very least.

For example, if I build it well, with a concrete foundation and lag bolted so it won't slide during the earthquakes, and, with a good tile roof, it should hold up over many a rainy season. With our long dry summers, it simply needs to keep the sun off the equipment.

I guess, following your lead, I could build it in stages, each weekend going slightly further, e.g.,

Weekend 1: Dig the foundation (100 square feet) & lay the gravel bed Weekend 2: Mix & pour the concrete slab & insert lag bolts around the edges Weekend 3: Build the floor Weekend 4: Build a wall or two on the ground, one with a window perhaps Weekend 5: Build another wall or two on the ground, this time with a door Weekend 6: Pull up the four walls & start the roofing Weekend 7: Finish the framing of the roof Weekend 8: Cover with plywood Weekend 9: Tile the roof Weekend 10: Stucco the walls Weekend 11: Paint to match the house Weekend 12: Add interior shelving & access ramps if needed

[mmendozabn]

I'm assuming about a thousand dollars in lumber so, this makes sense.

I took wood shop years ago, and I can easily handle any saw, from a table saw to a jig saw to a band saw to a circular saw to a chain saw to a sawzall saw.

To do a good job, as always, takes a lot of experience that I don't have. So, I'm sure I'll make many mistakes. But, after all, it's 'just' a shed so those mistakes will be learning experiences.

The biggest thing I'll learn, after the fact, will be (I presume) how to lay out the lumber for the least amount of cutting and waste and things like that. I'm sure I'll make a bunch of measurement mistakes (e.g., cutting the wrong end, cutting slightly too long or slightly too short, etc.); but that's the fun of building your own, isn't it?

Given lumber and materials for a 100 sq foot shed, I'm going to assume about $2,000 in toto.

Does that sound about right for this setup?

- One window

- Home-made doors

- Tile roof ($1/tile, used tiles)

- Stucco exterior

- Pressure-treated lumber

- Concrete slab with a center drain

- 16 penny nails

- No interior finishing whatsoever except shelving

- Exterior paint

[mmendozabn]

I'm thinking about $1K for pressure-treated lumber and another $1K for materials such as concrete, lag bolts, 16 penny nails, paint, roofing tiles, etc.

I'd love to do it, over the course of a few months, on the weekends.

All the pre-made kits I've found look like garbage. At least all the ones set up at Lowes and Home Depot and Costco and OSH and ACE Hardware are.

I want it to match the home. Nothing pre-fab will do that.

Tools are never a major consideration since they are used over the course of decades - they pay for themselves over time. So, I'll buy any and all the tools I need (but I should have all the basic tools already).

How does $1K for the pressure-treated lumber and $1K for the ancillary materials sound (e.g., gravel, concrete, nails, window, hinges, flashing, paint, stucco, roofing tile, etc.)?

[mmendozabn]

I think I'll budget about $2K in costs.

Does that sound about right?

I'll be going wherever you guys go to get lumber. Home Depot? Lowes? OSH?

[Ed Pawlowski]

"mmendozabn" wrote

Sounds like you are ready to start. Most of the pre-fab are rather utilitarian at best.

With that budget, you can build a damned nice shed. From your other posts, it seems as though you have enough tools to start and either have the skills or can learn them easily. Let us know how it progresses.

[HeyBub]

Okay. I've seen several wooden sheds on Craigslist also.

They have to be moved, but that should be cheaper than building one.

As a compromise, get one of the free metal/rubber sheds and stucco the thing.

[RogerT]

mmendozabn,

In your later posts you wrote that you have tons of tools, the wood shop experience, you can use any type of saw, and that you don't like the look of pre-made sheds and want your new shed to match the style and color of your house. That changes the picture. So, go for it and build your own.

A few things you may want to consider are: 1) if there are any code or permit requirements for putting up a shed in your area; 2) learning exactly how the roof should be constructed so it won't leak (materials, how they are installed, etc.); learning about stucco over wood (probably tar paper on wood as a barrier, then wire mesh nailed over the wood to hold the stucco); and ways to mix built-in color into the stucco to match the color of your house stucco, unless your house stucco is already painted and not it's original stucco color (in that case, just match the paint and paint your new shed stucco). Also, someone else posted recently about his shed being too hot in the summer, so consider a roof vent, ridge vent, or wall vents near the peak of the roof for cooling.

Oh, and "before, during, and after" pictures for all of us to see of course!

Good luck.

[krw]

Learn Sketchup and design the thing down to the cut, if need be. I use it for almost everything.