Cost savings - build shed or buy kit/prefab

[mclear6]

I need to move the lawn tractor from the garage into a shed. Does anyone have experience of building their own shed from scratch vs buying a kit or pre-fab shed. I am looking at a 10x12 shed. When we built the house, we had the site guys build a 10x12 gravel pad for the shed. There is a shed from one of the big box stores that is $1700.

Not including labor costs. How much savings is there in building it from scratch vs buying a kit or prefab shed?

[tommyt654]

Why not prefab it yourself, Should be easy to frame 4 square walls and then get someone else to put a Tin roof on it cheap, a raised floor over a gravel bed is relatively easy with PT timbers and plywood I would think and cheaper than a prefab unit from the box store. Just a thought, insulate it with some foam and run some power out or just get a solar light for inside. Heck you can prolly easily find used lumber to reduce the cost even more if you have been near any Tornadic activety lately, lots of good lumber going to waste as homes get demolished

[mclear6]

Tommy, Luckily we rarely get any twisters up her in NJ, if so, they are usually small F1's. However, back in october with that freak snowstorm that dump over a foot of snow, a lot of trees fell and knocked out power for a week.

I'm thinking of building it my self. I wanted to hear what other people did.

[vaking]

I never built a shed but my rule of thumb is that if standard out of the box mass-produced utilitarian item will do the job - it will be cheaper to buy then to build. I usually build when it is something one-of-a-kind, taylor-made and alternatives are build vs custom-order or hiring someone to do it. Here in northern NJ lumber is not cheap and neither is labor. Calculate how much you will have to spend in lumber/paint/hardware before you start and how much time it will take you to build. I don't know about you but I don't have enough time to spend in the shop, so whatever time I have I would not be spending on a shed. I got into woodworking not because it saves money - it usually doesn't. I do it because I enjoy time in the shop but building a shed I doubt is that much joy.

[cabinetman]

I put up two 10x12 metal sheds (Arrow) from Sears. They were side by side until Wilma, and one went bye bye. They were under $300 each, and needed a slab of some type.

So, I rebuilt the missing one and the cost was substantially higher...maybe twice...I can't remember. But I made it taller, and structurally better.
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Shed on the right missing.
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Most framing done.
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Completed.
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[Pappy]

I just built a 12x16. The cost was a couple of hundred under that of one at HD, but it is better built. Slab floor, double loft storage, sliding doors, studs 16' oc rather than 24", and metal standing seam roof.

[jimmy0x52]

I just built a 12x16. The cost was a couple of hundred under that of one at HD, but it is better built. Slab floor, double loft storage, sliding doors, studs 16' oc rather than 24", and metal standing seam roof.

You do the roof on that yourself? I have a shed with a similar roof that needs repair/replacement. Thinking of just going metal on it but I'd really like to do it myself to save $$$. It seems that the 4-section roof could be a real pain in the ass to do though.

[toolguy1000]

one vote here for pre-fab. we erected an 8x8 from HD 5 years ago. set it on concrete blocks and reinforced the floor framing during assembly. unit was complete except for roof shingles. as with all DIY home improvement, it's easy to overbuild relative to the intended use. decide what you want to use it for ( in our case, lawn equipment storage) and build to that functional application.

[Rand]

My gut says that it would be cheaper to build one on your own. However, I really don't know the answer. You are just gonna have to price your materials. I found this site that offers a materials estimate spreadsheet. Maybe it can help you:

http://www.shedking.net/shed-materials.html

[newbie2wood]

I built a 8x8 pre-fab shed from HD many years ago, thinking it would be fun and would save myself some money. The experience was okay but I would buy a ready-made shed or build one from my own design the next time. With a pre-fab shed, you have to follow the instructions, which was time-consuming. You have to see where nails are required and how the many pieces are fitted together. My shed was not designed with four 2x4 walls. The front and back walls were not typical studded 16” wall construction, so following instruction was important. My shed came with 2x3 studs. The shed was sturdy and lasted 10 years until I moved. However, if I had built the shed from scratch, it would have been faster, cheaper and sturdier. In terms of costs, after factoring in the shingles, tar paper, flooring, paints, and extra nails, it was about $500 - $700 cheaper than buying a ready-made shed. For me, the savings was not worth it considering the time invested and the quality of the materials and design. Like I said, it was a good experience but I would not want to do it again.

[dbhost]

Something to keep in mind. Most of the pre fab sheds are actually just kits. You still have to nail everything together, finish it etc... The lumber they typically use is radically substandard such as 2x3 with lots of knots etc...

I have 2 neighbors that have built or had built by someone else, sheds over the last 2 years, both 10x12, and would at least looks wise be comparable to the Tuff Shed "Garden Ranch Model", fitted with a single window.

The pre built one was a Tuff Shed, using 2x3 lumber, with more than a few open / loose knots, and studs 24" OC. The neighbor in question paid about $2,600.00 after tax and all is said and done including prepping the site, gravel pad, and the required hurricane anchors tied to the skids.

The fellow immediately next door to him built a same size shed, used clean 2x4s, double layered the floor, epoxy painted the floor, built the walls with studs 16" OC etc... which are major structural upgrades, also he used hurricane straps and screws wherever he could. His cost? $1,800.00 plus labor more or less... The labor was provided at the cost of 4 pizzas, and 6 cases of Budweiser, 8 bags of ice, and a very large borrowed cooler, and some willing friends and neighbors... (Okay some payback, he's the one that has been helping me with my Hardi siding... )

I can tell you which shed I would rather have MY stuff in next time a big storm blows in off the gulf!

[mclear6]

Thanks for all the input... I am still a month or so from building, but all of the input has been great.