Trusty old ‘DIY’ (do-it-yourself). Excellent if you have relevant skills in what you are trying to do yourself; disastrous is you are a bit lacking.
I have had varying levels of success with DIY projects in the past. Plastering is something I will now leave to the experts after wasting countless hours and litres of plaster to no avail. One big mess!
Over the years, as I have built more and more sheds and other wooden outbuildings, I have come to rely less on printed designs. If you like, the printed designs have now become imprinted in my skull and I can work out what needs to be done.
However, if I’m building a shed that I haven’t built before (like one with a curved roof or one with a more complex structure), I definitely use printed shed designs to ensure I am doing the right thing.
DIY shed designs are great to have. They are created so that the reader can understand exactly what needs to be done in order to reach the end goal (i.e. have a completed shed).
They outline what tools you need, what materials you need and whether you will need any help.
They are an invaluable resource, and ensure that anyone using them is as fully prepared to complete a shed as possible.
There are so many available online that it can be overwhelming. Many online plans come as part of paid-for packages, which require a fee to join and see; some are free.
Generally, if you want a very simple shed to be built, free plans are a good option, particularly if you have some basic carpentry knowledge already.
If you’re new to woodworking and want a complete step-by-step plan which really tells you precisely what you need to do, using one of the paid-for DIY shed plans is a good bet.
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Pent Roof. This is the simplest of roof styles, and is also the easiest to build! Basically, the front wall is higher than the back wall and the roof is therefore placed on a sliding gradient. This is good for ensuring any rainfall runs off the back, though I’d recommend having the front and back portions of the roof jutting out slightly from the walls to ensure the water drains onto the floor rather than down the walls.
Pitch (Gable) Roof. Each sidewall supports roof trusses that angle towards each other and meet in the middle of the front wall, at a height higher than the height of the walls. The roof therefore has two parts. These are great for extra roof storage.
Hip Roof. This is a slight variation of the usual gable roof. This is because the roof is made up of four sections. Each side wall supports one section of the roof, and each of the front and back walls also support sections of the roof which lean in towards each other. This is more difficult to construct, but is really satisfying to have made!
Saltbox Roof. One side of the shed (let’s say the left side) is higher than the other. This side supports some roof trusses that angle upwards and towards the middle of the front wall. However, the right side supports trusses which meet those of the left side off-center of the front wall. It almost looks lopsided, but is great for storing items which range in height.
Gambrel Roof. This is a variation of the gable roof in that each of the left and right hand sections of the roof are made up of different sections with different sloping gradients. As such, they can increase the amount of storage held (almost in a curved pattern). They are more difficult to build.
