advice please. regarding garden shed cost

loopy50 · #1 03-20-2016, 06:18 PM

advice please. what are the material costs of building the average garden shed vs having one ready made and built for you? i have no issue with labor or time costs. just if you were to do it yourself how much might you save?

Blastoff · #2 03-20-2016, 06:45 PM

Likely save $80.00 X 15 hours, price out the materials then you should find out

Xbolt7mm · #3 03-20-2016, 07:24 PM

Tell them what size shed you want and they should make a package for you, then compare

SD1797 · #4 03-20-2016, 08:35 PM

Where are you located if u don't mind loopy? I had a young carpenter from my town build a shed for me for a decent price and he did a good job and very quick.

Jeff336 · #5 03-20-2016, 08:53 PM

With out dimensions it's pretty hard to say but last week at Home Depot 3/8s was like 9 bucks a sheet and 8' 2x4s were like 2.55. So just layout your shed and do some math and there ya go easy enough. Just factor in all your costs like roofing,siding perhaps wiring maybe. And always estimate on the high side ao you have enough.

HunterDave · #6 03-20-2016, 09:11 PM

Around here, you'll save between $300 and $500 on a 8' x 8' wooden shed, depending on who's building it for you. With the current economy you might be able to get someone out of work to build one for material costs plus $200 cash. That would still be cheaper than buying a pre-built one from a hardware store and help out a fella out of work.

avb3 · #7 03-20-2016, 09:14 PM

Sheds are so easy to build, I don't get anyone buying one.

Wes_G · #8 03-20-2016, 09:45 PM

I have seen how awkward anduncomfortable that people can be around hand tools never mind power tools. What seems easy and simple for you and I can be very challenging for some. I understand why some people would buy.

calgarychef · #9 03-20-2016, 09:57 PM

The problem with buying is they're always crappy quality. You can make a good one that will last for years or buy one that will be falling down in 10.

Flanny · #10 03-20-2016, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Around here, you'll save between $300 and $500 on a 8' x 8' wooden shed, depending on who's building it for you. With the current economy you might be able to get someone out of work to build one for material costs plus $200 cash. That would still be cheaper than buying a pre-built one from a hardware store and help out a fella out of work.

X1000000.

Work with the guy if you can, and he may teach you something you'll need down the road. Help out your neighbours where you can- be they next door or the next county over. This downturn will be getting worse before it gets better and that $200 cash may help a guy put food on the table or keep the lights on at home.

There needs to be more of this.

Flanny

Foot Stomper · #11 03-20-2016, 10:36 PM

Don't hire my neighbour by the hour! Last summer he spent no less than 160 hours sawing, grinding, cutting, drilling, banging, sawing, grinding, noise making, building an 8x10 bomb shelter...I mean garden shed. Sorry for the hijack!

If you're handy with a hammer and tape measure, building one is great exercise, mental challenge and very rewarding... Man stuff... Blood, swearing, cold beers at coffee breaks etc.

I'd say build it yourself.

260 Rem · #12 03-20-2016, 10:45 PM

Tofield Colony makes good quality sheds.

RBI · #13 03-21-2016, 07:40 AM

Hire it built , build it your self , or buy pre-built , make sure that where ever you are putting it , is well and properly prepared . Stable and level.

A proper/good quality floor can add some time/dollars , but it's all part of doing it right .

Nothing will kill a shed's longevity like being out of square and racking .

Really sucks when the doors wouldn't close/lock properly .

bat119 · #14 03-21-2016, 07:46 AM

Any lumber yard will you give you a package price for materials with add on's like siding soffits, doors etc. If you do it yourself make sure you level the area first, its a lot harder to build crooked than it is to build square.

JonBoy · #15 03-21-2016, 08:21 AM

I had an 8 x 12 garden shed built to match my house, so it has the same siding, shingles and fascia colors. It's properly ventilated and is built on preserved wood runners. The guy also built in double doors that allow me to drive a quad into the shed. I prepared the ground by taking out the sod and putting down ground cover and crushed stone and then he levelled it with preserved wood shims prior to actually framing it.

I paid $2000 for it and he built it on-site for me. It took two days to finish, though the "real" work was done on the first day and the second was more about a second coat of paint on the doors/trim and a few minor details.

It's built strong, it's built right and it matches. A "manufactured" shed from Canadian Tire or Home Depot was going to be about $1300+ and they're horribly built, flimsy, etc, etc.

The actual construction looked pretty simple to me. I don't believe it would be difficult to do yourself with a little bit of help from a buddy.

Mangosteen · #16 03-21-2016, 10:53 AM

My advice is to get an 8 foot by 8 foot sea container. You can dress up the outside to the look and roof you want later when budget allows.
Mice proof. Water proof. Burglar proof and when you move you can sell it or take it. Buy new. Hard to loose money on it.
You can even use it to store garden tractors and motorbikes.

I gave up long ago on wooden sheds.

waterninja · #17 03-21-2016, 11:38 AM

If you have any large bldg. centers like Home depot or Rona near you, check out the display models that they have in the parking lot. In the past I have gotten some great deals on these display models because they need to get rid of them for this years new models. Great deal and there already assembled.

JonBoy · #18 03-21-2016, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mangosteen

My advice is to get an 8 foot by 8 foot sea container. You can dress up the outside to the look and roof you want later when budget allows.
Mice proof. Water proof. Burglar proof and when you move you can sell it or take it. Buy new. Hard to loose money on it.
You can even use it to store garden tractors and motorbikes.

I gave up long ago on wooden sheds.

How do you get it into and out of your yard? If the OP lives in the city, chances are you can't even fit an 8x8 sea can between houses, nor can you get it through a fence. You could pay a crane to lift it up and over but that'd cost way more than it's worth...

On an acreage, okay, no problem, but for many of us, it's not even possible to place it in our back yard.

Mangosteen · #19 03-21-2016, 01:59 PM

[QUOTE=JonBoy;3179273]How do you get it into and out of your yard? If the OP lives in the city, chances are you can't even fit an 8x8 sea can between houses, nor can you get it through a fence. You could pay a crane to lift it up and over but that'd cost way more than it's worth...

On an acreage, okay, no problem, but for many of us, it's not even possible to place it in our back yard.

It's easy. When the truck delivers it just get a truck with the small crane mounted on it.

If your on a lot with no back alley your screwed, glued, and tattooed.

That's the disadvantage of living in a city. No freedom.

AlbertaBoy1 · #20 03-21-2016, 04:10 PM

Don't buy one of the plastic sheds. They are garbage and there is no easy way to fix them once they break. At least wood you can fix.

Don't buy a metal shed. They look like junk the moment they get dented and that usually happens on the 2nd day. The doors stop working on the 3rd day.

Any exterior wooden part of the shed will need a lot of maintenance. Like paint every 2nd year. Life is too short. So look for maintenance free finishes - stucco, vinyl siding, aluminum soffits, etc.

Don't hire contractors by the job. One of 2 things happens. a) the project goes well, they rush and and get it done quickly, cutting corners like crazy. b) the project doesn't go well and they start griping about "this isn't worth my time" or something and the next thing you know they want more money to finish the job. If you do hire a contractor by the job, get a good drawing, label all the details and have them sign off on the drawing. Also check insurance and don't pay them much until the job is done.

The best is to hire someone by the hour to "help you" and then work side by side with them. Buy the materials yourself or they will charge you time for visiting Home Depot to get nails - the most expensive nails you ever saw by the time you add their time in. And keep them off their cell phone while working, because some guys will spend 20 minutes every hour on their cell phone, 10 minutes eating and 10 minutes "organizing"... nothing gets done in a day.

Put it on a good floor if you want to move it when you move. Or put it on a concrete pad with bolt so it can be unbolted. Don't build some flimsy thing that can't be moved or you'll be building another shed the next time you move.

I think anything over 100 ft^2 needs a building permit. A lot of people skip this step until the building inspector shows up at the door because the neighbors complained.

I'd run power into it so that you can see inside and you can recharge your tools or start your electric start snow blower.

AlbertaBoy1 · #21 03-21-2016, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mangosteen

It's easy. When the truck delivers it just get a truck with the small crane mounted on it.

If your on a lot with no back alley your screwed, glued, and tattooed.

That's the disadvantage of living in a city. No freedom.

At least half the houses in the city have a back alley. Put a gate in the friggin back fence.

Last summer I saw a family shovel yards and yards of dirt into their back yard with a wheel barrow because they didn't have a decent gate in their back fence. Are you kidding me ? A big gate is super handy and you'll use it again and again.

MOUNTAIN MICKEY · #22 03-21-2016, 08:32 PM

8X12 X 8ft high that I built two summers ago cost me $1000.00. I had an older door and door frame donated. 2x4 on 16 centers for sides and roof. Ashfault shingles and matching siding to my house. Rail road ties for a floor-foundation then covered with plywood. All plywood construction as it was cheaper than OSB at the time due to lucky timing when price increases were happening. Put a 4x4 beam in it for hanging quarters. Then built (sorta) shelves from leftovers and misc. Roof is one slope raised 2 feet in front and some hard plastic "stuff" for windows-light source. Turned out pretty good. Floor is painted -mismatched $10 a gallon paint. Swearing cussing was free.