The next thing to consider is the scale of the shed. Ideally you would like the biggest shed the space can handle however be careful of two things. Ease of access is critical, you may want a massive shed but are you willing to compromise other areas of the garden or blocking daylight to the house? Also if you choose a massive shed think about planning permission. You will have to apply for a permit and extra taxes might be added to your property also. Check with the local council and get acceptable dimensions as you’ll increase your hassle factor by 10 if you do not.

The third thing to do is choosing the right materials. Personally the one thing I wouldn’t compromise on is the quality of the material. You could cut corners and save some cash on cheaper material but you will have regrets about it in the long term. As you are building something you would like to last give it the best chance by getting the most expensive materials you can. There are plenty of considerations, the type of shed you would like, is it going to be metal, plastic or wood? Think about the roofing, do you want it to be plastic, tarred, tiled or thatched. The beauty of designing your own shed is you can mix’n'match, there are no set rules.

The final thing to do is assess the price. Check on prices of prefab sheds and see what is for sale get vs what it is going to cost to build. You might find it’s possible to get a better quality shed in kit form for what you are planning to build it for. Also allow for your own time and labour costs. You may need to draft in help and is this going to cost, regardless of whether it is buddies and they don’t mind being paid in beer and pizzas it is still going to come out of your pocket so keep that noted.

Building your own shed can be enjoyable and satisfying at the same time, however if it seems like there are going to be other things that are going to stop you having the shed you want then perhaps look at kit sheds as an alternative.

Chris Steele has had an interest in sheds for a while, he likes to buy cheap sheds and restore them. On his website are loads of articles referring to sheds including prefab sheds.

Things to Consider When Designing a Shed is a post from: WiredWriter