Thirty Dollar Storage Shed

We’ve all been there. You find you need extra storage but, it’s mid-summer and what with graduation parties, weddings, vacations and family reunions, you just simply don’t have the $200 or $300, at the moment, for the cost of a new shed kit, not to mention the $100 or more you will need for wood and supplies for the base. The solution? Look around to see what you can find that you can recycle and breathe new life into.

Gathering Supplies

That’s what we did and we saved more than 90% off the cost of a new shed. Here’s how we did it. My brother John, was tasked by his landlord with clearing out an old dilapidated shed from a tenant that had been evicted from their rental community. The shed, while yet intact, was laying over on its side. He called our brother David and enlisted his help to load it up on one of our trailers and haul it over here to the camp. It was pretty beat up, but they worked on it awhile and soon got it straightened out.

Then, because he works for a prominent hardware outlet, who tosses out older pallets, some of which retain usability, he managed get some for us, at no cost. The pallets that are yet basically whole, we keep for things like bridges, deer stands, decks, etc. The rest, we piece out for various other projects around the camp. The broken-up stuff makes good fodder for the fire-pit. 

Finally, for the price of doing the work to clear them out, he scored a load of building bricks. Once again, no out-of-pocket cost. So, the lesson here is, keep your eye out for opportunities and don’t squander them! Since I already had a screw gun and screws, all I needed now was a couple of 4x8 sheets of plywood and, as it turned out later on in the project, some wasp spray. Combined cost, $30.

Building the Base

We started by laying out the brick pattern for four 48”x40” pallets. Then, using only a pick, a flat-bladed spade and a level, I cut the sod and dug out the patches to fit the bricks in such a way as each pallet laid level on top of them. It took a few hours but in the end, I had a level pallet base, eight feet wide by six feet eight inches long. 

Then, David and I laid out the two plywood panels on top and screwed them into the pallets below. After that, using a hand rip saw, I cut off the remaining excess plywood. Now, we were ready for the last step, moving our repaired metal shed onto the base.

Mounting the Shed

That’s when the wasps began to bite. David took three stings before we realized what was happening. Fortunately, he does not have an allergy to wasps or bees and we had some anti-allergy topical ointment medicine on hand. I went to the store and picked up the wasp spray and in minutes, we were back to work.

Basically, because the shed has no bottom, we simply stood inside and lifted it by the “rafters”. Then, we walked it over to the newly built base. There, we lined it up and screwed it down to the plywood edges. Lastly, we removed the plastic runners which the doors use to slide open and closed and re-seated them in their tracks. Finally, we reattached the doors to the runners while making certain they were properly slotted in the base track. After a little clean up, the result is a solid, working shed.

Tally

Supplies	Retail	Our Cost
1 – 8x6 Shed Kit	$299	$0
4 - 48”x40” Used Pallets	$16	$0
2 - 4x8 Plywood Sheets	$26	$26
100 – weather resistant wood screws	$5	$0
Pest Repellent	$4	$4
Totals	$350	$30