If you are unfamiliar with what lean-to sheds are then here is a basic description of what they are, what purpose they serve, and some tips on how to go about constructing one in a weekend.
As suggested by its name, a lean-to shed is a wooden construction that is usually built along side an existing building, whether that be your house, fence or something similar. They are used to store outdoor equipment, firewood, lawn mowers etc and can be an extremely cost-effective outdoor storage solution.
Building a lean-to shed doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact they can be constructed in just a weekend if you had the right tools, materials and shed plans.
The first thing you must consider when building a lean-to shed is to understand the intended purpose of the shed, that is, what is it going to be used for. If you are reading this article then you have probably already thought about this. However, you should also consider whether or not the design could be expanded to incorporate other outdoor items as well, making your lean-to shed more versatile and even more cost-effective. Doing this simple task will then help you to identify not only the best location for the shed, but it will also help you to conceptualize the design.
The next thing to do is to gather as many lean-to shed plans as possible, endeavoring to consolidate your design. You can get some free lean-to shed plans off the internet or you can get them from your local hardware or timber supply store. The design of your lean-to shed will be limited by what you intend to put it up against, however, as I mentioned earlier, the shed doesn’t have to be built up against your house, it can be constructed against a solid fence, a barn, a sleep-out and the list goes on. So don’t just limit your ideas to your house.
I have two lean-to sheds on my property. I built one lean-to shed up against a fence in the front of our house. This is a simple design, it has two large fence posts holding up an inclined roof which is supported on the fence. It gets plenty of air circulation and this is where we keep our recycling, compost and rubbish bins. This kind of lean-to shed took me a weekend to construct, and I must say it is a perfect solution for our bins.
The other lean-to shed is where we keep our firewood. This lean-to is much bigger and is propped up against the back of out house. This design has a corrugated iron roof and again plenty of air circulation to help keep the wood dry from the elements, even in winter.
Once you have your design consolidated the next thing to do is to figure out material costs. Also take into consideration the tools you may need for the job, because they could add up especially if you need specialized equipment. You don’t have to buy all of your tools. With some of the more expensive items it may be more cost-effective to hire them for a day. However, you should have a clear idea by this stage as to what equipment will be needed if you have a good lean-to shed plan.
As you can see the thing that really drives the success of a project is the quality of the shed plan. A good shed plan drives what materials to buy, the potential cost of the project and ultimately what the shed will look like once constructed. With a good shed plan it is definitely possible to construct a lean-to shed in a weekend, I know because I have done it and so can you.