8×10 Short Shed Plans – DIY Cheap Shed

If you want to learn more about 8×10 short gable shed plans you have to take a close look over the free plans and step by step instructions in the article. This is a cheap shed with a surface of 80 sq ft, that you can use for storing boxes, tools and other items. The overall height for this shed is under 8 ft, so you can comply with the HOA regulations. Remember to read the local codes before starting the project and to comply with the local regulations. The codes differ from one area to another, so it is safer to read them thoroughly.

If you want to get the job done in a professional manner, we recommend you to plan everything with attention, as to prevent costly mistakes and to build a professional garden project. Invest in high quality materials, such as cedar, pine or redwood, as the bench will be exposed to all kinds of weather. Apply a few coats of paint over the components, to enhance their appearance and to protect them from bad weather.

8×10 Short Shed Plans – DIY Cheap Shed

Building a 8×10 short shed

Materials

• 1 – Floor Frame – 2 pieces of 2×6 lumber – 10 ft, 9 pieces – 8 ft
• 2 – Skids – 3 pieces of 4×4 lumber – 10 ft
• 3 – Floor – 2 pieces of 3/4″ plywood – 4’x8′, 1 piece – 2’x8′
• 4 – Side Wall x2 – 2 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 10 ft, 9 pieces – 60″
• 5 – Back Wall – 2 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 89″, 7 pieces – 60″
• 6 – Front Wall – 2 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 20 1/2″, 1 piece – 89″, 6 pieces – 60″, 2 pieces – 56 1/2″, 2 pieces – 51″
• 7 – Rafters – 18 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 52″, 2 pieces – 16 1/4″
• 8 – Roof – 2 pieces of 1/2″ plywood – 24″x48″, 2 pieces – 48″x96″, 2 pieces – 3″x72″, 2 pieces – 3″x48″, 4 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 55 3/4″, 2 pieces – 121 1/4″
• 9 – Roofing – 120 sq ft of tar paper & shingles
• 10 – Jambs – 2 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 58″, 1 piece – 55″
• 11 – Door – 2 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 48″, 2 pieces – 51″, 1 piece – 41″, 1 piece of T1-11 siding – 48″x58″

• 2 pieces of 2×6 PT lumber – 10 ft
• 9 pieces of 2×6 lumber – 8 ft
• 3 pieces of 3/4″ PT plywood – 4’x8′
• 20 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 10 ft (wall frames)
• 5 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 8 ft (wall frames)
• 11 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 10 ft (rafters & overhangs)
• 2 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 12 ft (overhangs)
• 4 pieces of 2×4 lumber – 10 ft (doors)
• 10 pieces of T1-11 siding – 4’x8′
• 3 pieces of 1/2″ plywood – 4’x8′
• 120 sq ft of tar paper & shingles
• 400 pieces of 1 5/8″ screws
• 100 pieces of 2 1/2″ screws
• 1000 pieces of 3 1/2″ screws
• 500 pieces of 6d nails
• wood glue, stain/paint
• 18 pieces of rafter ties
• 1 box of 1 1/2″ structural screws
• 3/4″ roofing screws
• door hardware kit

Tools

• Hammer, Tape measure, Carpentry square, Pocket Hole Jig
• Miter saw, Drill machinery, Screwdriver, Sander, Router
• Safety Gloves, Safety Glasses, Respiratory Mask

Time

• One week

STEP 1: Building the 8×10 shed floor

Assembling-the-shed-floor-frame

First step of the outdoor project is to build the floor frame for the short shed. Therefore, cut the joists from 2×6 lumber, as shown in the diagram. Choose a flat surface where you assemble the shed floor. Drill pilot holes through the side joists and insert 3 1/2″ screws into the perpendicular joists. Place the joists every 16″ on center and make sure the corners are square.

Fitting-the-skids

Fit the 4×4 skids under the floor frame, so you can lift it from the ground and protect the components from the moisture. Use rafter ties and 1 1/2″ structural screws to secure the skids to the floor frame. Invest in pressure treated lumber for the skids.

Select the location for the shed and remove the vegetation layer. Level the surface thoroughly and them compact a 4″ layer of gravel. This will help you by keeping the moisture away from the floor frame. You can also read the local codes so you see the recommendation.

Fitting-the-floor-sheets

Use 3/4″ pressure treated plywood for the floor of the shed. Cut the sheets at the right dimensions and lay them to the frame. Align the edges, leave no gaps between the sheets and insert 1 5/8″ screws to lock them into place. Insert the screws every 8″ along the framing joists.

STEP 2: Building the 10×12 shed frame

Side-wall-frames—-cheap-shed

Next, we need to assemble the side wall frames. Cut all the components from 2×4 lumber. Lay the components on the shed floor and attach the studs to the plates, every 16″ on center. Use 3 1/2″ nails or screws, through the plates into the studs. If you use screws, drill pilot holes.

You need to insert at least 2 screws for each joint. Also, you must measure the diagonals and make sure they are perfectly equal, otherwise the corners won’t be right angled.

Header

To assemble the a double header, join together two pieces of lumber and a piece of 1/2″ plywood in the middle. Add glue to the joints and insert 2 1/2″ screws from both sides. We need a double header for the front wall opening

Front-wall-frame

Next, build the front wall for the garden shed. As you can see in the diagram, I have designed it with a 4 ft opening, so you can install a large door and have easy access inside the shed with larger objects. Notice the 2×4 double header. Measure the diagonals of the wall frame and make sure they are equal.

This is a cheap storage shed, so you need to make the most of the space. Therefore, installing a 4 ft door helps so you can store lots of large items inside the shed.

Back-wall-frame

Next, build the back wall frame for the shed. Cut the components at the right dimensions and lay them on the floor of the shed. Use 3 1/2″ nails / screws to secure the studs to the plates. Notice the double top plates.

STEP 3: Assembling the shed frame

Fitting-the-side-wall-frames

Lift the side frames and lay them to the floor of the short shed. Plumb the walls with a spirit level and then make sure the edges are flush. Drill pilot holes through the bottom plates and insert 3 1/2″ screws into the floor of the shed. Use temporarily braces to lock the frames into place, till you attach the rest of the wall frames.

Assembling-the-shed-frame

Next, attach the front and back wall frames to the floor of the shed. Make sure the edges are flush and then insert the 3 1/2″ screws through the plates into the shed floor. Lock the adjacent wall frames together with 3 1/2″ screws. Insert 3 1/2″ screws through the top plates.

STEP 4: Building the gable shed roof

Rafters-for-8×10-shed

Next, build rafters for the shed, using 2×4 lumber. Use a miter saw to make the 20 degree angle cuts, that is the quickest and most accurate method to speed up the process.  Next, mark the cut lines to the opposite end of the rafters and get the job done with a circular saw. Smooth the edges flush.

Assembling-the-trusses

Use the 3/4″ plywood  leftover from the floor, to make the gussets. Mark the cut lines on the plywood and get the job done with a circular saw. Lay the gussets over the joints, as shown in the diagram. Use 1 5/8″ screws to secure the gussets into place. The gussets will reinforce the trusses, but remember to attach them to both sides of the trusses, except for the front and back end trusses (only on one side).

Fitting-the-trusses-to-8×10-shed

Attach the trusses to the top of the shed frame. Plumb the trusses with a spirit level and lock them to the top plates of the side walls with rafter ties and 1 1/2″ structural screws. Place the trusses every 16″ on center.

Gable-end-supports

Attach the 2×4 supports to the gable ends. Drill pocket holes at both ends and secure them into place with 2 1/2″ screws.

STEP 5: Attaching the siding sheets

Gable-end-siding-panels

Use 5/8″ T1-11 siding sheets for the exterior of the shed. Align the edges flush to the side walls of the shed, then insert 6d nails, every 8″ along the framing. Use a saw to make the cuts around the gable ends.

Fitting-the-side-siding-overhangs

Fit the T1-11 siding sheets to the side of the shed. Notice the cut outs around the door and the window. You can perform the cuts with a circular saw.

Fitting-the-roof-sheets—8×10-cheap-shed

Cut and attach the 1/2″ plywood sheets to the roof of the shed. Align the edges flush and insert 1 5/8″ screws to lock the sheets to the rafters, every 8″ /

Fitting-the-overhangs

Use 2×4 lumber for the overhangs. Use a miter saw to make a 20 degree bevel cut to one end of the overhangs. Drill pocket holes along the overhangs and  then insert 2 1/2″ screws to lock them to the front and back of the shed. Align the edges flush, so you can secure them into place tightly.

Fitting-the-side-overhangs

Fit the side overhangs into place, as well, using 2 1/2″ screws and pocket holes.

Fitting-the-shed-roofing—8×10

Cover the roof of the shed with roofing felt, making sure the strips overlap at least 2″. Secure the tar paper to the plywood sheets with roofing staples. In addition, cut a large piece for the ridges. Install the asphalt shingles starting with bottom left toward the top of the shed. Read the manufacturer’s instructions.

STEP 6: Building the 8×10 gable shed doors

Fitting-the-shed-jambs

Fit the 2×4 jambs around the front wall. Align the edges with attention and insert 3 1/2″ screws to secure them into place tightly.

Shed-door-frame

Next, you need to build the door for the  storage shed. Use 2×4 lumber for the frame and T1-11 siding sheets for the panels (the piece that you cut out when attaching the front wall panels). Cut the components for the door frame and drill pocket holes, as shown in the diagram. Align the edges flush and check if the corners are square. Insert 2 1/2″ screws to assemble the frame.

Assembling-the-shed-door

After you cut the panels you need to lay them on a level surface. Lay the trims over the panels and then insert a few 1 5/8″ screws to lock them into place. Turn the door upside down and insert more 1 5/8″ screws through the panels into the trims.

Fitting-the-shed-door

Fit the 4 ft wide door to the opening and then lock them to the jambs with hinges. Install a latch to keep the door closed and your possessions safe.

STEP 7: Finishing touches

8×10-short-shed-plans

Last but not least, you need to take care of the finishing touches. Apply a few coats of paint over the exterior of the shed. A little paint will get you far in terms of appearance, and it is a relatively small investment.

8×10-cheap-shed-plans—front-view

You can add decorative trims to the shed to make it pop. In addition, add a vent to make sure the air circulates properly inside the shed.

How-to-build-a-8×10-short-shed—dimensions

You can notice the overall dimensions for this large garden shed, in the diagram. These dimensions will help you decide if you have the right space for this project on your property and also see if you meet the local requirements. You can see all my storage plans HERE. See 10×12 gable shed plans and 12×16 storage shed plans.

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