If you are planning on building a wooden shed in your backyard but are concerned about the cost, you can construct one yourself at a relatively low cost. The process of building wooden sheds is simple and is worth the extra effort. An inexpensive shed is well within your wallet’s reach if you have a few basic carpentry skills.

We should start by assessing your needs. Will you be using your shed as a backyard retreat that you will decorate and furnish? Or perhaps you’ll be storing that riding mower that’s made its home in your garage.

Size is another important consideration. It much easier to determine the size shed that will work best once you’ve decided how you will be using it.

Next step, online research. A really good starting point is to look for images of wooden sheds. Get an idea of what will suit your needs by searching through the hundreds of photos available. Once you’ve picked out a few, you can now search for shed plans. A wide selection can be easily downloaded for an average price of around $5.00US. But there are a few that you can get free.

Since we are talking about a limited budget, a great option is to use wood pallets. Boards used to make pallets have been used to build complete sheds. They can be purchased for around $4.00US or better if bought in bulk. With some research, you can find them free of charge. That’s what I did. I found a company that threw them out to be recycled. They were more than happy to let me have as many as I needed.

Of course, by using the wood from pallets, you’ll have to modify how you use the plans but its a great place to start. And, almost everything from the door to the floor and walls can be made by using the wood from the pallets.

Its feasible that all you may have to purchase for this project is the shingles (or whatever material you chose to cover your roof with), hardware and paint or stain.

So you see, your “new” wooden shed is really just a weekend or two away if you use a little resourcefulness.

Wooden sheds have been a big part of Bill Richardson’s life and he wants to share his knowledge, as well as tips on construction and materials, at his web site: BestWoodenSheds.com