The DIY lean to shed is a popular choice for the do it yourself enthusiast. Lean to’s are a practical and affordable solution to your storage needs, where there is sufficient yard space. Whether you want to store garden equipment, barbecue, garden furniture or household furniture, the lean to shed is a good storage solution.

If you decide to go the self build route, you will discover the project is cost effective, and you can make it a family endeavour by involving each member of the family. Little ones could have a go with a paint brush when it comes to treating the timber, properly supervised of course. Or perhaps you can find them another job.

Lean to sheds typically have three walls, the fourth side butts up to an existing wall, such as your home, or possibly another outbuilding. They are usually built from wood or metal. The choice of material for the job can be decided by how solid and durable you want the construction to be and how it will look when it is finished. Some combinations might look a bit out of place, such as metal up against brickwork.

When deciding on the size of the DIY lean to shed I typically work on the size of the largest item I want to store and base my calculations on that. One of the advantages of building your own lean to shed is that you have complete control over the design. This is especially useful to know when it comes to deciding how wide you want your lean to shed to be. The ready made ones are a bit narrow for my needs.

Once you have some idea how big you want the lean to, its time to sketch it out on some paper, take measurements and take them with you to the lumber yard. You can buy the timber pre treated or you can treat it yourself.

Make sure you have an accurate set of DIY shed plans to work from, and make sure you understand them. If there is anything on them you do not understand, it could mean problems once the project has begun. In my opinion, a good set of DIY shed plans makes the difference between success and failure to a project of this kind. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to comprehend blueprints which are open to more than one interpretation.

Lean to sheds are not complex designs, and putting one of these together can be done over a couple of weekends.