This shed is aimed at those who are thinking about buying a shed but are wondering if they will need to hire a professional to do the job or if you can do it by yourself, and the good news is, if you are a hands on person and have access to an extra pair of hands then you should be able to build your wooden shed yourself.

Even better, most sheds now that are ordered online come flat packed which means that you would have to be really unlucky to build one from scratch from the frame to nailing each slat on individually. This guide is to talk you through putting up a flat packed shed so be sure to check before ordering yours. This applies for any sized wooden shed, since all sized sheds we have put up from 6×6 to 8×24 have all came flat packed, and all came with 4 foot wide walls with an added piece to make up the difference if needed.

Before you start thinking about buying a wooden shed make sure you have a level base ready for it to go on. You can see my full guide on how to build a concrete base for a wooden shed here.

Before we start with my full instructions on how to put together a timber shed, let’s look at what tools we need

The tools needed to put together a flat packed wooden shed include:

• Drill
• Spirit level
• Hammer
• Stanley knife
• Step ladder
• Saw

Don’t forget your personal protective equipment!

• Gloves for handling the timber
• Goggles for handling the roof felt as it gets everywhere!

Step 1 – Start by putting together the floor

When building any timber shed we need to build from the ground up, starting with the floor panels. Start by putting them into position and turning them upside down, followed by screwing them together by the floor bearers.

Check your instruction manual to see if you’ve been given heavy duty bearers as now would be the time to screw them onto the ends of your floor boards. One each side of the gable ends, and if your wondering what they look like then they are 2 pieces of wood joined together.

Step 2 – Install the shed walls

Once your floor is finished for your wooden shed, it’s time to install the shed walls. Before you begin, lay out the wall panels to make sure that they are are symmetrical from side to side. Most wall panels are 4 feet wide, this means that if you had an 8 foot long shed then you would need 2 4 foot wall panels, but if you had a 6 foot long shed then you would be given a 4 foot wall, plus a 2 foot panel to make up the difference. This shed we built was 6×6, so you will see that we had 2 wall panels, at different sizes, but symmetrical.

The reason that the panels need to be symmetrical length ways length ways is because when you add the roof trusses later, they will line up to the joins in the wall panels, giving extra strength to the timber shed build.

If you installed heavy duty bearers to the floor panels then the end panels, such as the door panel and back wall will sit directly on top of these which is why it is best to start on the front or back of the wooden shed build to ensure correct fitment.

Join the walls by screwing them downwards into the floor, making sure that they line up to the frame beneath the floor, as well as screwing the wall panels to each other.

Now it’s time to install the gable tops & trusses to your wooden shed

The table tops and trusses are what’s needed to be installed before you can put the roof on your new timber shed. The gable tops sit at the front and rear of your shed and in most cases, the wooden slats should pop or slide into the slats at the top of the door and wall panels. Once on, screw into place.

The trusses are there to pull the side walls together, keep everything inline as well as giving the shed build extra strength. They will usually line up the the joins in the side wall panels.

Step 4 – Install your roof panels on your timber shed

Like with the wall panels being 4 feet wide plus the addition of a smaller one to make up the difference if needed, the roof panels are the same and must also line up symmetrically on each side so that they line up to the trusses.

Start by laying the roof panels upside down and using some batton to screw them together, so that you end up with just 2 sides for each side of the shed. The baton doesn’t need to be any longer than a foot long at most and will sit inside the trusses (the batton must not reach or interfere with the trusses as the roof panel frames will sit inside these.

Once screwed together, you will be left 2 long roof panels (the length of the wooden shed), one for each side. Place each end into the groove of the trusses. If you have a longer 8 feet or longer then I would recommend joining the roof panels as you place them on the shed, instead of joining them on the floor first.

Once your roof panels are up and lined up correctly, making sure that they meet the end walls and have an even over hang on each side, its time to screw them together. Start by screwing the roof panel together from the inside

Step 5 – Lay the felt to the wooden shed roof

Shed felt is usually layed in 3 parts, 1 for each lower side of the shed roof, followed by a thinner top part which must be layed last making sure that it overlaps the lower pieces. This will ensure that rain doesn’t get under the felt.

Start by rolling the felt out on the ground and cutting to the length of the shed, allowing extra felt for overlapping the shed. Since you will often get given 1 roll of mineral felt to cover each (2) sides of the shed roof, I usually measure the length of the entire roll and cutting into 2 equal lengths, making sure that they will be more than long enough before cutting.

Start by rolling them out along the shed roof and lining the bottom of the felt to the bottom of the shed roof framing, without folding underneath. I usually start here when nailing the mineral felt to the roof as it gives a nice straight edge with no cutting required, but make sure you keep the felt nice and tight as you nail it in, stretching the felt as you go to avoid any kinks. I ideally place my felt nails 10cm apart.

Next work your way up the sides of the shed felt before trimming the edges with a Stanley knife. Allow enough overhang to fold over the front and rear of the shed to make sure that the rain runs off the shed roof entirely. Don’t worry if it’s not pretty where it folds over as this will be covered by the barge boards on your finishing touches.

Once both sides of the lower felt has been layed, it’s time to roll out the top layer of the mineral felt and repeat the process. The felt nails should go through the top layer and through the bottom layer, securing both into place.

Now it’s time for the finishing touches of your wooden shed build…

First, install your barge boards before securing the diamond finials to cover the overlapping felt and to give a nice finish.

Next, nail the corner strips onto each corner of the shed, should you have a few extra to cover the joins where the wall panels meet.

Finally, install the door by having someone hold it from the inside whilst you screw the hinges into place.