Looking for easy and inexpensive ways to add value to your property? Want to build a shed without paying thousands of dollars to contractors? Worry no more! With this 10×20 Gable Shed plan, you will be able to design and build your very own shed in no time.
Why opt for a Gable Shed?
A gable shed is spacious and quite easy to build. If you want a shed that is spacious yet can be built in a matter of days with absolutely no professional building experience required, then gable shed will suit you the most. If You need more ideas for what You can build, please visit our collection of shed plans!
Shed Information
In this DIY shed building guide, we will be going through materials, and important steps and measurements of the 10×20 gable shed. With the help of this guide, you will be able to build your very first gable shed in no time.
The overall height of this gable shed would be 12 feet while the width at the bottom will be 10 feet and 1 inch from the front. From the side, the shed depth will be 21 feet and 7.5 inches. The depth from the trim would be 20 feet and 1 inch.
Getting Started
Before you get started with building the shed, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, you need to work on a level surface to ensure all the wall frames balanced on the corners. Keep an eye on the measurements. It is important to make sure that you get all the measurements right, as they are the key to building a neat and stable shed. You will be using a spirit level to plumb the walls. In addition, you will check that the top walls are horizontal by using a spirit level.
Lastly, you need to decide whether you will be building the doors yourself or if you will be buying them from a manufacturer. For this shed, you will require two doors and two windows.
Buy Quality Materials
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of buying quality materials for the building process. Our premium plans come with a complete list of materials you will require along with their required quantities. If you are unsure of what to buy, then get your hands on our premium plans. You can take the list to your local hardware store and get all the materials without any confusion.
How to Build a 10×20 Gable Shed
When starting with the building process, you will first lay down the foundation of your shed. The foundation is the most important part as it will hold the entire weight of the structure. You need to make sure you use the right struts and material to make the foundation solid. You will use 0.74 inches thick tongue and groove plywood. Cut five pieces into 4’ x 8’, two 2’ x 8’ and one 2’ x 4’. You will nail 2-inch screws on the edges and in between the floor cuts as shown in the image. In total, you will need forty five screws, each 2 inches in size.
Tip: If you have not worked with plywood before and you are confused about how to cut and install it then buy pre-cut tongue plywood and groove from a local hardware store.
After building the floor and foundation, you will start working on the walls. For this shed, the right wall is a bit more complicated than the left wall since it has two 3 x 3 windows and one single door. Follow the image for precise measurement and placement of the windows and the doors. After building the wall structures with pressure heated timber, you will nail T1-11 exterior siding to the 2×4 trimmer, 2×4 cripple stud, 2×4 double header and top and bottom plate using 1.25 inches nails. You will flush the top plate while the bottom will hang down 1.5 inches past the bottom plate.
Tip: Make sure you carefully cut out the door and window openings. You will build the door with the T1-11 siding that has been cut out.
After building the right wall, you will start working on the left wall, which is comparatively easy as it has no windows and doors. Just make sure you keep the measurements as shown in the illustrations and install T1-11 siding once done.
The front wall and the garage door are the main attraction of this shed. Therefore, you need to closely pay attention to the measurements. The overall door measurements would be 7 feet in height and 7 feet and 2 inches in width. Start with cutting a 7 foot and 2 inches (1×4 trim) on the top and 7 foot and 2 inches (1×4 trim) on both the sides. You will use 1.25-inch nails to nail the trims. Once this is done, your next step is to start installing the garage door or the double door.
If you have purchased the door from a manufacturer, make sure you pay close attention to the manufacturer’s instructions in order to install the door perfectly. On the other hand, if you have built the door yourself, you will need to pay close attention to the overall measurements. Make sure the measurements are accurate to avoid any complications.
Start by fitting both the sides of the garage door into the frame you just built. Next, put two hinges on top of both the sides and two hinges on the bottom of both the sides. Use 1.5 inches screws to nail the hinges into the 1×4 trim. Once this is done, your front wall will be ready.
Tip: You will need to make sure the doorstop is flush in the wooden header.
After the front wall, start building the back wall, which, is like the left. It is easy since there are no windows and doors involved. Cut the wooden frame with a height of 7 feet and 6 inches and a width of 9 feet and 4 inches at the bottom and 10 feet at the top. Once the frame is ready, use 3.5-inch galvanized nails to nail the frame in position.
Tip: Work on the frame on floor level to make sure it is leveled.
Both the back and the left wall will be simple structures. The back wall will have a width of 9 feet and 4 inches from the bottom plate and 10 feet from the top plate. You will create the joists and studs with pressure treated timber and use 6 joists for the wall.
Once you have built all the walls, another important step is to start installing T1-11 exterior siding on the walls. This is a crucial step and needs to be carefully carried out with precision. You will use 1.25-inch finishing nails to nail through the siding into the studs. Make sure the nails are six inches apart from each other. Keep the siding flush on top and let it hang down by 1.5 inches past the bottom plate.
Tip: Make sure the T1-11 does not overlap from the edges as this will compromise the overall look and functionality of the siding.
After building all the walls and installing T1-11 exterior siding, you will start working on installing the wall frames on the foundation. This might seem like a tough task but if you follow our guidelines here you will easily do it by yourself. The trick here is to use 2×4 temporary braces to set the walls in position before you start nailing them to be permanently fixed. Use 3.5-inch screws and drive them through the joists into the plates.
Tip: Make sure you plumb all the frames with a spirit level before installing them on the foundation.
After attaching the walls to the foundation, you will start installing the wall frames in a similar manner. First off, you will need to make sure that the frames are perfectly plumb by using a spirit level to set the wall frames properly.
Tip: Use 3-inch screws and drive them through the overhang of the plates.
That is all about it! After installing the walls, your four-wall gable shed is ready. But you still have to work on the roof, which might seem like a daunting task but believe it or not, if you follow our guidance, you will easily build a solid and robust roof within days.
When it comes to building the roof, you need to understand that all the measurements need to be precise. Any openings or imbalance in the roof trusses or rafters will result in future complications. Issues such as water leakage, and warping may occur.
In order to build the roof, the first step is to start building the rafters. In this case, you will build 30 rafters in total. Each rafter needs to be 5 feet and 8.5 inches long with a 4-foot length and 2 foot height. If you are new to woodworking and you are unsure of how to cut and build the rafters, we recommend you buy pre-designed rafters from a local hardware shop to ease the job for you.
Tip: Make sure all the rafters have the same measurements. If they are not, your roof trusses will be out of balance.
After building the rafters, you will start assembling them into trusses. Note that you should not rush with this part. We recommend you build all the rafters first and make sure their measurements are accurate before you start assembling them into trusses. The overall width of the trusses should be 10 feet and the diameter should be 5 feet and 8.5 inches. You need to maintain an overall slope of 30 degrees to allow water to fall off easily.
When you assemble all the rafters together into trusses, cover the two outermost trusses with T1-11 exterior siding. You will use 1.25-inch nails to fix the siding with the trusses. Now, it is time to set your roof trusses on the walls and start giving your roof a shape. You need to spread the trusses over the walls with a gap of 1 foot and 3 inches. You will be using a spirit level to check if both the ends are plumbed well. Once done, start drilling holes through the rafters for the screws to be placed. We recommend you use 3.5-inch galvanized wooden screws to fit the rafters in place.
Tip: Make sure the edges of the T1-11 exterior siding is not overlapping each other.
After installing the trusses on the walls, the next step will be to start adding roof sheathing to the trusses. You will cut 6.5-inch pieces for the ridge and 2-inch pieces for the rake side fascia boards. After installing the sheathing, start working on the roofing felt. Covering the roof with a roofing felt is quite easy. The only thing you need to keep in mind is to ensure the roofing felt overlaps by at least 2 inches. Moreover, we highly recommend locking the tar paper to plywood sheets with the help of staples.
Tip: Make sure the sides are fitted over the felt while the front and the back-drip edges should be fitted under it.
Lastly, you need to add shingles to the roof. We highly recommend you use asphalt shingles, as they are the easiest to install and can withstand extreme weather conditions. The process is simple; start at the bottom and fit the first row of the shingles. The first course should be a full row of shingles as shown in the image. Then, the second tab should be 2.5 of the first one, the third should be 2 tabs and the fourth should be with 1.5 tabs.
Tip: Make sure you secure the shingles with roofing tacks.
That is about it! After installing the shingles, add finishing touches like paint. Your 10×20 Gable Shed is now ready to be used. If you still need more guidance, then we highly recommend you get your hands on our 10×20 PREMIUM SHED PLANS. They come with a complete list of materials and several illustrations to guide you through the process.