I'm looking for about a 10' x 12' shed and I know the prices for such from Lowe's, Home Depot and the like are not too bad. Usually it would be cheaper to but the lumber to build something comparable, but I wonder if in these days of prefab, is it cheaper to buy than build??

 

Visser,

You can go to the store that offers a pre-built shed and they wil be happy to give you a price on the material package only.

 

And if you build your own, you will have leeway to customize it to your specific needs. Pre-built is going to give you that option.

 

don't get those cheap tinny kits, they don't last.

 

I had a 10' x 14' pre-fab shed from ShedsUSA delivered and installed last year. I bought it through Home Depot. Price, all said and done with options, was about $3,500. Guaranteed, etc.

So far, so good. Solid construction, 30 year shingles on roof (roof built with trusses on my site), pressure treated floor and floor joices - heavy duty joices and plywood flooring. Outside of shed is vinyl.

Here's a kicker to consider. The shed is NOT secure. The doors, latches / locks only keep out the honest people and kids. If an adult pulled real hard on the double side-load doors, they would easily open. If this is real important to you, check out the design on their web site or at Home Depot.

The shed does the job it was intended to do for me - exterior storage of garden tools, etc.

In my opinion, I DO NOT think I saved money by buying this pre-fab shed - but you got to look at three things: your time, your skill level, and your frustration level. If you're a carpenter, have the time, the tools, and the skills, it could be better to build yourself. But if you've never put up a shed or something similar before, while it isn't rocket science, it could get quite frustrating having to figure out on your own what someone skilled already knows quite inately.

For example, if I had the time (I don't; I work 50 hours per week and I have a six year old son), I probably would have dug out and poured a concrete pad. But I let ShedsUSA build the floor using joices, and they're supported by six inch concrete blocks. And it's level and solid, and easily supports two motorcycles. Sure, it doesn't look quite as nice as a poured pad, but hey: it's a nice shed in VA.

And I value my little free time this way: $25 per hour. So if I spend 40 to 60 hours designing it, running to Home Depot for materials, figuring out how to do this and / or that, etc., you can see I'm not really saving too much money now, am I?

Let me know if you've any other questions, etc.

 

If you decide to build, I can help you with a set of complete Building Plans for a 12'x12' shed (includes material list). See xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx