Building a Garden Shed from Plans - Does It Save You Money?

Downloadable shed plans promise to saveyou money over buying a kit. What you actually get, how the maths works out in a UK garden, and who is better off buying a kit instead.

A garden shed is one of the few big purchases where you genuinely have a choice - buy a kit, pay a joiner, or build one yourself from plans. The plans route is the one that looks cheap on paper - but whether it is actually cheaper depends on things the sales page does not mention.

This is an honest look at downloadable shed plans - what you get, how the money works out in your garden, and who should ignore them and buy a kit instead.

Disclosure - some of the links below are affiliate links, which may earn us a small commission if you buy through them. That does not change the price you pay, and we only link to things we would recommend on their merits.

What you actually get

A downloadable plan library - hundreds of designs for sheds, workshops, chicken coops, gazebos and garden benches, each with step-by-step instructions, a materials list and a cutting list. It is a one-time purchase, you download it, and you keep it.

What you do not get however - timber, fixings, tools, labour, or a base. A plan tells you what to cut and where to fix it; it does not build the shed for you.

The money question, honestly

A modest timber shed kit - say 8ft by 6ft, pressure-treated - typically costs somewhere in the region of £400 to £900 delivered, depending on quality. Building the same shed from timber yourself can come in materially cheaper on materials, but only if three things are true - you already own most of the tools, you have somewhere under cover to work, and you value your own time at nothing.

So, in summary is - kit price versus timber plus fixings plus plans plus your weekends. For a lot of people a kit wins on time and finish. For someone with a garage, a handful of tools and a genuine wish to build, the plans route can save real money - and you end up with something made to a design you chose rather than whatever the home stores had on offer.

The UK practicalities nobody puts on the sales page

Downloadable plan libraries are mostly American, and the fine print is imperial. That is not a dealbreaker - an inch is 25mm and 2x4 "nominal" is really about 38mm by 89mm of dressed timber - but you will be converting measurements before you can shop. In the UK you will be buying CLS, kiln-dried or pressure-treated timber, and those sizes are metric.

The second thing is planning. For most small garden sheds you are under permitted development, but there are limits on height and position (roughly a 2.5m eaves height and 4m ridge for a pitched roof, with extra rules when you are close to a boundary), and they vary by area. Check with your local authority guidance before you order timber - and check it before you tell yourself it will be fine.

The third thing is the base. A shed is only as good as what it stands on: a patio-slab base or a proper concrete pad. Every plan assumes a level base; none of them supply one, and you will not fit it with a spirit level and hope.

Who these plans suit

Confident DIYers who enjoy building and already have a workshop. Anyone who wants a specific design - a big workshop, a coop to a particular size, a gazebo - rather than a generic garden-store box. And, honestly, people with time on their hands: being able to spread the build over a few weekends without paying a joiner labour rates.

Who should buy a kit instead

Anyone who is not comfortable with a saw and a drill. Anyone who wants the shed up in a weekend, from delivery to finished. Anyone who needs the shed to meet a particular spec for insurance purposes, or who cannot lift roof panels safely - and if that is you, be honest with yourself about the ladders and the lifting, and get a helper or a fitter involved rather than pushing through.

The practical build order

Base first, and do not skip it. Square up, level it, and give it a week of weather before you build on it. Then the frame, in the workshop or in the garden, squaring as you go. Roof next while it is still light - a roof is the one part you do not want to leave half done. Door last, hung square. Two coats of preservative on the timber before assembly are worth far more than one coat after.

The verdict

If you are going to build a shed anyway and you already have the tools, a plan library is the cheapest sensible way to get a design you actually want - and the plans here are detailed enough for a first build. If you are not going to build it yourself, do not buy the plans as a "someday" purchase; put the money towards a good kit instead.

Ready to try it out? My Shed Plans - see the current offer - it is a one-time download, and the plans cover sheds, coops, benches and gazebos.