How to Build a Lean-To Tin Shed

Foundation Laying and Frame Building

• 1

  Mark out the length and width of the shed on the ground, using a rope or hosepipe. Clear the marked area of any items. Dig out any grass in the area using a spade, or lift up any paving slabs in the area. Level the ground using a spade, then compact it using a plate compactor. Lay concrete blocks around the edge of the area to form a rectangle.

• 2

  Lay a line of concrete blocks lengthwise down the middle of the rectangle. Cut 2-inch-thick, preservative-treated boards to the length of the area, using a circular saw. Lay the boards on top of the concrete blocks, to cover the area and provide a cover to the concrete foundations. Cut five pieces of 2-by-4 to the desired height of the shed.

• 3

  Cut two pieces of 2-by-4 to the width of the shed, using a circular saw, plus an additional four pieces of 2-by-4 to half the width of the shed. Cut four pieces of 2-by-4 to the depth of the shed. Screw one of the depth-length pieces to one end of one of the height-length pieces, using two long screws, to form an L-shape. Screw another depth-length piece to the other end of the same height-length piece.

• 4

  Screw another height-length piece to the other end of the depth-length pieces to form a rectangle. Following the same steps from Step 3 and this step, form another 2-by-4 rectangle. Connect the rectangles by screwing the width-length pieces of 2-by-4 between them, one at the top and one at the bottom on the same side of the rectangles.

• 5

  Screw two of the shorter remaining pieces to the base of the remaining height-length piece so there is one on either side of the long piece. Screw the other two shorter pieces to the other end of the long piece, to form a fat “H” shape. Screw the “H” shape into place between the rectangles on the remaining open side of the frame. Lift the frame onto the wooden boards.

Floor, Walls and Roof

• 6

  Cut plywood sheets as long as the depth of the shed, using the circular saw. Nail the sheets to the base of the frame to form the shed floor. Cut corrugated tin sheets to a dimension whose length is equal to the height of the shed and width is equal to the distance between the vertical beams on the frame, using a circular saw.

• 7

  Measure the height and width of the door and add 2 inches. Cut a rectangle equal to these measurements in one of the tin sheets. Drill holes in the corners of the sheets, plus an additional hole in the middle of each edge. Screw the sheets to the frame with long screws, one screw through each hole in the tin sheets.

• 8

  Cut two pieces of 2-by-4 to the height of the door and one piece to the width of the door plus 4 inches. Screw the pieces in place in the gap in the shed wall. Use mounting brackets in the middle of each piece to fasten the wood to the tin sheets. Screw the hinges onto the door. Lift the door into place in the door frame. Screw the hinges to the door frame.

• 9

  Drill a hole through the tops and bottoms of both vertical pieces of 2-by-4 by the wall to the building the shed is leaning against and into the wall itself, using a hammer drill and masonry drill bit. Slide the shed slightly out off the foundations so you can access the holes. Fill the holes with rawl plugs. Slide the shed back into position so the holes line up.

• 10

  Screw the shed to the wall for support, using long screws. Cut sheets of plywood to lengths equal to the depth of the shed. Screw the sheets to the top of the shed frame to form a baseboard for the roof. Cut pieces of corrugated tin sheeting to the depth of the shed. Screw the sheets to the baseboards to form the roof.