How to Make a Shed With Little Space

Build a basic 4-foot by 4-foot shed using 2-inch by 4-inch lumber, plywood flooring and siding and corrugated metal roofing. Locate a convenient spot that is flat and has no ground impediments like utility lines or tree roots. Rake it smooth and remove any leaves or other debris.

Put solid 4-inch concrete blocks in each corner for the shed. Use a tape measure to set them square; when corner-to-corner measurements are the same, the blocks will be set squarely. Put a long board with a level on it and get the tops of the blocks level, adjusting the dirt underneath each block. Level blocks in all directions.

Make a floor frame with 2-inch by 4-inch boards, two exactly 4 feet, two cut with a circular saw to 3 feet 9 inches. Nail the corners together with 16d framing nails and a hammer. Use a framing square to get the corners square. Use pressure-treated lumber to resist rot and insects. Set the frame on the blocks and double-check the corner squares and level. Cut a 4-foot by 8-foot panel of 1/2-inch plywood in half and nail it over the frame with 8d galvanized nails.

Build two walls with 4-foot top and bottom plates, with a stud at each end and one in the center. Square the corners with diagonal measurements and fasten studs with 16d nails driven through the plates. Make a third wall with plates 3 feet, 5 inches to fit inside the 4-foot walls, also with three studs. Build a door wall 3-feet, 5-inches wide but with double-end studs, with two short 2-inch by 4-inch boards at two locations between two full studs.

Raise the walls, set them plumb and nail them to the floor frame with framing nails. Nail the corner studs together and secure the four walls with cap plates, two 4 feet long to go on top of the short walls and across the longer wall ends and two 3 feet, 5 inches long to fit between. Add another 4-foot cap plate on the door wall to provide a roof slope.

Nail a 4-foot 1 by 4-inch board across the side walls halfway between the front and back as a roof support. Install two corrugated roofing panels, which cover 2 feet each, between the front and back wall. Overlap the seam by one corrugated ridge and valley. Use a screw gun to fasten panels to roof framing with galvanized screws with plastic washer caps. Let the panels overhang about 4 inches on each end; trim the excess panel with tin snips.

Cover the exterior with 4-foot by 8-foot exterior plywood panels, full-width panels on the sides, one cut lengthwise to fit the back wall. Use another panel to frame the door wall. Make a door to fit between the double studs with a 2-inch by 4-inch board frame and a diagonal 2 inch by 4 inch from top to bottom as a brace. Use the rest of that panel to cover the double studs outside the door. Hang the door with hinges screwed to the studs on either side. Fasten the panels to studs with galvanized nails.

Trim the corners and tops of the walls with 1-inch by 4-inch trim boards nailed to the wall plates. Slant the trim on the side walls so it covers the small open space between the roofing and the plywood top.