If you have decided to add a shed to your property, building it yourself is no question the most affordable way to do it. To protect your investment and keep it as cost-effective as possible, you need to make sure you do it right the first time to avoid structural problems later on that will be costly or even impossible to repair.
Materials
There are big savings to be had in shopping around for good deals on materials, but sometimes a low price tag is available because the product is truly inferior and will potentially cost you more than the better material in the long run by deteriorating and needing to be replaced, or even ruining your whole shed. When you add the cost of materials to the work hours you are going to put into building it, it is ultimately more cost effective to buy the material more expensive up front if the cheaper product is significantly lower quality.
The most common shed building materials are wood, metal, and plastic. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Wood may be the easiest to work with if you are building the shed yourself, for ease of cutting to fit without overly specialized tools.
Tools
The right tools can make all the difference in the ease and speed with which you can build your shed. To keep the cost down, try to find shed plans that call for the smallest number of tools possible, and those which are most basic and that you are most likely to already own. Plans that call for a lot of specialized tools will add significantly to your end total expense if you have to go buy them, and will be a poor investment if you will not have any future use for them.
Some power tools that will make your job much easier include a good electric saw, a power nailer such as an air nailer or an impact nailer, and a powered hand saw. Do not underestimate the convenience of going with a cordless model of any power tool possible. Also, if you plan to paint your shed, consider adding a mildecide to your paint to prevent mould and mildew. It tends to be inexpensive and is an easy way to prevent a big problem. You can also make quick work of the painting if you use a paint sprayer.
Plans
If you are building the shed yourself, the single best way to make it easier is to buy a good set of plans. Good, well-written and understandably illustrated plans will take hours, even days off of your construction time and eliminate a lot of frustration. Good plans will tell you exactly what materials you will need, eliminating the need for multiple hardware store trips, and will guide you step-by-step, so you do not end up getting half-way through your shed and realizing you missed a crucial step along the line or should have done something before you did the steps you have already completed, requiring immensely frustrating deconstruction and rebuilding.