DIY Builds
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How much does it cost to assemble a shed?

Building a custom shed costs $60–$150 per square foot for both materials and installation. The price rises for details like foundation, wiring, plumbing, and windows.

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Shed Costs by Type

Some sheds require a bit more than four basic walls, a floor, and a roof. The more time you plan to spend in your shed, the more you should consider windows and electricity. There may be even more amenities if you're building a run-in shed for a horse or a playhouse for the kids.

Storage Shed Installation Cost

Storage sheds are the most common type of structure and range widely from $300 to $15,000. Lower-cost sheds include small, prefabricated storage sheds that house basic tools, home items, or garbage cans. The price rises if you raise the height of the roof for taller tools, add a workbench, or need electricity for lighting and your power tools.

Garden Shed Cost

These designs cost just $100 to $1,000, on average, and are the smallest type of shed. It sits up against a house or other sturdy structure instead of standing on its own. You can think of a garden shed as a tall wardrobe—but for gardening and backyard tools.

Horse Run-In Shed Cost

Expect run-in horse sheds to cost between $20 to $100 per square foot or between $1,500 and $10,000, on average. Expect this price increase because barns incorporate far more elements, including high ceilings, well-draining and durable ground, large doors, and open ventilation. The structure of the shed itself is not the only contributing factor to the final amount. Hiring a great team, preparing the land, and adding all the features that make your shed unique contribute to this wide price range.

Building vs. Buying

The largest contributing factor to shed price ranges is whether you choose a prefab or custom-built design. Prefabricated kits come with all necessary materials but you will still need to spend extra on tools and—if you choose—the cost of a handyperson to help you construct it. Building a shed from the ground up includes design, material, labor, and building permit costs depending on the size of the structure. Overall, here's how to compare the two price ranges. Buying a prefabricated shed costs $200–$4,000 plus the cost of a handyperson for about $60–$65 an hour. Building a custom shed costs $60–$150 per square foot for both materials and installation. The price rises for details like foundation, wiring, plumbing, and windows.

Labor

The cost of labor depends on the extent of the shed construction job. As we mentioned above, hiring a handyperson costs between $60 and $65 an hour and often requires a minimum hour commitment. Building contractors, however, charge between $50–$100 an hour, depending on the job. For example, specific labor costs when building a shed include:

Wiring: $50–$100 an hour for the cost of an electrician

Foundation: Between 40%–60% of the total cost of the foundation

Land clearing: $40–$150 an hour to prepare the construction site

Land Prep

Sheds must sit on level, well-draining soil that can either support a prefab structure or a slab foundation. Clearing land for construction costs an average of $1.30 to $2 per square foot, or as we mentioned above, $40 to $150 an hour. If you're working on a hill, the cost of leveling the ground starts at $500.

Windows

Windows, skylights, and even decorative shutters make a shed more pleasant to spend time in and blend with your overall home design. You may find windows in prefabricated sheds for a bit more money or can add them to your custom design. Installing a single window in an existing structure costs anywhere from $300 to $1,200.

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Is it cheaper to build with metal or wood?

Metal tends to be cheaper than wood, with an average of $19-$25 per sq ft for a steel building and $20-$35 per sq ft for a wood building. Also, using metal in your build has a lower lifetime cost due to near-zero maintenance, and it can be nearly 100% salvaged and sold if it is ever torn down.

When looking to begin your next building project, one of the first steps is deciding on the materials that you will use for your build. A question we hear often is, “are metal buildings cheaper than wood?”

The word “building” usually means 1,200 square feet or greater.

The short answer is that metal buildings tend to be cheaper depending on a range of factors like the building size, building codes, loads (wind, seismic, snow, etc), design, and accessories. However, the odds of a metal building being cheaper than a wood building goes up fast the larger the building in question. As with any construction project, the costs can vary greatly for metal and wood based on your needs, and the options that you can achieve with a metal building are just as diverse as with a wooden structure. In order to get a realistic budget set up for your future project, there are a few expenses to consider beyond just the materials cost. Namely, you’ll have to account for the cost of the foundation that the building will be built on, and also the cost of erecting the building.

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