5 Simple 8X12 Shed Plans

"If you build it, you WILL use it!"

Your "8x12 shed plans" one-stop guide to everything you ever wanted to know about how to plan a perfect storage solution. Sheds can serve a variety of purposes, from being a simple outdoor storage solution to serving as a full fledged room, an office, a workshop, a garage.

Sometimes, even when we're just using them for storage, we store some of our most precious belongings in our sheds and garages, so it's important that your shed works for you.

With respect to using 8x12 shed plans, the most important part of any structure is the foundation. A shed can be built by just throwing together some wood and calling it a shed, but any building without a foundation is destined to collapse.

A storage shed just sitting on dirt is going to suffer from earth movement, from freezing, which leads to contraction and expansion, as well as moisture buildup in the soil. A simple wooden foundation will help prolong the life of your shed, but it will still eventually suffer from these same issues.

If you want your shed to be sturdy, and stand the test of time, you must build it with the same care and concern that you would put into building a home. A common choice of foundation for many simple shed projects is gravel or crushed stone.

A bed of gravel or stone 3-4 inches deep, on top of a plastic or fabric barrier, will prevent a large quantity of moisture buildup from affecting the floor of your shed, as well as provide a sturdy but flexible foundation during freezing and expansion.

Another common solution is paving stones, which can be laid directly on a level parcel of dirt, and will provide a solid, sturdy base for your construction. However, this is infeasible for larger sheds, and if you plan on storing quite a lot of heavy material, the stones can sink over time.

The most common strategy for all-around sturdy shed construction is to use timber frames, which can be sunk into the ground or sunk into piers or counterweights. This keeps the entire shed elevated and away from moisture, and also provides a solid structure around which the ground will move (without moving the shed).

However, just like with a home, the most secure way of building is on a foundation of poured concrete.

Concrete, poured into a mesh and timber frame, will provide a perfectly shaped, perfectly flat base upon which to build, as well as providing a permanent barrier against all moisture and earth conditions.

Once your foundation is settled, it's time to begin framing your shed. The exact design of your shed will be based on the exact shape and size of your intended project, but the process is basically the same.

You start by constructing a floor (or, if using a concrete slab with no floor, you can skip these steps and proceed directly to wall framing). The basic components of a floor are floor joists, which are like studs that support the floor from below, and sub flooring, which is typically sheets of plywood cut to fit and securely screwed to the floor joists, to provide a flat level plane.

If you choose to add traditional flooring on top of this, such as tile, hardwood, etc., you would simply apply the flooring material of your choice to the sub flooring, and be guaranteed a level and uncreaking floor.

At this point, you would begin construction of the walls. A typical frame wall consists of a header and footer rail, which run the entire length of the wall and ceiling, and studs, which are evenly spaced along the length of the header and footer rails, connecting the two with a series of vertical supports.

More instructions for the building basics when using 8x12 shed plans.

Free 8X12 Shed Plans

Below are 5 simple shed plans you can use to build an 8 X 12 shed:

#1

Ease of Construction: Easy to Moderate

Free Plans for an 8X12 Shed

TOP CHOICE! Simple to follow 8x12 shed plans with step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations showing how to build your 8x12 shed.  A complete list of materials that is required to construct your shed is included.  FREE. 

#2

Ease of Construction: Moderate

Blueprints for a Basic Shed

Try your hand at this basic wood shed project, using these plans.  If you need another size of shed other than 8'X12' the detailed plans can be adjusted for a bigger shed.

#3

Ease of Construction: Moderate to Difficult

Blueprints for 6X8 to 8X12 Shed

The fine folks at Popular Mechanics have come up with plans for a 6'X8', that is also upgrade-able to a 8X12 shed.  Included are detailed steps for the site work, floor construction, building the walls, roof framing of the shed, installing shed siding and windows/doors.

#4

Ease of Construction: Moderate to Difficult

7X12 Gable Shed Plans (or Playhouse)

Here's a set of shed blueprints that you can use to build either a gable roof shed or a playhouse.  While most plans on this page are for 8x12 sheds, this particular one is for a 7x12 shed.  We have listed it as "moderate to difficult" to build due to the limited instructions provided.  This may be a good project for an experienced handyman.

#5

Ease of Construction: Moderate to Difficult

Drive-Thru Shed Plans

A drive-thru shed is great for riding mowers and motorcycles.  No more backing up your vehicles and equipment.  How-to pictures, hand sketches and instructions are included.

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