A 10 x 10 shed is one of the most useful outdoor buildings you can add to your property. No matter whether you’re a gardener who needs a place to store tools or a homeowner who needs extra pool storage, a shed can be a great way to get your belongings into an safe environment.
The average cost of a 10 x 10 shed is $5,000. The cost of its construction is impacted by many factors, which include labor costs, materials used, and additional shed features, such as foundations or wiring.
The costs of a shed can make or break the budget of a larger outdoor build, so being aware of what goes into shed costs can help keep homeowners’ wallets happy. Read on to learn more about what goes into the costs of a 10 x 10 shed.
Average Cost to Build a 10 x 10 Shed
The cost of a 10 x 10 shed vary wildly depending on the style and materials used, but the average cost for this size comes down to around $5,000, with sheds on the lower end of the range built around $1,300 and more expensive models adding up to $7,000 or $8,000.
Since the price of a shed varies so much, many homeowners wonder what the point of even coming up with an average cost for building a 10 x 10 shed might be. Here are a few reasons why you might want to consider how much your shed is going to cost you:
- Budget: If you’re trying to save up to add a shed on your property, knowing the average cost for installing one can give you a monetary goal. Keep in mind that it’s always better to overestimate rather than underestimate costs to avoid having to absorb unexpected costs without having the budget to cover them.
- Comparison shopping: Knowing what the average cost of a 10 x 10 shed is can prevent shopping homeowners from overpaying for a shed and can also act as a baseline to judge cheaper models.
- Upgrades: Getting a shed at average cost or below rather than an inflated cost can leave enough money for aesthetical upgrades and other additions, such as electrical accessories or lighting.
It’s always best to go into a major project, like building a shed, knowing how much money you’re going to end up spending before the project is complete. Otherwise, you may end up spending much more than you originally intended.
Running out of place to store your gardening gear, backyard tools, equipment, crafts, and power supplies? Sounds like you need a backyard shed. This simple yet versatile structure can serve as storage, a work area, or even a crafting station. The question is: do you need a permit to build a backyard shed?
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Shed Per Square Foot?
Another way to add up the cost of a shed — other than the total cost — is to measure the cost of the shed built by the square foot. A few factors affect the cost of a shed’s construction, but a shed built by professionals will cost around 50 dollars per square foot.
Square footage is not generally considered an accurate assessment for how expensive a shed project will be since it fails to factor in several variables, such as:
- The roof pitch (flat roof sheds tend to be cheaper than pitched roofs)
- The shed’s height (tall sheds require more materials, more labor, and cost more than shorter sheds)
The price of sheds with the same square footage can vary by several thousand dollars, so you should look at other factors to get an idea of how much a 10 x 10 shed will cost to build.
Factors that Affect a Shed’s Cost
Several factors can either decrease or increase the average cost of a 10 x 10 shed. Here are some of them.
- Labor costs: Professional labor is one of the biggest contributors to the final cost of building a shed. Building a shed do-it-yourself style can help a homeowner save on labor costs, but having to restart a failed shed due to inexperience can end up increasing the cost of materials.
- Materials: There are many different types of materials used for shed construction, such as resin, wood, and metal. Each of these materials has a different base cost, with resin being on the lower end of the cost range and expensive hardwood on the higher end.
- Shed options: Some options for outdoor sheds, such as installing electrical wiring or windows, can increase the overall cost. However, these options may contribute to long-term savings by protecting this valuable property with temperature control or by adding aesthetical value to it.
- Additions to shed dictated by shed function: Along with standard options built into the shed, there also are other additions that can be included depending on the shed’s intended function. These additions include shelving, pegboards, chicken nesting boxes, or other types of specialized storage.
These factors affect the overall cost of a shed’s construction and drastically impact its appearance. Because of this, two homeowners can build two 10 x 10 sheds that end up looking (and costing) nothing alike.
Labor Costs for Building a 10 x 10 Shed
One of the biggest contributors to the cost of a shed, other than the materials, is labor. Indeed, the skilled labor for building a shed may be expensive, but there are several advantages to having professional contractors build a shed for you. Here are a few of these benefits.
- Bonded labor: Construction can be dangerous and difficult work, and hiring bonded laborers ensures that you get a licensed professional to put your shed together. This can result in a safer and sounder structure.
- HOA compliance: The Homeowner’s Associations can be stringent with its standards on how sheds and other outdoor structures are built in certain neighborhoods. Hiring a contractor can guarantee your shed remains within the standards set forth by your HOA, so that you stay in compliance with your neighborhood’s regulations.
- Efficiency: In many cases, skilled laborers can put up a shed quicker and make fewer mistakes than a homeowner. Indeed, a homeowner who has never built anything may struggle with a shed’s construction for weeks, while a handyman can put it up in a matter of days or even hours.
- Electrical work: A license is needed to do electrical work to code, which means that if you’re building a shed with electrical outlets or temperature control, you’ll need to bring in a professional electrician. Besides, working with electricity is dangerous and can result in injuries or electrocution if done incorrectly.
- Material discounts: A major advantage that contractors bring to the table is that many people who build things for a living get a discount on bulk materials. A building contractor can typically procure themselves materials for a lower price tag than private homeowners because of the large amounts they purchase at once.
Building a shed by yourself can save you significant labor costs, especially with prefabricated sheds, which are designed to be built by novice builders. However, it can be difficult for inexperienced homeowners to construct more complicated or customized shed designs. For a shed built from scratch, skilled labor is usually the best option.
Whether you are getting a ready-made shed or building your own, one of the things that you have to consider is whether your structure will have windows or not. If you are still undecided, learn more about the pros and cons of installing windows in your shed before you make your decision.
How To Reduce Shed Costs?
A 10 x 10 shed can be costly, but there are several ways for a homeowner to reduce the costs of building one. Here are a few ways homeowners can save while building their sheds.
- Choose cheaper materials: Materials cost can make a big difference in the total amount for building a shed. A resin shed can offer many of the same storage benefits as a brick shed for a fraction of the price. Unusual materials, such as bricks, also require skilled labor compared to prefabricated resin shed kits.
- Install the shed yourself: Building a shed isn’t the easiest carpentry project for a first-timer to work on, but DIY shed building can save homeowners over a thousand dollars in labor costs for any given shed project.
- Go with a prefabricated shed kit: Prefabricated shed kits typically cost much less than building a customized shed. Buying a prefabricated shed kit could save you hundreds of dollars.
- Use recycled materials: If you have an extremely small budget for building a shed, a major cost saver is to buy recycled materials reclaimed from deconstructed sheds or other outdoor buildings until enough materials are collected to build a new shed. However, the danger of using recycled materials is a lack of durability compared to new materials.
- Skip the finishing: Using unfinished materials and not bothering to paint your shed after constructing it can save you money. However, a lack of finishing can affect the shed’s durability since paint helps protect the shed against sun exposure and water damage.
There are plenty of ways for homeowners to streamline expenses when they’re planning to build a shed. Simply thinking through the construction carefully before starting the project can save someone hundreds of dollars in unnecessary costs.
Additional Costs of Building a 10 x 10 Shed
While an average 10 x 10 shed will cost around five thousand dollars, some features can increase the project’s overall cost. Here are some common features that can be added to a shed design but that will increase its overall expense.
- Windows: Windows add aesthetic value to a shed but are also practical. In sheds without electrical hook-ups, windows are necessary to increase the amount of natural light inside the shed. Without windows, the interior will be dark and hard to search in.
- Shelving: One of the primary purposes of sheds is storage, and adding built-in shelving can significantly increase a shed’s practical value. Without shelves, the shed’s storage capacity is limited to floor space. Shelves add verticality, which can easily double a shed’s storing capacity.
- Electrical outlets: Electrical hook-ups in a shed aren’t just important for introducing artificial lighting. Indeed, electricity is also necessary for sheds that require to be temperature-controlled for storage purposes. Without an electrical outlet, there is no way for homeowners to run the dehumidifiers or heaters necessary to regulate a shed.
- Foundation: Many cheaper sheds are placed on wooden skids to serve as a foundation for the building since they are relatively small. However, more permanent shed installations made of wood or brick may benefit from being built on a concrete foundation. While this type of foundation is costly, it adds significant value to the shed.
- Insulation: Adding insulation to a shed can increase its cost, but can represent a worthwhile addition to a shed that is being designed as an outdoor workshop or livestock hutch. Insulation can be installed to either help control the temperature or reduce noise.
The additional features that a homeowner decides to add to their shed will ultimately depend on the shed’s purpose. A homeowner who wants to use their shed to raise small livestock will need a very different shed layout than someone who is only planning to store garden tools.
Storage Shed Kits vs. Sheds From Scratch
Buying a shed using a prefabricated kit is one of the easiest ways for a homeowner to save money on building a 10 x 10 shed. These kits are constructed in such a way that they’re relatively easy to put together, even for construction novices, and they’re made from cheaper materials.
However, there are some drawbacks associated with shed kits. Here are some of the disadvantages of purchasing a prefabricated shed kit versus hiring someone to design and build a shed for you.
- Durability: Prefabricated shed kits tend to be made out of cheaper, less sturdy materials, such as plastic, resin, and sheet metal. While these materials can serve well enough for a small or temporary shed, they won’t hold up to decades of use before showing signs of wear and tear. For more permanent shed fixtures, choose sturdier materials.
- Lack of customization: One of the main advantages of building a shed from scratch is that the homeowner can incorporate all kinds of features specific to their needs to make the shed as functional as possible. Prefabricated sheds are often minimalist and bare-bones compared to custom sheds.
Picking a prefabricated shed can help homeowners reduce their expenses, but there is a trade-off in quality involved with choosing this type of shed.
There are a lot of things that you need to consider when you are building a shed in your backyard. Out of all the things that you need to decide on, the location of your shed is probably one of the most important decisions that you will need to make. To help you with this task, we’ll tell you the best places for your backyard shed.
How to Choose Labor to Build a 10 x 10 Shed
Other than materials, labor is another way to save money in building a shed. If you plan on hiring a contractor to build your shed rather than building it yourself, here are some tips to keep in mind.
- Research potential contractors carefully. Never go with the first contractor you come across. Instead, list three or four contractors and get an estimate from each of them before making your final decision.
- Get a contractor that is licensed and bonded. Not only does this help you ensure that the contractor you hire is a professional who knows what they’re doing, but hiring a contractor with insurance protects you from liability in case the contractor gets injured or killed while building a shed on your property.
- Get estimates and other agreements in writing. Contractor jobs can go sour, and you don’t want to see the situation evolve into a “he said, she said” situation. Make sure that the final estimate and all associated terms are expressed in clear writing and signed by both parties before any work starts.
- Ask for a construction deadline. Even though delays and other pop-up issues should be expected in any contracting job, getting a builder to commit to a deadline helps you make sure that the construction of the shed doesn’t drag on. Some contractors over-commit, which can result in jobs getting unreasonably delayed.
- Do not pay ahead. While it is customary for the homeowner to pay at least a percentage of the cost upfront to help cover the costs of the shed’s supplies, you should never pay for a contracted building entirely until the installation is complete. Doing so helps incentivize the contractors to complete their work to a quality standard and on time.
Hiring a contractor to build your shed can be harrowing if you’ve never worked with handymen before. However, making sure that both you and your chosen contractor are on the same page regarding the cost and delivery time can help keep things smooth and amicable throughout the shed-building process.
Sheds Are a Great Addition to Any Home
No matter what you intend to use your backyard shed for, adding a 10 x 10 shed to your property can add value and beauty to your yard. Choosing your materials, labor, and shed design carefully can help you end up with a shed you can be proud of.