One of the best ways to improve your storage space and capacity is by adding a small storage shed to your property. Sheds can get used for many different things, including storing your lawn equipment, sports equipment, unused household items, and much more. You can even use a small shed as an outdoor office space if you’re creative enough.
While many storage shed plans are pretty expensive, there are also plenty of free ones available online. Our goal is to share fifty of the best small shed plans with you to give you numerous options to choose from. Although the shed plans are free, you’ll have to purchase the tools and materials to build the shed.
If you’re a DIYer and enjoy working with your hands, a free storage shed plan is the way to go. Once you have the plan in your hands, all you need to do is follow the instructions to get the shed of your dreams. Each of the sheds we’ll look at today is small enough to fit in most yards, no matter how big or small.
50 of the Best Free Small Shed Plans
Olive Green Shed Plan
This light green 8×12 storage shed offers ample interior space for all your yard tools and more. It includes a wide set of double doors to ensure your lawn mowers and other wider objects can fit comfortably inside the shed.
The 10×12 Lean To
If you like the rustic lean-to look combined with modern and stylish architecture, the 10×12 lean-to is for you. All materials are durable and strong and include pressure-treated lumber for maximum stability. It’s ideal for a storage shed, chicken coop, or ample living space for pets.
The Basic Shed
The Basic Shed is perfect if you’re super-tight on yard space but need some extra storage. This smaller shed is only four feet by six feet, takes up minimal space, and features a simple design plan with a single door and window.
The Skinny Lean To
The skinny lean-to is ideal for long, skinny yards where you want to tuck your shed away in a corner. It measures 4’x10′ and has the classic slanted roof of a lean-to to keep your garden tools and toys out of the rain. It includes double doors to ensure that you can quickly get things in and out.
The Square Gable Style Backyard Shed
Another of the best free plans for a small shed is the 8’x8′ square gable shed. The square dimensions that this shed offers make it easy to place anywhere within your yard. It only has a single door, so it’s not ideal for wider objects.
The Square Barn Shed
Barn sheds are unique in that they often include ample ceiling space to have a loft for additional storage. This square barn shed is no exception and stands tall and square to maximize the storage space.
The Adorable Garden Shed
If you want to opt for the traditional garden shed that’s small, quaint, and spacious, this garden shed plan is perfect. You can keep your tools and potted plants inside, and there’s even a tiny ledge to use as a window garden on the side.
The Mini Tool Shed
The mini tool shed that we’re showing you here is ideal for RVers who live at a campground full-time and similar people who have very little space at their disposal. It’s only 4′ x 4′ in size and looks more like a phone booth than a storage shed. However, it’s perfect if you only have a few tools such as brooms, rakes, battery tools, and similar things to store.
The Wood Shed
Not everyone needs a shed that’s fully enclosed and weather-proof. Sometimes, simple sheds like the woodshed in question are enough to keep your things out of the rain. This 4’x8′ shed has three walls and a roof but isn’t enclosed and out of the elements. However, it will keep branches and rain from falling on top of your wood and anything else you want to store outdoors.
The Animal House
There are plenty of people who live in suburban neighborhoods but crave a taste of farm life. If this is you, then the animal house features a perfect shed design. It’s slightly on the larger side at 10’x14′ and features multiple entry points to let animals in and out. It’s ideal for all mid-size animals, including goats, sheep, chickens, dogs, and more.
Tiny Ranch Shed
No, this isn’t a shed specifically meant for a ranch, but the design plan appears like that of a miniature ranch house. It includes a door and a window, and vinyl siding, which means that there’s virtually no maintenance once you build it. This shed is undoubtedly one of the best 5’x8′ free shed plans we have.
The Portable Rough Shed
If you think you might move one day and want to take your shed with you, the portable shed is a good option. This shed is spacious and relatively easy to build but may require power tools such as a circular saw. However, once you make it, this wooden shed offers a lot of space for yard tools and more!
Spacious Potting Shed
For a great shed that can hold your potting tools, equipment, soil, and plants, the spacious potting shed is tough to beat. It’s a square shed measuring 10 feet in length and width and features skylights to let natural light into the shed. It will be like having a greenhouse in your backyard!
The Stylish Tudor
If you like the look of Tudor-style living and want to have a tiny piece of it in your backyard, check out the Stylish Tudor shed plan. It looks more like a tiny house with a Tudor design than a storage shed. It’s only 8′ x 7′, so it’s small enough to fit comfortably in most yards.
The Corner Shed
The corner shed is a five-sided shed, similar in design to a small pentagon. It has roughly 70 square feet of interior space, a single door, two windows, and a pitched roof. This DIY shed plan offers both aesthetic appeal and storage space.
The Home Office Shed
The home office shed plan is available in either a free plan or a premium one, based on your expertise with woodworking. It measures 10′ x 12′ in size and has a stylish and modern design. It’s a great way to work from home without feeling stuck in your house.
The Modern Shed
The modern shed is another excellent option for people working from home who don’t want to feel stuck in their house. It’s just under 100 square feet in size, and you can add an AC, furnace, and any other commodities you need to stay comfortable and productive. The square design and flat roof add a stylish and modern flair to the shed.
The Garage Shed Plan
Rather than having a typical front door, this shed features a miniature garage door. You can park a tiny car, a riding mower, and other large things inside the shed. It’s slightly on the larger side at 12′ x 16′ but still small enough to fit into most yards.
The Open Garden Shed
The open garden shed is for you if you crave natural light and sunshine for you and your plants. The wall frames are made of wood and are a great place to keep your plants that need their Vitamin D.
The Bike Shed
Most of the storage shed plans we’ve looked at are small to medium. However, the Bike Shed is worth a look for a tiny shed that’s perfect for storing your bike and other sports equipment without taking up too much space. It’s small, has double doors, and is very easy to build.
The Fairy Tale Garden Shed
As the name implies, this garden shed is fit for the pages of a book that takes place in an enchanted forest. As far as wooden sheds go, this is one of the most difficult to build, but you can do it with enough determination and help.
The Man Cave
If you’re looking for a shed detached from your house where you can watch the game and have a beer, the man cave shed is for you. It has a fairly basic 8’x16′ design, but much of the interior space is for sitting or lounging around.
The Schoolhouse Shed
This shed can get used for gardening purposes, storing tools, and anything else you need. It’s designed in the shape and color of an old-style schoolhouse and is guaranteed to be the envy of the neighborhood.
The Open Bar Shed
The open bar shed is ideal if you want to have a minibar or pub in your backyard. The front of the shed opens up into a bar-style setup, and you can wire the shed for electricity and conditioning to stay comfortable while serving drinks to your neighbors.
The Rough and Basic Shed
As the name implies, this shed will have a unique, rustic look like something out of the planes of Scotland or Iceland. It’s the perfect place to do a woodworking project, keep your tools, or do your gardening.
The Cedar Shed
If you’re on a tight budget but want something that looks good, the basic cedar shed from Ana White is perfect. You can build it for around $1,000, and you can purchase all of the materials at a big box store like Lowes or Home Depot.
The Firewood Shed
The Firewood Shed plan is big, stylish, modern, and beautiful. It’s 8’x10′, which provides enough space to keep your firewood, chainsaw, axes, and anything else you need to turn logs into firewood.
The Fiber-Cement Wall Shed
If woodworking isn’t your thing, or you’re worried about mold and mildew or warped wood, the fiber-cement wall shed is perfect. This shed will keep anything inside of it safe from the weather, and it’s easy to construct.
The Natural Light Shed
Some of the sheds we’ve checked out have natural light, but none of them offer as much as the Natural Light Shed from Architectural Designs. It boasts three windows on the side, three skylights, and an additional front window to flood the shed’s interior with sunlight.
The Clerestory Window Shed
While this shed plan isn’t free, it’s worth the money to purchase the plan and build the shed of your dreams. It features double doors, windows on all sides, and clerestory windows that make the shed unique.
The Barn Shed Workshop
The Barn Shed Woodshop is another winner from Architectural Designs and features a premium plan. If you’re planning on staying at your home long-term, you should put a concrete slab under the shed to provide a solid foundation for your woodworking projects and tools.
Double-Decker Woodshed
This woodshed is one of the smallest and easiest to build sheds on our list. It only measures two feet by three feet in size but is tall enough to feature a second tier for storing your firewood or wood-cutting tools. It’s ideal if you don’t have much space to build.
Modern Black Garden Shed
This black garden shed has a modern feel and comes in black with red trimmings. It’s stylish, sleek, and only 8′ x 10′, so it won’t take up too much of your yard space.
The Tiny House
As the name implies, this little storage shed is ideal for use as a tiny house for yourself or renters. It has plenty of windows, stylish doors, and a quaint design like a giant playhouse. You can add electricity, air conditioning, and anything else you need to make it feel like home.
The Shed Add-On
If you want to build a shed that attaches to your house and doubles as a storage shed slash home addition, this plan is for you. It will tell you everything you need to know about building a storage shed addition to your home.
The Gambrel Shed
This shed looks similar to a barn shed but with subtle differences. It’s meant to store outdoor items and tools and includes wide doors for easy access to anything inside. The Gambrel Shed is one of the easiest and most popular sheds to build DIY style.
The Little Value Shed
This little value shed is about as basic as you can get, but it will get the job done. It features a spacious interior and double doors to get in and out with lawnmowers and other larger yard tools.
The Shed/Porch Combo
Nothing makes a storage shed feel more like home than having a front porch to hang out on in your rocking chair. You can use this shed as a guesthouse, a mancave, a she-shed, or anything else your heart desires. The timber beams and framework make this shed a little pricer than others, but you won’t regret the work and sweat you put into it.
The Ultimate She-Shed
This 10′ x 12′ shed is one of our list’s cutest and quaintest sheds. It’s perfect for an outdoor sewing area, a kids’ playhouse, or even an outdoor nursery for your toddler. You can also kick back with your friends and jam out to some HGTV in the comfort of the Ultimate She-Shed.
The Phone Booth Shed
This shed gets referred to as the phone booth because of its distinctly British phone booth look. It has a pointed hip roof that’s cute, stylish, and welcoming. The large front door of this 6’x6′ shed opens up to a surprisingly spacious interior perfect for storage.
The Big Toy Shed
The name of this shed implies that it’s perfect for storing your big toys rather than that it’s a big shed. It’s not overly big but has wide double doors that open wide enough to drive your Gator, four-wheeler, or another recreational vehicle inside. It’s also one of the more affordable spacious options on this list.
The Narrow Fairy Tale Shed
The narrow fairy tale shed is ideal if you want an adorable and quaint shed but don’t have room to build a big one. This shed only measures 4′ x 7′ and is skinny enough to tuck up against your house, garage, or fence and take up limited space in your yard.
The Workshop Shed
If you have a small furniture-making business or just enjoy woodworking on the side, you need somewhere to practice your hobby without taking up too much of your living space. The workshop shed is ideal because it’s big enough and very functional, and you can set up the interior however you want. The insulated walls and optional conditioning make it possible to stay comfortable year-round.
The Simple Shed
The Simple Shed is perfect if you don’t have a ton of woodworking experience and want to start your shed-building with an easy option. Although it’s simple in appearance, the design and work that goes into this small, lean-to-style shed will look good when you’re finished.
The Playhouse
Looking for a simple shed to use as an outdoor playhouse or play area for your kids? The Playhouse is perfect! It’s 8′ x 6′ and doesn’t include windows, giving your kids more privacy but won’t allow natural light to enter. It’s a fairly simple and easy structure, making it great for all skill levels.
The Mountain Shed
The mountain shed is strong, rustic, and looks pretty darn good when it’s all said and done. No, you don’t have to live in the mountains to have this shed. You simply have to appreciate the durable materials and modern farmhouse design that goes into it. This shed is perfect for a mancave, small workshop, or storage.
The Ramp and Steel Roof Shed
This shed is perfect if you have a riding lawnmower, big yard equipment, or anything else that you need to roll in and out of your shed repeatedly. The ramp is sturdy and easy to navigate, and the steel roof makes this shed one of the most durable on this list.
The Mini Cabin
The mini cabin shed truly is a tiny house that you can rent out or live in yourself. You can also use it as a home office, she-shed, or anything else your heart desires. It looks like a giant Linkin Logs cabin but is much sturdier and stronger.
The Barndoor Shed
This stylish, skillion-style shed features a sliding barn door with tiny windows and a simple design that’s easy to work with. Be warned, however, that the only source of light is from the tiny windows in the doors, so you may want to add electricity to the shed.
The Scandinavian Shed
This shed gets built in the Scandinavian style with light wood, a spacious interior, and a flat roof. It’s one of the most unique sheds on this list, and you can optionally add a porch, patio, or deck to the final construction. This option is easily one of the coolest and most beautiful little sheds that you can build on your own.
Related Questions
Can I build my own shed?
If you have the tools and materials you need and a DIY spirit, there’s no reason why you can’t build your shed.
Are free shed plans better than premium ones?
If you’re an experienced builder, a free shed plan will be enough to help you build your shed. However, they don’t have all the information and material lists you’ll need if you don’t have previous construction experience.
What’s the cheapest way to build a shed?
The cheapest way to build a shed is to do it yourself using secondhand materials. If you don’t want to use secondhand materials, you can also opt for cheaper versions of more expensive materials.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are tons of great free shed plans that include step instructions, a material list, and everything else you need to build your shed from start to finish. However, unless you’re the family handyman with previous building experience, not all free plans will be comprehensive enough to work off.
If that’s the case for you, you should opt for one of the premium plans on this list. Premium shed plans will have more information, including a comprehensive shopping list, complete instructions, and anything else you need to make a full plan for your project. It’s important to know your abilities and limitations to purchase the right type of DIY shed plans for you.
