What a Custom Shed Really Costs, Installed

What the list price covers

Every price on our specification page includes the building itself, delivery, and installation on a prepped and level lot. It also includes a single lockable out-swing shed door at 36, 42 or 48 inches, a 30-year architectural composition roof, Douglas fir T1-11 siding, pressure-treated 4×4 skids with 4 inch concrete leveling blocks and up to 6 inches of leveling, and a limited 5-year workmanship warranty.

Structurally that means 2×4 Douglas fir framing with double top plates, 3/4 inch CDX plywood flooring, 1/2 inch CDX roof plywood, and a moisture barrier throughout with Tyvek house wrap. There is no OSB or particle board anywhere in the building.

Base prices by size

Rancher is the most affordable roof line. Forester and Craftsman run around 10 percent above Rancher; Barn style around 20 percent above.

• 4×8, 32 sq ft — Rancher $3,040, Barn $3,648
• 8×10, 80 sq ft — Rancher $5,200, Barn $6,240
• 10×12, 120 sq ft — Rancher $6,840, Barn $8,208
• 12×16, 192 sq ft — Rancher $10,560, Barn $12,672
• 12×20, 240 sq ft — Rancher $13,680, Barn $16,416

Per square foot, a 4×8 works out near $95 and a 12×20 near $57. Fixed costs get spread across more floor area, so larger buildings are better value by the square foot.

Site preparation: the line people forget

This is the biggest cost outside the building, and it is not ours. You provide a prepped, level lot.

A compacted, drained gravel pad is the usual choice in our climate. It drains through a wet winter and it is straightforward work for a landscaper. A concrete slab costs more and makes sense if you are pouring nearby anyway, if the ground is difficult, or if you will roll heavy equipment in and out. We can refer you to landscapers who do this work, and clients regularly tell us the referral was one of the easier parts of the process.

Get quotes locally, because the cost depends heavily on access, slope and drainage on your particular lot. A flat, reachable back garden is a very different job from a sloped site with a narrow side return.

Options that change the number

These are quoted individually because they vary with size and specification, but this is the shape of the decision:

• Insulation package — essential for any occupied building in Washington
• Electrical package — the building’s wiring; the run from your house is separate
• Interior heating package — note that permit-exempt structures in unincorporated Snohomish County may not have heating systems
• Interior walls — tongue and groove, cabinet grade or CDX
• Windows — picture, single-hung or slider; skylights available
• Doors — double shed doors, single or double fiberglass, slider or patio
• Composite deck, stairs or ramp
• Storage loft — the best value addition we sell
• Roof and wall vents
• Upgraded wall height or roof pitch
• Painting — supply the paint and we will paint before installation for an extra charge

Two structural notes that carry cost: gables over 12 feet require manufactured trusses, and side walls over 12 feet need a spreader element such as a loft or 4×4 to stop the walls spreading.

Third-party costs

• Site preparation — landscaper, quoted locally
• Electrical run from the house — contracted with an electrician; we work with several regularly
• Permit fees — where a permit is required, set by your jurisdiction
• Interior finishing — some clients drywall and paint afterwards to match the house

Three realistic budgets

Garden storage, 8×10 Rancher

Building $5,200, plus a gravel pad and perhaps a loft. Straightforward, no permit in most local jurisdictions, and typically installed in a single day.

Backyard office, 12×12 Forester

Building $8,712, plus insulation, electrical, heating, windows and an interior wall finish, plus the electrical run from the house, plus site preparation, plus a permit in most cases since an occupied conditioned building falls outside the storage exemption. The finished figure lands well above the base price, and we would rather set that expectation now.

Workshop, 12×20 Forester

Building $15,048, plus electrical with dedicated circuits, vents, double doors, plywood interior walls and a ramp. At 240 square feet this needs a permit.

Spreading the cost

Financing is available through Enhancify if you would rather pay monthly than up front. You can check your options on our financing page without committing to anything.

Why we are not the cheapest

A big-box shed costs less on day one. It is also typically built from OSB, which is wood chips and glue, and OSB does not forgive a Pacific Northwest winter. Once it swells it stays swollen. Ours are 100% wood, built by hand, installed by a crew who do this daily, and covered by a 5-year workmanship warranty. We have been doing it since 1983. The gap shows up around year eight, which is a hard thing to put on a price list but the honest answer to why the numbers differ.

Cost Questions