Cheap garden shed

How little can I spend and get a 6x6 shed that will last to store a pushmower and my garden tools in without having to build my own? Are those metal or vinyl ones ok? What is the easiest way to do a level base?

Look on Craigslist and Facebook marketplace.  Sometimes you can find one for free. 

I've seen a  ghetto one other day

Had few post put into ground, pallets slid over and nailed to the post, and corrugated roofing over the top. Pallets usually can be had free if you look. Not very water tight though

I screwed together one of the steel ones at my grandparents' cottage in 1987. As far as I know, it's still in use. I also have one that I got for the price of "get this thing out of my yard".

Both of my current ones are sitting on wooden floors. The steel sheds can fly, so you'll want it screwed into something heavy. Like a wooden base. Makes it easiern to move them too, you just get 4-6 guys and lift.

I would bet you can make it the cheapest out of wood and corregated metal panels.  There are kits that make it easy to make a shed frame from 2x4s.  

I kinda wish I went that path for my greenhouse.

edit- like this -https://www.amazon.com/2x4basics-90192MI-Custom-Shed-Peak/dp/B000E3XNC0

I’ve had good luck with resin sheds. I’ve got a couple 4x8’s that I use for the kids’ bikes and sports equipment. One is about 10 years old, and has stood up well. Actually looks just like the newer one beside it, impressive after 10 years in the CA sun. 

A concrete pad would be best, but I’ve had them sitting on cheap concrete pavers before. 

alfadriver (Forum Supporter) said:

I would bet you can make it the cheapest out of wood and corrugated metal panels.  There are kits that make it easy to make a shed frame from 2x4s.  

I kinda wish I went that path for my greenhouse.

edit- like this -https://www.amazon.com/2x4basics-90192MI-Custom-Shed-Peak/dp/B000E3XNC0

Great find, that really is an easy-button solution.

I have a $300 steel shed at camp.

The word I would use to describe it is actually not a word.  It's uncontrollable laughter.  It's not that bad, but is is genuinely made from super thin stamped steel that get's it's rigidity by geometry.  One good 3" branch falling on it might turn it into scrap.

Mine has been fine for several years.  The sliding doors are awful.  Two-handed operation with careful negotiation to prevent binding.  They're also really short unless you buy the super tall ones.

There are many wood kits (Heartland for example) that are entirely pre-cut, so you screw/nail walls together and stand them up.  Really your only tools should be a hammer or driver, and you and a friend can do it in one day.  They don't come with a floor, so you'd have to lay gravel, pavers, or build a wee deck for under it.... but the same is true for the steel sheds.

I'm currently starting a build on a 6x12 lean-to on the side of my garage.  Best price I could find for resin or wood kit was around $1000 and it doesn't include floor or shingles.  Instead I'll build my own (and even with psycho lumber prices right now) I'll be all-in at about $650 with translucent plastic roofing, 15A electrical, and two sliding barn doors.  I'm not including paint since I have a truckload of leftovers

More work, but way less money.

Leveling is easy.  Keeping it level depends on how much freezing you get.

Best practice is to dig below your area's frost line and pour a concrete pier on top of a couple inches of gravel.  I live in PA, but I'm not going to go that far.  I'll dig down about 6", throw in 3" of gravel, and make level points on top of that with cheap concrete pavers.  The freezing will heave the ground some, but likely not enough to kill the shed.  If anything, I'll have to re-shim it up every few years as the thaw may let the pavers sink in the spring.

Well this is an old thread. I ended up buying a vinyl shed kit from Home Depot. Currently sitting on a concrete slab but it will get moved this year.

I got fooled by the noob post.

I am sufficiently self-berated.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

If it makes you feel any better Curtis, your posts to this thread are super helpful, as I am moving a 10x14 steel shed down from my parents' place in MI to my backyard here in Cinci—and I need to build a new floor/base and was unsure about what to place it on. So what I'm saying is, thanks for not checking the original post date, buddy.

We really do owe a debt of gratitude to canoes everywhere for dredging up long lost nuggets of wisdom such as this.  Just because a thread is old doesn't mean that it is irrelevant.

Wood is really expensive right now, a plastic type shed in a box is likely cheaper than one you build.

No joke.  I picked up three 2x4's this afternoon.  I paid $21.02 with tax.

In reply to ebelements :

Glad my brain cramp benefitted someone :)

This is my cheap Sears steel garden shed. I wrapped it with cedar board and bat and now it looks pretty sharp. 

If you're near Denver I can make you a great deal on a 7x10 Tuff Shed!  I'm going to have to get rid of it because it's too large and my HOA is having a hissy fit.

I stopped by my old house in Ontario 18 months ago. The current owners are still using the cheap steel shed that was there when I bought the house in 1983. It sits on a base that's just those 18" square concrete patio slabs.

Well if anyone was thinking about a vinyl shed from Lowes. I don't recommend it. Crapsman strikes again. It split along one of the seems on a corner.