Shed Prices: How Much Does an Average Storage Shed Cost?

A solution to your overflowing garage. A place to put your tools. A base for your wife’s gardening obsession. Whatever the reason, it’s time to add a shed to your property. Unless you’ve got money to burn, the first question you’re probably asking yourself is, “how much does an average storage shed cost?”

How Much does an average Storage Shed Cost?

I wish there was a much shorter answer to this question. Then you could go on your merry way of shopping for a shed. What you might consider being an average shed may not be average to someone else. There are a whole host of things to consider.

Obviously, larger sheds generally cost more, but they’re also cheaper per square foot, making them a better value. Expect to pay more if you want a shed made out of wood. If you’re in the market for a bargain shed and don’t mind the industrial look, a metal shed might be a good option for you. Resin sheds offer a nice compromise between price and looks.

In this article, we’ll go into depth about shed cost to determine what you can expect to pay for a shed that fulfills your needs.

What Factors Affect Shed Prices?

With such a wide variety of sheds available on the market today, there are also a wide variety of options. These options include size, type of material, roof style, purpose, and accessories. All of these factor into how much a shed will set you back.

Overwhelmed? Don’t worry. In the remainder of this article, we’ll explore how each factor affects a shed’s price tag, so you can make the best decision for your shed needs.

Shed Size

How the size of a shed relates to price may seem obvious. The bigger the shed, the higher the cost. But, it’s a little more complicated than that. While a smaller shed will save you money, a larger shed will get you more bang for your buck.

That’s because as your shed gets bigger, you pay less per square foot. For example, the average cost of a standard 12×16’ shed made of wood is $3,700. That equates to about $19.27 per square foot. The average cost of an 8×10’ shed also made of wood is $2,100, which equates to $26.25 per square foot.

That’s a huge difference and something to consider when you’re determining just how big a shed you want on your property.

With that in mind, let’s break this down based on sizes. For a small shed, which we would classify as 80 square feet and under, expect to pay somewhere between $300 and $2,200 depending on material and size.

Medium-sized sheds that range between 90 and 120 square feet will run between $500 and $2,700 depending on the material and actual size. Larger sheds, those between 144 and 288 square feet, will range between $1,200 and $5,000, again depending on actual size and material.

Square footage isn’t the only factor affecting price. Wall height also plays a role. Wall heights on sheds generally range from 6’ to 8’ high, except gambrel style, which can be as low as 4’ high (they make up for this with the barn style roof).

Expect to pay a few hundred more dollars for that gable shed with the 8’ walls than you would the same design with 6’ walls.

Shed Material

Perhaps not surprisingly, the type of material you select for your shed has a huge impact on how much that shed will cost you.

The most sought after sheds are wood due to their aesthetic appeal and their ability to be easily customized. As such, they are the most expensive of your material options. You can spend as little as $300 on a small, bare-bones woodshed or thousands of dollars for a decked-out workshop complete with all the bells and whistles.

Keep in mind that the type of wood used to build the shed can dramatically affect cost. Cedar, with its beautiful look and natural weather-resistance properties, is easily the most prized material for a woodshed. It’s also the most expensive. An 8×10’ cedar shed might cost you upwards of $4,000 while the same -sized shed made from standard pine will cost about half that.

Resin sheds are significantly cheaper than wood sheds. A basic 8×10’ resin storage shed costs about $800, while a basic wood shed with the same square footage will run you about $2,000.

Now before you go running out to buy the less expensive resin shed, keep in mind that resin sheds do have their disadvantages. They are not as strong as wood sheds, making them more susceptible to high winds. That said, plastic does last longer than wood as it is rot proof and pest proof.

They are also not as customizable. Adding simple items such as shelving and hooks typically requires the purchase of expensive accessories.

As with wood, there is also a variance in price for the quality of the material used to make the shed. Resin sheds with double-wall construction reinforced floors, and steel framework will be more expensive than resin sheds without these strengthening features. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars more to get these features.

You’ll also pay more for resin sheds that are molded to look like real wood to improve their aesthetic appeal.

Metal sheds present by far the cheapest material option for a shed. A bare-bones 8×10’ galvanized metal shed with steel floor only runs about $300. While this is a major pro, keep in mind that there are some cons to consider. Metals sheds feel somewhat flimsy compared to wood or even resin sheds.

They’re also difficult, if not impossible to modify. The only shelving you’ll use is that which is designed into its construction or freestanding shelves. Metal is also susceptible to rust and corrosion. And, most metal sheds have a very utilitarian look that may detract from the aesthetics of your property.

That said, there are exceptions in quality with metal too. Some manufacturers make metal sheds with double-thick steel walls, reinforced framing, and rust and corrosion-resistant sealants. There are even a few that are made to look like wood. Just expect to pay several times the cost of a standard metal shed for these features.

Shed Design

While size plays a big role in the price of a shed, so too does design. When we’re talking sheds, design typically equates to the roof style. The most popular shed roof styles include gambrel, lean-to, saltbox, and gable.

While each has its pros and cons, gambrel sheds have a more open ceiling area, for example, while gable sheds have higher walls. When it comes to price, it’s a wash. Expect to pay about the same for a gable, lean-to, saltbox or gambrel style shed of the same size and with similar features.

Expenses begin to climb when you start to add other design features, including windows, skylights, and dormers. A functioning window can add $100 to the cost of a shed. Non-functioning windows will be less.

Architectural enhancements such as dormers, cupolas, and roof overhangs can cost you hundreds of dollars or more. For example, a 10×10’ standard gable shed with no windows or architectural features will cost you around $2,000. The same-sized shed with two windows, a skylight, and roof overhang over the door side of the shed will cost you around $2,800.

Other options to consider that can add to the overall cost of the shed includes a shed loft, which will add several hundred dollars to the cost of a shed.

In addition to these architectural features, also consider the shed floor. Some sheds include a floor system as part of the shed kit. These kits typically consist of galvanized steel joists and floor decking. Decks that include foundations will typically cost a few hundred dollars more than those that don’t.

Shed Purpose

It may make sense to look at the purpose of the shed when considering how much you’ll end up paying for it.

Your standard lawncare shed is the cheapest shed purchase. This is a shed that is designed to house your lawnmower, gardening equipment, fertilizers, and other equipment needed to maintain lawn and landscaping.

As this shed is designed simply to store equipment and supplies, you can typically get away with a smaller shed. Options such as windows, skylights, and expensive roofs designs that include dormers are nice, but certainly aren’t a necessity for yard maintenance shed.

Sheds designed to serve as a workspace, whether for gardening or woodworking, require more features. These sheds need to be larger to provide enough square footage to include a space large enough for working.

And since you or your wife will be spending a significant amount of time in a shed that serves as a workspace, you’ll more than likely need windows and skylights to provide adequate ventilation and lighting. You’ll also need a workbench or gardening table. All of these features add to the cost of a shed.

Even with windows, you may need additional lighting, which means potentially wiring the shed for electricity.

Sheds designed for vehicle storage will need to be large enough to house your vehicle. This could vary in price depending on whether you’re housing a motorcycle, car, or truck. Depending on your needs, sheds designed specifically to house a vehicle can be very cheap if you’re willing to purchase a fabric shed.

Looking for a shed that functions as a Playhouse? There are a whole host of options to consider here. While the shed itself might be comparative in price to a regular shed of similar size, options you might want to add include a finished interior, lighting, and lofts, all of which will add to the total price.

Shed Accessories

Whether you’re using your shed as a workspace or a place to store yard care equipment and tools, you’re more than likely going to need shelving, hooks or even a workbench to help manage the space.

This will add to your expenses. This can get pricey quickly with resin sheds. As they typically require you to buy the shelf that is compatible with the shed, you could end up paying upwards of $50 for a single shelf. Of course, you can get around this by buying a freestanding set of shelves.

Wood sheds are much more easily customizable. It’s easy and cheap to add your wood shelves to the interior of your shed.

If you plan on storing anything of value in your shed, and more than likely, you will, you’ll likely want to invest in a decent set of locks. This can range from relatively cheap for basic security to expensive for higher levels of security.

Live in an area that is subject to high winds or large accumulations of snow? Then you may want to invest in a roof strengthening kit. These are especially useful for resin and metal sheds. These kits can add several hundred dollars to the cost of your shed, depending on the size.

Shed Brand and Price

As with any product you buy, the brand plays a significant role in price. Rubbermaid has been making plastic storage solutions for many many years, and so it makes sense that they would be one of the more highly regarded resin shed makers out there.

The company is known for its “Roughneck” and “Big Max” sheds. The company’s sheds are well built but also budget-friendly with its 8×10’ shed coming in at about $1,000.

Keter shed is also a reputable resin shed maker and offers sheds that are both budget and high end. The company sells an 8×10’ shed at the unbeatable price of $750 but also a higher-end version loaded with features at the steeper price of $1,600.

Suncast and Tremont also offer high-quality resin sheds. Both sell 8×10’ sheds at around the $1,200 price point.

Heartland, BestBarns and Little Cottage Co. are three of the most common wood barn brands you’ll find. Pricing for Heartland and BestBarns sheds are similar to a 12×8’ shed coming in at around $2,000 for each brand. Expect to pay more for a little Cottage Co. shed, which prices their basic 12×8” shed at $2,300.

Arrow and Duramax are two of the biggest manufacturers of metal sheds. Arrow is by far the cheapest manufacturer with its 8×6’ sheds coming in at about $350, while the same-sized shed for a Duramax shed will cost you more than $500.

Prebuilt vs. Kit vs. DIY

In case it wasn’t obvious, it’s cheaper to build your shed from raw lumber than it is to purchase a kit with pre-cut materials. But is it cheaper to build a shed yourself or to purchase a kit to speed things along?

But just how much cheaper is it? For example, n 8×12’ shed will cost you around $2,050 to build yourself. An 8×12’ shed kit, in comparison,d will run between $2,400 and $4,800 depending on the features. For a complete breakdown of this difference, check out my article on building or buying a shed.

Conclusion

A shed makes a wonderful addition to your property that can add valuable storage for your landscaping tools or even a workspace to support your woodworking or gardening hobby.

I hope this article has helped you better understand what factors affect the price of a shed so that you can make a smart decision when it comes time to make a purchase.