If you’re looking for blueprints for sheds then you’ve come to the right place. What follows is my review of My Shed Plans – an online resource that provides thousands of plans and blueprints for sheds, gazebos, garages and other carpentry projects.
I’ll start with a quick summary of my conclusions in case you don’t have time to read a long review. If you want more detail, keep reading and you’ll receive more information.
A Quickie Summary
All in all, I would recommend this resource for homeowners and contractors wanting to build their own shed – especially if they plan other do-it-yourself projects in the future – projects like gazebos, doghouses, garbage shelters, garages, etc. While the website is not well-organized, it does provide a wealth of information and a number of options in shed designs and other projects.
Some of the shed blueprints seem to be copyright-free designs collecte
d from sources, such as university and government agricultural programs, but while such plans seem dated, they are tried-and-true shed designs. And, among the many blueprints for sheds that are available, you will find some real gems, such as the full-color, step-by-step plan that you can see in the free sample you can download from the My Shed Plans website.
While I haven’t actually counted, I don’t believe this resource provides a full 12,000 shed plans. However, it may include a full 12,000 do-it-yourself project plans, of which many are blueprints for sheds. So, if two or more sheds are in your future, this package will accommodate that. And, you can use it to build a host of other projects. Step-by-step instructions are provided for many, but not all, of these projects.
So, is a good value for the money? I’d say yes. And there’s a money-back guarantee, so you can’t go too far wrong.
For those of you who want more detail about My Shed Plans…read on:
1. What’s Included
My Shed Plans is not a single e-Book with a table of contents, index, diagrams and pages of plans. Rather, it’s a website with thousands of plans that you can download directly onto your computer. As a result, finding the blueprints for a shed that you like might take longer than you had originally anticipated. However, the plans are kept in folders that organize them and are labeled so can identify them. For example, the “Extra Shed Plans” folder contains 33 files that include:
- “6 x 8 outdoor shed
- 8 x 10 storage sheds
- 10 x 12 sheds on skids
- 10 x 15 shed
- American Style Roofed Shed
- Garden Shed Project Plan
- Bathing Beauty Shed
- Storage Shed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
- Storm Shelter
- The Putter Shed
- Trash Can/Firewood Storage Unit
- Shed Construction Guide”
- And more…
There are thousands of such files, and, while you might initially feel lost when you open the site, in a half-hour or so, you’ll have things figured out to the point where you can find what you want.
2. Quality of the Plans
The shed plans and designs vary in both detail and quality. Some are older copyright-free designs from educational institutions and government agencies. Others are full-color, step-by-step multi-page plans for sheds that show you everything you need to know about building a shed. Many of the plans include a full materials list that you can take to your neighborhood lumber store for estimates.
Here’s a promotional video that shows you some of the My Shed Plans’ designs and information on how to build a shed. The colored diagrams are naturally among the nicest on the site, but there are others that are as nicely rendered.
3. It Provides More Than Just Sheds
The website provides plans for much more than just sheds. It also includes gazebos, doghouses, greenhouses, barns, garages, smoke-houses, trash-can shelters,, roadside stands, cabins, guesthouses, picnic shelters and much more. And, as a bonus, it includes plans for a number of home improvement and woodworking projects.
4. Instructions Included
While there seems to be no logical sequence to the files, with a little hunting you’ll find extra instructional material that will teach you how to build sheds, gazebo, or dozens of carpentry projects. Some of these instructional articles are illustrated and provide step-by-step plans. Here are just a few examples:
“Shed Construction Guide- Building A Shed Base
- Glue Chart
- Steps In Building A Shed
- Where Do I Put My Shed
- What Types Of Foundations Should I Consider
- Woodworking Guide
- With Materials For Furniture
- Woodworking Techniques
- Driveway Planning Guides”
The DIY home-improvement folder provides 123 do-it-yourself tips and instructional articles.
5. The Negatives
- The package is not well-organized and it will take some hunting to find the shed designs that really interest you. That said, after a few minutes on the site you’ll become fairly well-oriented.
- The plans vary in quality and detail and some do not include an elevation or drawing of the final product. As a result, it may be difficult for some of you to visualize your shed when working from these older plans. On the other hand, there are many plans that have excellent renderings of the finished product.
There are some repeats of plans in different folders, but with 12,000 files there are bound to be some oversights, and to me, that’s not a real biggie.
6. The Positives
- The website provides instant access to the plans, and the fact that you can download them allows you to print them as many times as you wish. That can be handy if you’re forgetful or find yourself working in the rain.
- There is a large selection of plans available, some with step-by-step instructions and excellent diagrams of the finished product.
- There’s also a large selection of of plans for buildings that you might not consider a shed. For example gazebos, doghouses, greenhouses, barns, garages, smoke-houses, trashcan shelters,, roadside stands, cabins, guesthouses, picnic shelters, and many more.
- The package comes with a woodworking guide and dozens of yourself home improvement projects, and hundreds of woodworking projects that will keep your power tools hunting all year long.
- It really does provide an incredible amount of information and the huge number of plans for a variety of different projects.
- The package is inexpensive for the amount of material provided.
- Finally, the package includes a 60-day money-back guarantee and ClickBank handles the transaction – Clickbank is a reputable online company.
7. Conclusion
- I was initially disappointed that there seemed to be no way to easily navigate through the many files on the website. But after a few minutes, I figured out the organization pattern of the folders and was able to find the shed types and sizes that I was interested in.
- I’m very impressed with the amount of information is provided on the site. While some of the blueprints for sheds are old and not very detailed, there are some real gems that will help you to build a gorgeous shed. There’s a wealth instructional information, some step-by-step guides on how to build a shed and other projects, and many of the plans provide a complete materials lists that you can take your lumber store for estimates.
- And once finished your shed, there are plans for many, many other projects that you can build. Perhaps, that is “My Shed Plans’” greatest strength.
So, yes, I think it’s worthwhile package to purchase. But of course, that really depends on your personal needs.
Good luck with your new project. I hope this review has been helpful!
