How to build a wooden shed

Wooden shed: extra space for your house

When the summer comes we usually spend more time outside and the need to create a sort of extra outdoor room to enjoy the nice weather that often arises. An excellent solution, in this regard, is to build a wooden shed which, in addition to being functional, if well designed will also aesthetically enrich the front of your house, giving it more personality.

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We can build this element with various materials, but wood is the one that certainly has many more advantages.

Wooden canopy: advantages and disadvantages

Wood is a material that give to the environment warmth and elegance, as well as solidity. In fact, thanks to its particular consistency, it has been a building material used since ancient times.

A wooden structure is elastic and therefore anti-seismic, weatherproof, durable over time and excellent for insulating itself, when needed, both thermally and acoustically.


Wood is an eco-sustainable material al well, especially if it comes from certified FSC forests.


A disadvantage of outdoor wood is definitely maintenance.

A wooden structure exposed to the weather tends to deteriorate if not properly maintained. It must be waterproofed thanks to specific products that must be renewed annually during the summer, after having been cleaned to remove the underlying layers.

Outdoor wooden sheds

An outdoor shed can be used as an extra space, under which to arrange a relaxation area or even a dining area.

For this reason it could be closed with simple mosquito nets or even transformed into a veranda, closing it all around with side-folding windows, which can be taken off whenever we desire.


Alternatively, you can use real sealed windows, so you can take advantage of this space even in winter.

Wooden carport

A shed can also be used as a carport, a shelter for cars when you do not have a garage attached to the house or when you need to leave them outside, while protecting them from the sun or sudden hailstorms which are very common in the summer.

In the photo wooden roof for car shelter - Classic by Pineca

A shed can also be used as a storage room for garden tools. In this case a part of the structure can be closed with wooden planks.

How to build a self-supporting wooden shed

We already said that among the various materials used to build a shed, wood is the best choice, from a functional and aesthetic point of view.

Wood can actually be used to create the roof, but the supporting pillars can be made of other materials such as concrete or bricks, depending on the style of the house.


The structure can be self-supporting, fixed in the floor or even partially fixed to the structure of the house, with only two pillars in front and the back part fixed to the wall.

There are also wooden carports which feature the wooden cover fixed only in the wall. In this case, however, they will not cover a very large space, for safety reasons.

Wooden shed: finishes

Once the structure has been built we can move on to the roofing layer. Also for the choice of the latter it is important to understand what function the shed will have, in order to select the most suitable type of material.

You can have simple tiles placed on a reticulated wooden structure for sporadic use.

If the structure is required to be stronger, it will be better to create a real roof, complete with waterproofing and terracotta or stone tiles or even specific materials for roofing.

DIY carport shed

There are many difficulties to be encountered while building a solid structure and, for this reason, it's better to rely on professionals in the sector, but if we are particularly good at it, we can also try to build our wooden shed ourselves.

There are several solutions on the market that come to our aid: prefabricated wooden shed structures, of which the various components arrive at home directly to be assembled.

A perfect example are Pineca sheds, such as the Classic, 3x6 m in size, with a classic design, suitable for car shelter.

Pineca Classic wooden tool shed

There is also this one, with the closet made out of a shed closed with beads.

In the photo: shed by Pineca Cora Duo

If you want something special, Cora Duo by Pinecais perfect for you: 5.9x5.9 m in size, with a very sophisticated design, thanks to the curved side profiles.

Shed-pergola for car shelter by Leroy Merlin

Leroy Merlin has prefabricated structures too, like this wooden carport Firenze, 512x304 cm in size, easy to assemble, with a basic structure.

Wood types suitable for sheds

It is not enough to say wooden roof, because there are many possibilities that this material offers. First of all, the variety is linked to the essences: oak, walnut, cherry and oak are the most valuable and beautiful to look at, while the least valuable are pine and fir.

Another factor to consider is the type of wood.


There is glulam, widely used in roofing thanks to its ability to cover large spaces. It is obtained by gluing various layers of wood.
This process makes it very resistant, thanks to its compactness, due to the firmness that is established between the various layers.

Solid wood is quite different, the truest internal part of wood, with a great density of fibers and excellent resistance. It is a wood that is capable of carrying very heavy loads.

Regulations and permits for wooden sheds

The wooden shed is a permanent structure that cannot be considered "free construction". In fact, we are going to create an additional volume that can be used as if it were another room. Therefore, if you need to build this type of structures fisrt you must get the necessary permits.


A structure not embedded in the ground or other structure can actually be built without no need for any kind of permit.

It is always a good idea to ask the Technical Department of your Municipality, just to check which building permits are requested to build you shed. It could be a simple SCIA or a Building Permit.

Feasibility check

However, an architectural and a structural project will be needed if the wooden shed is custom made. Minimum distances from borders and neighboring properties must be respected also.


It will be necessary to verify whether there are constraints in the area in which the shed will be built, such as landscape constraints and those linked to the presence of a regional or national park or other types of constraints. It goes without saying how important it is to rely on a professional in the sector who will help you find your way through this bureaucratic labyrinth and verify if it's possible to build the shed of your dreams.

Wooden sheds: prices

The price of a wooden shed varies and depends on several factors. First of all, it depends on the type of wood chosen and the finishing materials. More valuable woods will have their advantages, aesthetic and structural, but they will also cost much more.


The size of the structure itself that is going to be built will also have a strong influence on the final cost, because larger structures will require different and more expensive technical measures, as well as greater quantities of material.

To these costs you must also add those for the permits that you'll have to request, including the fees of the professional who will design your shed and presents the file, as well as secretarial fees and other kinds of charges.