If you need a new shed, purchasing a kitset and building it yourself can provide substantial cost savings.
In this article, we outline the key steps you need to follow to erect a kitset shed. We cover site preparation, shed foundations, framing, roofing, cladding, and more.
Below, we explain the 9 steps to build your Easy Kit centrepole shed.
Before your kitset can be built, you will need to prepare the building site. The appropriate processes will depend on the site conditions. For a sloping site, more site work may be required, such as excavation and retaining walls may even be required.
If your site is sandy, peaty, or soft with swamp-like conditions, the shed footings will need to be engineered to suit. An engineer or surveyor will need to test the site and a geo tech report will be needed to reveal exactly how hard the ground is and how much weight it can support. This will determine which site works are required to meet council regulations.
It's also important to make provisions for your shed drainage and power requirements. Typically, drainage consists of digging a soak pit, channelling it towards a natural water course or existing stormwater infrastructure. If you need power in your shed, you can either run it underground or through the wall cladding and into the shed.
Once your consent has been issued and the shed materials have arrived, you can start building the shed. You will need to mark out the shed, auger the holes to the specified depths as shown on the plans, stand the timber poles and concrete them in place. Please note that the concrete is not included in the kitset delivery.
Sheds with a concrete floor If your shed will have a concrete floor, the building platform must be level and compacted. First, scrape the loose topsoil away to expose the hard ground underneath. Then, spread 200mm to 400mm of AP20 (or similar) gravel evenly and compact it to form a base. We recommend making the gravel area at least 700mm wider than the shed pad.
It is easier to pour the floor after the poles have been concreted in place and this will provide the tidiest finish. Alternatively, the floor can be poured after the shed is completed but it will be a little more difficult.
Sheds without a concrete floor If your shed does not have a concrete floor, the site preparation is easier. While you still need to level the site, it doesn't need to be as precise. Simply scrape the topsoil away and evenly spread 200mm to 400mm of gravel to stop the site from becoming too muddy.
When the concrete around the poles has hardened, remove any braces, cut the top of the poles to height and check out the tops of the poles where the beams will attach. Then mark out where the joist hangers will go and fix these onto the beam, lift the timber beams and bolt onto the poles.
5. Install the purlins
Once the beams are in place, install the purlins between them.
When the beams and purlins are in place and the purlins have been straightened, it's time to install the roof cladding. Everything will be included in the kitset, from the fixings to the building paper (if required), to the cladding and barge flashings.
If your shed has walls, you will need to install horizontal girts between the structural poles. This will provide lateral support to secure the shed cladding.
If your shed has doors or any extra features, your shed plans will indicate how to frame out the door.
We recommend you get a certified door installer to install any roller doors — if you are not certified, this can void the warranty on the roller doors.
9. Code of Compliance
If your shed needed a building consent and didn't meet the consent exemption criteria, you will need to submit the final "code of compliance" paperwork to the council. There will be a final inspection by a council building inspector to ensure the shed is built to the correct specifications and meets the NZ building code. It is important to ensure the shed is fully completed before the inspection.
At Easy Kit, we work hard to provide kitset sheds that are fast and easy to build. You don't even have to be a qualified builder and everything you need is provided, including instructions, fixings, and materials. If you have any questions during this process, our experienced team is only a phone call away.
Price your shed instantly with our shed configurator, or browse the shed range to find the ideal solution for your needs.