Shed planning · Guide 1 of 7 · 5 min readUpdated
Plan a shed footprint, roof and openings
Choose a shed layout around what you will store or do inside, then weigh the space, access, roof and framing decisions before measuring.
Let the use decide the shape
A storage shed and a small workshop can have the same floor area and work very differently. Storage needs an opening and a clear route for the largest item; a workshop also needs working room in front of benches, daylight and space to handle long material. Sketch those activities before deciding the outside dimensions.
A simple rectangle usually keeps corners, roof edges and cutting straightforward. More depth can improve storage but leave items trapped behind one another. A wider front and different door position may make the same area more useful. Deeper wall framing can provide space for a specified insulation or service arrangement, but it consumes interior room when the outside footprint stays fixed.
Example: getting the mower out without emptying the shed
Place the mower, shelving depth and door swing on a rough plan. If the mower must turn immediately inside the door, a generous opening alone will not solve the problem. Moving the door toward the clear aisle may help more than adding length at the back. Measure that route, then use the planner to check the remaining wall and opening geometry.
Set the footprint from the outside frame
Front width and depth describe the outside of the wall frame. They exclude cladding and roof overhangs. The floor area is the outside footprint, so usable interior space is smaller.
Choose 2×4 or 2×6 wall framing under Footprint & walls. New plans use left and right through walls, with the front and back gable walls butting between them. Change the through-wall pair under Wall layout & sheathing when the assembly calls for the other orientation. Older plans keep their original orientation. Changing wall thickness changes the butt-frame length while keeping the outside footprint fixed. Their opening positions start at their own frame ends, measured from the left when you stand outside looking at that wall. Floor plan and Roof plan put Front at the bottom and Right at the right. The 3D view uses the same orientation, with side labels that follow the model. Plan orientation looks down with Front at the bottom; Fit view restores the perspective.
- Start with room for the largest item that must pass through the door.
- Set eave height for a gable or low-wall height for a single slope, from the floor datum to the top of the frame.
- Choose timber floor for an area-based floor-sheet estimate, or concrete slab for a bagged-mix and ready-mix supply estimate. Supporting structures and elevations above grade are separate.
Set the stud layout before marking the plates
Keep the fixed end stud at the end of the frame. The first repeating stud is a separate mark. On a through wall at 16 inches on centre, its left edge is 15¼ inches from the frame left and its centre is 16 inches. On a new 2×4 butt wall, the outside corner is 3½ inches before the frame left, so those marks become 11¾ inches to the edge and 12½ inches to centre.
Under Wall layout & sheathing, choose the primary reference: exterior panels, interior panels or a manual layout. Adding interior sheathing alone does not change that choice. Changing the reference resets custom first marks. The controls default to the stud’s left edge; select centre measurements if wanted. Both total inches and feet-and-inches are displayed.
The builder lays out panels, checks their seams and can add studs or blocking in clear cavities. California-corner backing serves the inside face; it does not shift the exterior sheet grid. Conflicts at opening packs or corners appear as support issues, so you can revise the joint or supply a backing detail. Each panel piece consumes a full sheet in the order estimate; offcut reuse is not assumed.
Wall drawings locate each opening by its centreline from frame left and show the rough-opening width and height once. A window also has its rough-sill height above the floor datum. King and jack positions follow from the opening and its framing assembly, so they do not need separate location dimensions. The first repeating stud mark and O.C. spacing establish the regular grid; added seam backing has its own locations. Every wall is viewed from outside, including the interior panel layer, so the numbers never reverse.
Choose the roof shape and direction
A gable has a ridge running front to back. For a single slope, choose front to back, back to front, left to right or right to left. The control names the low and high walls. Enter the low-wall height and pitch, then check the high side in the floor plan and 3D view.
Eave and rake overhangs are entered separately as horizontal dimensions. Highest wall point describes the frame. Top of roof deck also includes rafter depth, roof sheathing and any rise at the high overhang; foundation height and roof-covering thickness remain separate.
Place clear rough openings
Select a wall under Doors & windows, then choose Exact rough opening or Actual unit + clearances. Unit dimensions mean the actual outside frame, including a door jamb, not a nominal slab or sash size. Enter the manufacturer’s clearance per side, at the top and at the bottom. Width adds both side clearances; height adds top and bottom clearance. Exact RO mode is available when the manufacturer supplies that dimension directly.
Placement may reference the left edge, centre or right edge of the entered unit or RO. Every horizontal number is still measured from frame left, viewed outside. Centre on wall removes the half-width calculation; Snap placement rounds the selected point to the chosen grid. Changing an anchor preserves position. Windows can use a bottom or top height above the floor; door rough openings begin at the floor datum.
The resolved RO drives king studs, jacks, headers, sills, cripples, wall-area deductions and schedules. Conflicting opening packs or headers that do not fit stop the results. Header mode begins as manual. A verified Ontario table profile can supply an automatic candidate, with manual adjustment still available; see the header guide for the limits.
Read unit placement and header limits
Walls use one bottom plate and two top plates. Through walls use California corners: one end stud plus a turned backing stud on the inside face. Butt walls have one end stud. Backing is included in the model and lumber quantities; the corner plan detail makes the assembly visible. Gable and sloped plates follow the roof line. Connections require their specified detail.
Work through the material decisions
Use Design for the layout, Materials for schedules and prices, and Drawings for PDF previews and printing. Once the footprint and openings fit, choose wall panels, the floor, roof details, siding and insulation. Horizontal wood, board-and-batten, vinyl lap and fiber-cement lap use entered product coverage and stock dimensions. Price the resulting quantities so the estimate matches the same model shown in the drawings and 3D view.
Compare bagged concrete and ready-mix
Choose siding and plan its installation
Name, download and reopen a project
Use the project bar just like the deck designer: enter a Project name, then choose Download project. The name becomes the file name, ending in .ucshed.json. Open project restores that file on this or another device. Legacy UC shed files without a project name or insulation settings use Untitled shed and None for the missing settings; newer files preserve the name and insulation choices saved with them. Version 9 also saves the optional floor frame and birdsmouth seat. Version 8 saves panel references, unit sizing, opening anchors, the header profile, rafter end trim and siding. Earlier files keep their original geometry until the new settings are enabled. Undo and Redo restore edits during the current session, including quantities and prices; opening a project or starting a new shed resets this history.
A recovery draft is saved automatically in this browser after valid changes. Returning to the planner restores it. This is one local recovery slot, so keep downloaded files for separate projects and moving devices. New shed starts the initial example again; opening another file or starting a new shed offers to download your current changes before replacing them. If another tab changes the recovery draft, the current tab stops overwriting it until you choose which draft to use.
The project name appears in print. Selected insulation, its package assumptions and prices are included alongside the material budget and drawings. Invalid inputs pause recovery and exports. The last valid drawing stays visible, and Go to input opens the field that needs attention. Drawing controls provide zoom, pan, Fit and fullscreen.
Preview my drawings creates a dimensioned PDF of the current design, including sparse wall marks, opening dimensions, panel layouts, support issues, roof plan and section, plumb-end rafter profiles, member blanks and material quantities. Enabled floor framing and birdsmouth seats are included. Foundation and floor supports, member spans, notch strength and connections still require their specified design.
When package sales are open, a one-time purchase preserves one saved revision. My drawing packages keeps the purchased PDF and matching editable project, including after tool access expires. Changing the design produces a new revision. Ordinary Print plan and Download project remain available for your working copies.