DIY 14x16 Lean-To Storage Shed Plan

The full plan is $19.99: buy the 14×16 lean-to shed plan. To see the drawing style first, open the free 14×16 lean-to shed plan PDF.

14×16 shed plans: the numbers for a site check

The whole roof drains to the back edge, so keep that side clear of a fence you cannot reach and think about where the water goes. The high front wall matches similar sheds at about 9′ 10″. The roof is steeper so shingles work, which brings the back wall down to 6′ 5″, with 6′ 2″ clear. Square the stakes to matching 21′ 3 1/8″ diagonals before any stone goes down.

How to build a 14×16 shed: the stages in the plan

The plan has 28 sections plus a printable checklist. Sections 9 to 27 are the 19 build steps, from preparation and ground breaking to the ramp.

The pad frame, skids and floor

Step 9 starts with the layout: set the corner stakes and move one until both diagonals read 21′ 3 1/8″. Dig 4″ deep, then frame the pad with pressure-treated 4x6s laid flat, joined at the corners with two galvanized 10″ timber spikes each and pinned with 34 rebar stakes. The landing in front of the door is 8′ 9″ wide and reaches 5′ 7 1/2″ past the pad. Fill the 18′ 0″ x 16′ 0″ frame with 4″ of 3/4″ crushed stone, compacted in two layers with a hand tamper.

Five skids, each 16′ 0″ and unspliced, run along the 16 ft side, 3′ 5 1/8″ on center. The two rims are 16′ 0″ pressure-treated 2x6s and the 13 joists are 13′ 9″. The nailed floor frame weighs about 460 lb, so the plan has you build it in place on the skids and square it there instead of carrying it. Eight sheets of tongue and groove plywood cover it.

How the walls go up on a 14×16 deck

Each wall is framed flat on the deck and raised as a bare frame, and the siding goes on after all four stand. The 16 ft front wall is the tall one, so it goes up in two sections that two people can tip up.

• Hinge it. Drive two or three nails partly through the bottom plate into the deck at the tipping edge so the wall pivots instead of sliding. On this tall wall, 4 ft stop posts on the rim, each in line with a stud, stop the wall at plumb.
• Join the sections. The front wall breaks 11′ 11 1/4″ from the left corner, so the long section is the 190 lb lift and the short one 70 lb.
• Brace from outside. 2×4 braces run from about 7 ft up, within reach from the deck, to stakes about 5 ft out, so the deck stays clear for the next wall.
• Side walls drop in. Their plates are 1/4″ shorter than the gap between the front and back walls, so check those two for plumb first.
• Twist straps. A lean-to side wall has no level plate to lap, so a metal strap ties each of the four corners.

The tall studs need full-length boards

Each side wall has 12 studs of different lengths, from 6′ 2 3/8″ to 9′ 6 3/16″, every top cut at a 14.0 degree bevel under the sloped plate. The 7′ 9 1/4″ stud is longer than a 92 5/8″ precut, so the plan has you buy it as a full 96″ board.

What is on the 14×16 shed materials list

The shopping list is split by stage, in the stock lengths that waste the least:

• Foundation and floor: 5 pressure-treated 4×4 x 16 ft skids, 2 pressure-treated 2×6 x 16 ft rims, 13 pressure-treated 2×6 x 14 ft joists and 8 sheets of 3/4″ tongue and groove plywood.
• Pad and ramp: 7 pressure-treated 4×6 boards for the pad frame, about 5 cu yd of 3/4″ stone, 34 rebar stakes, and ground-contact 2×10, 2×6 and 2×4 boards for the ramp.
• Walls: studs and plates, a doubled 2×8 door header and a doubled 2×6 window header, plus 18 sheets of 5/8″ T1-11 in 4×8, 4×9 and 4×10 sizes, 2 of them for the door leaves. Order the 4×9 and 4×10 sheets ahead: many stores special-order them.
• Roof: 15 2×8 x 16 ft boards for the 13 rafters and 2 fly rafters, 2×8 blocking, 9 sheets of 7/16″ OSB, 2 rolls of 15 lb felt, 9 bundles of shingles and 8 pieces of drip edge.
• Door, window and trim: 6 T-strap hinges, a handle and latch, 2 barrel bolts, 2 brush sweeps, the prefabricated window, 1×10 fascia, 1×4 casing and corner trim.
• Hardware: nails by the pound, 22 hurricane ties, 4 framing angles, 4 twist straps, 6 ground anchors, adhesive, flashing tape, drip cap, insect screen and 5 gallons of paint.

The longest boards on the list are 16 ft: the rafters, skids, rims and the rake fascia. Check that your trailer or the yard’s delivery can carry them before you order.

What you can fit in a 14×16 lean-to shed

The plan draws the floor to scale with the gear in it. Check the fit before you buy:

• Riding mower. A 42 in deck rider (4′ 7 3/16″ wide) clears each side of the open door by 8 1/8″. A 48 in deck fits with its deflector raised. A 54 in deck does not fit.
• Aisle. There is a 5′ 6″ aisle behind the mower to the back shelves. The ramp is 6′ 9″ wide and 3′ 6″ out.
• Shelves. The plan draws 24″ deep shelves on the back wall and 16″ deep shelves along the back 6 ft of each side wall.
• Bikes and wheelbarrow. Two bikes with staggered handlebars take 2′ 6″ x 5′ 10″. A wheelbarrow takes 2′ 2″ x 5′ 0″.
• Height. Tall items stand at the front wall, with 9′ 7 1/8″ clear. The back wall has 6′ 2″ clear, so keep shelves there low.

How the 14×16 lean-to roof is framed

A single-slope roof has no ridge and pushes nothing outward, so no rafter ties cross the shed. Hurricane ties on every rafter at both plates hold it down, with a framing angle at each of the 4 corners where the end rafters sit on the sloped side-wall plates.

• Why 2×8. The plan says span tables call for 2×8 over the 13′ 5″ clear span at 16″ on center, in #2 spruce-pine-fir or Douglas fir-larch at 30 psf ground snow. Check the size with your local permit office before you buy.
• Two birdsmouths. Each rafter hooks over both walls with a 3 1/2″ level seat and a 7/8″ plumb heel, 12% of the rafter’s depth. Never cut deeper than one third.
• Pattern first. Cut one pattern rafter from a straight 2×8 (board 15′ 7 3/8″), test it on both walls at each end of the shed, keep it as the first rafter, then cut 12 more and the 2 fly rafters.
• Tie the rake. The end rafters sit on the sloped side-wall plates and get nailed up through them every 16″.
• Blocking. 2×8 blocks, ripped to 6 1/2″ tall, fill the bays over each wall and keep the rafters upright.
• Low pitch, double felt. At 3/12 the shingle makers ask for double underlayment: a 19″ starter strip, then 36″ courses lapping 19″ (Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association). The plan then lays 37 courses at 5″ exposure, about 234 shingles, which is 9 bundles with the starter.

Anchoring the shed

The plan says an empty 14×16 on loose skids slides at about 12 psf of wind (gusts near 60 mph) and tips at about 29 psf, so it has you anchor it once the roof is on, before you fill it. It uses 6 screw-in auger anchors, 30″ or longer, galvanized, each with a steel strap: 3 along each of the two outside skids, at 1′ 0″, 8′ 0″ and 15′ 0″ from the left end. Check your local permit office for what your area asks.

Free 14×16 shed plans PDF vs the full plan

The free PDF shows the drawing style and the finished shed, so you can judge the plan before you pay. The full 70-page plan adds all 19 build steps, the stud position tables for every wall, the stepped side wall studs, the pattern rafter marks, the floor, siding and roof sheet maps, the door build, the ramp, and the shopping, cut and cutting lists. The end of the plan sums up its 88 measurement checks, all passing.

Before you build a 14×16 lean-to shed

• Permits. At 224 sq ft and 11′ 5 5/8″ at the high edge, this shed is big enough that a permit is likely worth asking about, and height and setback rules vary by town and HOA. Check your local permit office before you buy lumber.
• Snow and wind. Snow sits longer on a 3/12 roof. In heavy snow or high-wind areas you may need closer rafter spacing or larger rafters; ask your local permit office.
• Skids. Use ground-contact rated pressure-treated 4x4s (UC4A or higher), set crown up, and raise a low skid with gravel or treated shims only.
• Keep it dry. The pad frame and stone finish level with the lawn so rain drains away. Leave 6″ or more between the siding and the soil or mulch, and check the shingles, caulk and paint every spring.
• Materials. Store lumber flat and covered, since wet wood decays faster (USDA Forest Products Laboratory Wood Handbook). Check the stamp on each OSB sheet for its span rating (APA: OSB).

Tools and ladders the plan lists

Beyond a circular saw with a rip guide, drill/driver and framing hammer, the list adds a miter saw for the door braces and trim, a reciprocating saw for flush cuts in the door and window openings, a 3 lb sledge for the pad frame’s spikes and stakes, two 24″ bar clamps for marking the rims and a hand tamper for the pad. Two 8 ft step ladders cover the walls, rafters and front eave, or rent a rolling scaffold tower for those. A 20 ft extension ladder handles roof work at the high edge, about 11′ 6″ up.

Related plans

• 2 ft shorter: the 14×14 lean-to shed plan. 4 ft longer: the 14×20 lean-to shed plan.
• 2 ft shallower: the 12×16 lean-to shed plan.
• Choosing a base first? Read the shed foundation guide.
• Every size on the lean-to shed plans page.