You CAN build a shed door from scratch! Follow along as I frame out a doorway and door, including other shed framing tips on saving this old shed!

The little rustic garden shed is looking VERY different these days! Not long ago, the back was completely busted out and the front frame let goat the base. It was a complete Willy Wonka styled mess and I thought it couldn’t be saved.

But I was reluctant to build a new shed because I didn’t want to spend thousands on a structure that only stored firewood!

As of today, the shed is as sound as can be, thanks to a few 2x4s and a whole lot of determination! Plus… I made a real door!

Lookit me, an official builder now…

So today I’m continuing the Save the Shed series with the framing story, valuable beginner building tips, how to build a shed door from scratch, lessons learned and more!

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How to build a shed door, with shed framing tips – Part 2

Save the Shed series

Part 1 – Repairing a shed with demo tips

2 – Framing a shed with door making tips (you are HERE)

3 – Adding reclaimed wood siding and a shingled gable

4 – Building a shed barn door with rusty junk hardware

5 – Adding facia boards and decorating the shed for fall

Visit all installments to date HERE

So after the big BIG clean up, I set up a workstation outside by the shed, using these main tools:

Helpful framing tools:

Brand new non-treated pine 2x4s planks

Lumber – Treated landscape ties

Outdoor durable 3″ copper screws

Miter saw (in hindsight, I would set it up next to the shed next round!)

Cordless drill

Kreig Jig

Hammer

Speed square (to measure angles, but I suggest a Magnetic angle locator)

Carpenter level

Grinder power tool with a heavy duty metal cutting disc

Collapsible work table

Hearing and eye protection

Carpenter jack

Measuring tape

Extension cord (I suggest to get a retractable extension cord HERE so it never tangles!)

Snug fitting work gloves

Wheelbarrow – I used to cart the tools inside each evening, leaving the waterproof table outdoors

Repairing the foundation first

Cut back to sound wood
Rebuilt what use to be there and attach it to past sound wood

Creating a sound foundation was first.

Honestly, this step gave me the most frustration because I didn’t know what to do. Give me written instructions and I’d be good to go! I nearly quit at this point. And maybe if tearing the shed down wouldn’t have been even more work, I may have…

After lots of needed breaks, I kept on it. I ended up using new treated landscape ties to copy what had been there previously. Which are sitting on top of attached buried chunks of wood to further stabilize.

BUT if you really want to do it right, cement footings are suggested so the wood doesn’t touch the ground at all.

Removing nails with a grinder

Outfit your grinder with a new heavy duty metal disc
Use a grinder to cut off nail tips that can’t be pulled out
Wear protective gear: gloves / safety glasses / hearing protection
Be aware sparks will occur
Take your time and get comfortable with it. It gets easier.

I then had to overcome my fear of grinders. I’m not a fan of the sparks they create. So after outfitting my grinder with a brand new metal disk, I got my brave on, outfitted with protective eyewear and hearing protection (less sound = less scary!) and ground away each nail tip in the way.

The grinder cut off the nails like slicing through butter!

Since I was dealing with sparks and very dry firewood, I misted water over the fire wood and framing before and after using the grinder and had the water hose near me to be on the safe side.

Supporting the back

Jack up the back
Rebuild base first, then main supports next

What I think I really needed was a carpenter jack of sorts to push and hold the roof up as I rebuilt. But I didn’t want to purchase one, so I YouTubed a DIY one HERE made out of wood. It worked to a point, but was difficult to do on my own.

I ended up smacking a treated reclaimed wood post into place with a hammer as best as I could, attached it and called it good.

But a proper jack would have hired the roof a little more which would have likely been best. I’ll be buying a jack for my next shed fix for sure.

Fixing the front

Take pictures of the before for reference later
Cut back rot
Rebuild with new

Everything in the front of the shed was relatively sound except for the left side, which had separated from the base.

After cutting away the rot, I replaced the treated landscape ties with new, and attached them to the previously sound wood. Then all the rest of the framing was copied from what had been there previously, referring to past pictures… often.

Joining with toenail or pocket holes

Most wall structures are pre-built, then set into place. But because of working with a pre-built structure and all the crazy amount of angles to recreate, I ended up attaching one board at a time.

Pocket holes used with the Kreig Jig in some cases saved me! Especially since I was using screws for all the wood joins.

Later in the game, I got more proficient at toenailing the joints together (angling the screws to join two boards), so I ended up relying on pocket holes less.

Video – How to use a Kreig Jig

Click above to learn how to work with a Kreig Jig. It’s very easy!

Visit my project tutorials using Kreg Jig HERE

How to measure angles

While I love this quirky shed shape, measuring out all the angle cuts gave me the most grief.

I hacked pieces of paper, wood and whatever else came to mind and limped along, frustrated with nearly every cut.

The most helpful tool I happened to have on hand was a speed square (to measure angles) but I definitely suggest a Magnetic angle locator instead, which I picked up later!

HERE’s a Youtube video on how to find angles using a speed square.

After the bottom and left side was complete, I plunked in the original door and it was good to go!

Next up, let’s finish the side and back… with a surprise addition… a new shed door!

Framing the shed back

Cut away rot
Replace with new materials, attaching it to the original structure
For framing, start with the base and top first, then fill in the middles

Since the exterior side and entire back had rotted out, there was a fair amount of wall frame replacing to be done.

The horizontal base and top boards were rebuilt first where applicable, then I filled in the middles with vertical supports.

And I nearly framed the entire back of the shed closed up, until I had a lightbulb moment… I wanted to try building my first ever shed door!

Why not? This provided the perfect opportunity, plus, who can’t use an extra garden shed door?

In hindsight, the 2nd shed door came in super handy since I ended up storing lawn furniture and reclaimed wood to build with near the back! So keep a desired door height and width in mind, depending what you plan to store inside.

How to build a shed door opening

Determine desired door size
Build a rectangle with an open bottom
Position into place, then frame around it to secure

The front door frame design was copied, which made the build much easier.

I measured the front doorway height and width of the door opening, then built a 3-sided rectangle with new 2x4s the same size, leaving the bottom open.

Once the 3 boards were positioned into place, it was secured by adding additional framing supports around it. Instant doorway!

Additional header boards were added above the door placed vertically.

Looks pretty official, huh?!

However it was about to get even better…

How to build a shed door frame

Build a closed rectangle out of 2x4s, slightly smaller than the door opening
Dry-fit the door inside the doorway frame to ensure it fits. Adjust if needed.
Add a middle board running through the centre vertically, then add inside supports horizontally, plus a diagonal brace to help keep the door square.

I’m sure there are many types of shed door ideas out there. But since I copied the door on the other shed side, that made building this door design relatively easy.

A rectangle measuring about an overall inch smaller than the doorway frame was built out of 2x4s, then added supports were attached inside, with a cross-brace to help keep it hung square.

The door size ended up being little tight for opening and closing, so instead of rebuilding, I sanded down some edges with an orbital sander which trims it up until it swung open and closed perfectly.

Installing the shed door

Position the door by placing wood scraps below it and shims on the sides of it.
Attach 3 heavy-duty door hinges to one side of the door frame and door framework.

To install, the door was first wedged into position by inserting spacers or wood scraps and shims under it and beside it on both sides.

Two door hinges were then attached. In hindsight, my preference would have been to use 3 gate-styled hinges since it was so heavy, but this is what I had on hand.

When installing hinges, just remember that the top hinge should be positioned closer to the top vs. the bottom hinge a little further up the door.

By golly friends… and that is how to build a shed door. I made a real swinging door! I must have stared at this for hours in amazement.

Here’s how I positioned screen door hinges.

In Part 3 HERE, you’ll see the shed door protected from moisture with plastic.

In Part 4 HERE, the shed door will be filled in with reclaimed wood and decked out with rusty junk hardware.

All framed up!

And then there it was… the shed was all snug and completely sound. I actually managed to save this shed! I never thought I’d see this day coming.

So after this big, new adventure, here are some main takeaways I got out of this BIG shed framing save:

Fav framing tips

Take plenty of before pictures to use as reference. You may need them as you rebuild.
Bring the miter saw near your work area… or prepare to do LOTS of walking.
Buy a proper angle tool if you are going to be working with angles.
A grinder with a new metal disc makes cutting off nail tips like butter!
Take your time. I did a small section at a time which helped save my sanity.
Frame with gloves on = no slivers.
Use a retractable extension cord… it’s so much easier to haul around tangle free.
You will want to give up. Rest up instead. You can do this!

Coming up next:

After framing, the obvious next step is to figure out how to waterproof and finish the structure.

Since this is a greenhouse structure, I plan to cover it in heavy gauge plastic, then pretty it up with reclaimed wood cedar fence posts I landed for FREE! once again. Wait until you see that motherload land…

The above picture is similar to what I yet again wish to accomplish. But with a few new twists!

Visit all the rustic shed posts HERE

Was it worth the big save?

In a nutshell, learning how to build a shed door and all the other framing steps was a big job. I can’t even tell you how many times I sat on the ground, dirty from head-to-toe, in total frustration with tears welling up. I mean, this vs. vacationing in Hawaii, this was a tough pill to swallow. What a summer, huh?

But the key was, I didn’t give up. Taking this framing on in do-able sections at a time gave me plenty of healing time in between. Mentally and physically.

Plus, it taught me SO much, that the 2nd garden shed save HERE yet to come doesn’t feel quite as intimidating now! Doing more makes you grow more, so at least there’s that!

And now I can say building a DIY shed door is not nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be!

So stay tuned… because the VERY best is yet to come… including some pretty fun DIY projects!