How to build a pallet shed - recycled building at it's finest!
This past Spring, Mom needed a new shed. The old one currently sitting in her backyard is over 30 years old and the floors and walls are becoming unstable. Even solid oak is no match for the termites. Problem is the shed is large - about 10 feet by 15 feet with a 12 foot roof - and was very well built with a raised floor, built in shelving and storage rafters. To purchase a replacement even close to this one in size and made of wood (not plastic or flimsy metal) would be over $5k and even those aren't permanent structures. They are put together particle board kits. So I convinced Mom to attempt building a pallet shed using recycled pallets. She was skeptical at first but when I showed her the numerous versions I found on the internet, her confidence grew.
A little pallet history here: Pallets are common shipping items and they are usually made of solid oak. They are used to move heavy items from warehouse to shipping trucks and most companies don't re-use them (don't ask me why) so they end up in landfill. In fact, the sources we found for pallets were begging people to take them off their hands. If you need a work bench, storage shelves for your garage, a dog house, a kid's playhouse, a shed, etc. and don't want to spend a lot of money, look for used pallets. The wood is solid (and free) and it's an awesome way to recycle high quality materials that would otherwise end up as waste. Oak is expensive and hard to find but oak pallets are tossed like trash everywhere, every single day. For a little sweat equity, this is a great building method and it was an invaluable learning experience.
Here's the process we used but keep in mind there are dozens of ways to go about this.
A little pallet history here: Pallets are common shipping items and they are usually made of solid oak. They are used to move heavy items from warehouse to shipping trucks and most companies don't re-use them (don't ask me why) so they end up in landfill. In fact, the sources we found for pallets were begging people to take them off their hands. If you need a work bench, storage shelves for your garage, a dog house, a kid's playhouse, a shed, etc. and don't want to spend a lot of money, look for used pallets. The wood is solid (and free) and it's an awesome way to recycle high quality materials that would otherwise end up as waste. Oak is expensive and hard to find but oak pallets are tossed like trash everywhere, every single day. For a little sweat equity, this is a great building method and it was an invaluable learning experience.
Here's the process we used but keep in mind there are dozens of ways to go about this.