I’m Kayla, and yes, I actually used a shed builder website that spits out a full cut list. I paid for my own access. No freebies. The one I chose was the Digital Shed Builder, a browser-based planner that promises a printable material and cut list in minutes. I used it for two sheds in my yard: an 8×10 gable shed for garden gear, and a skinny 6×12 lean-to for bikes. Did it save time? Mostly. Did it mess me up once? Also yes. Let me explain. I even wrote a separate, blow-by-blow recap for WebsiteBuilderAwards that you can skim right here.
What I Built (Real Life, Messy Yard, Wet Spring)
- Project 1: 8×10 gable roof, 7-foot walls, 16" on center, one 36" door, one small window.
- Project 2: 6×12 lean-to, 8-foot front wall and 6'6" back wall, 24" on center, big double doors.
I did the 8×10 in late May, right before the rain. I wanted a clear list, no guessing at the store. For the lean-to, I wanted a fast build and fewer cuts.
How the Website Works (Simple, but not magic)
You type the shed size, wall height, roof pitch, door size, and sheathing type. The site draws a quick plan and then gives you:
- A material list (how many 2x4s, sheets, shingles, etc.)
- A cut list (actual cut lengths for studs, plates, rafters, trims)
- A rough layout for rafters and sheathing, which helped me see seams
You can set studs at 16" or 24", pick double top plate, and choose floor joists. It even let me switch between OSB and T1-11 siding. You know what? That little toggle saved me from buying the wrong nails.
For anyone curious about how this shed planner stacks up against other online construction tools, I found a helpful roundup at WebsiteBuilderAwards that compares the top options side-by-side. If you’re more into full-scale home builds, they also have a list of the best home builder websites I actually use that’s worth bookmarking.
The Cut List It Gave Me (Example From My 8×10)
Here’s a real slice from my 8×10 shed file. This was the default, 16" on center, 7' walls, 4/12 pitch, double top plate:
- 2×4 studs (walls): 28 pieces @ 92-5/8"
- 2×4 top plates: 8 pieces @ 120" (I actually used 2x4x12s)
- 2×4 bottom plates (treated): 4 pieces @ 120"
- Door header (2×6): 2 pieces @ 39" plus 1/2" OSB spacer
- Cripples and jacks: 12 mixed pieces @ 13-1/2", 35", 59" (it listed each length)
- Rafters (2×6): 14 pieces @ 63-3/8" with bird’s mouth mark (it printed the seat cut depth)
- Ridge board (2×8): 1 piece @ 120"
- Roof sheathing (7/16 OSB): 7 sheets (it showed the stagger pattern)
- Wall siding (T1-11): 9 sheets
- Floor joists (2×6): 10 pieces @ 120"
- Skids (4×4 treated): 3 pieces @ 120"
- Decking (3/4" OSB): 4 sheets
- Trim (1×4): 8 pieces @ 96"
- Fasteners: 3" exterior screws, 8d ring-shank nails, roofing nails
- Roofing: 10 bundles of shingles, 1 roll felt, drip edge for 40 feet, ridge cap set
Was it perfect? Not quite. The rafter length was right, but the bird’s mouth depth didn’t match my actual 2×6, which measured 1-1/2" x 5-1/2". I had to tweak the seat cut by 1/8". Not a crisis, but it slowed me down. If you only need a bare-bones lumber breakdown, a free calculator like CutShed can crank out a quick list, but it won’t give you the diagrams that saved me here.
Shopping Trip Wins (and One Oops)
The best part? I walked into the store once. I loaded everything. No “uh oh, I forgot three studs” run. The cashier gave me a nod like, hey, you came prepared.
My oops: the site assumed 7/16 OSB for the walls, but I picked 3/8 siding panels to save weight. That changed the door trim by a hair. The door stuck on humid mornings. I planed the edge. It’s fine now.
Real Time Saved
- 8×10 shed: Build time about 2.5 days with my brother and a neighbor. The cut list shaved a half day, easy.
- 6×12 lean-to: One long Saturday by myself, plus a Sunday morning for the doors. The list kept me from overbuying 2x6s.
The time savings lined up almost exactly with the benchmarks shared in this candid write-up on building a construction website—what worked and what bugged the author.
The Lean-To Cut List (Short and Sweet)
This one used fewer studs and a single slope roof. Here’s the cut list chunk that mattered:
- 2×4 studs (24" on center): 18 pieces @ 92-5/8"
- Front top plate: 2 pieces @ 144"
- Back top plate: 2 pieces @ 144"
- Bottom plates (treated): 2 pieces @ 144"
- Rafters (2×4): 14 pieces @ 74-1/4" with simple bird’s mouth
- Purlins (2×4, roof): 8 pieces @ 72"
- Wall sheathing (1/2" panels): 8 sheets
- Roof panels (metal): 6 panels @ 12' length, plus trim
- Double doors frame: 2x4s cut to 71" and 35-1/2" per leaf
- Hinges: 6 heavy duty, gate latch set
Switching to metal roofing wasn’t a problem. The site let me select “metal,” and it changed the underlayment and fasteners. That was a nice touch.
What I Loved
- The cut list was readable. Plain text, simple groupings, no weird codes.
- Door and window framing were truly “plug and play.”
- It warned me about waste. It showed offcuts for each board length, which helped me pick 2x4x12s instead of a pile of 2x4x8s.
- The sheathing layout saved me from awkward seams over door openings.
What Bugged Me
- Stud length labels were fussy. It said 92-5/8, but my store sold “stud” length. Same thing, different name. New folks might panic.
- Bird’s mouth notes were there, but I still traced one wrong and had to recut. A bigger diagram would help.
- No tax or store pricing. The material list was great, but the final cost surprised me by about 10%.
- The print view cut off the right edge on my phone. I had to reprint from my laptop.
That nit-picky feeling reminded me of the moments that made the author actually cringe when they rebuilt a home builder website.
A Tiny Tangent on Tools (Because this mattered)
The site told me screw sizes and nail types. Still, I kept a framing square, a speed square, and a sharp pencil on my sawhorse. I wrote each cut on the board ends. Sounds small, but it kept me sane when the wind picked up and my dog ran off with a glove. For even more boots-on-the-ground advice, the crew over at WebsiteBuilderAwards put together a plain-spoken list of the best building-construction websites they actually use from the job trailer, and it’s solid lunchtime reading.
A Quick Note on Vetting Online Communities
When I first started trading shed-building tips online, I realized that every niche—woodworking, gardening, even dating—has its own social network where people swap stories and sometimes money. Before I join any site that asks for a credit card, I like to scan an honest review. One surprisingly thorough example is this write-up on Adult Friend Finder—Is This Adult Social Network Legit? which walks through sign-up pains, privacy settings, and member quality;