Shed Cost Calculator: Price Per Sq Ft & Install 2026

How shed cost is worked out

A shed has three costs, not one: the structure, the foundation and the delivery. The area is the length times the width. The billable area is the area plus the extra for offcuts: the timber is cut to fit, so about 10% extra is ordered. The structure cost is the billable area times the price per square foot. The total adds the structure, the foundation and the delivery together, and the all-in cost per square foot is the total divided by the area.

At the defaults — 10 by 12 ft, 10% extra, $40.00/sq ft, foundation $300.00, delivery $150.00 — the area is 10 × 12 = 120.00 sq ft, the billable area is 120 × 1.10 = 132.00 sq ft, the structure is 132 × $40.00 = $5,280.00, and the total is $5,280.00 + $300.00 + $150.00 = $5,730.00 — which is $5,730.00 ÷ 120 = $47.75/sq ft all-in.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 10 by 12 ft, 10% extra, $40.00/sq ft, foundation $300.00, delivery $150.00, budget $4,000.

Line 1 — the area. 10 × 12 = 120.00 sq ft.

Line 2 — the billable area. 120.00 × 1.10 = 132.00 sq ft, because 10% extra is ordered for offcuts.

Line 3 — the structure cost. 132.00 × $40.00 = $5,280.00.

Line 4 — the total. $5,280.00 + $300.00 + $150.00 = $5,730.00.

Line 5 — the cost per square foot. $5,730.00 ÷ 120 = $47.75/sq ft all-in.

Line 6 — the budget. A $4,000 budget minus the $300 foundation and the $150 delivery leaves $3,550, and $3,550 ÷ ($40.00 × 1.10) = 80.68 sq ft of shed, which is about 8 by 10 ft. An $8,000 budget buys 171.59 sq ft, which is about 12 by 14 ft.

Every branch, checked

8 by 10 ft: the area is 8 × 10 = 80.00 sq ft, the billable area is 80 × 1.10 = 88.00 sq ft, the structure is 88 × $40.00 = $3,520.00 and the total is $3,970.00, or $49.63/sq ft all-in. A smaller shed costs less in total, but a little more per foot, because the $450 foundation and delivery are spread over fewer feet.

$55.00/sq ft: the structure rises to 132 × $55.00 = $7,260.00, so the total is $7,710.00, or $64.25/sq ft all-in. A pricier structure is cedar, hardwood, or a shed with windows and a workbench, and the foundation and delivery are still $450.00.

0% extra: the billable area falls to 120.00 sq ft, the structure falls to 120 × $40.00 = $4,800.00 and the total is $5,250.00, or $43.75/sq ft all-in. No extra for offcuts saves $480.00 on paper, but the builder will run short if a single board is cut wrong.

$0 delivery: with no delivery, the total is $5,280.00 + $300.00 = $5,580.00, or $46.50/sq ft all-in. A shed collected yourself saves $150.00, but only if you have the trailer and the help to load it.

12 by 16 ft: the area is 12 × 16 = 192.00 sq ft, the billable area is 192 × 1.10 = 211.20 sq ft, the structure is 211.20 × $40.00 = $8,448.00 and the total is $8,898.00, or $46.34/sq ft all-in. A big shed costs less per foot than a small one, because the foundation and delivery are spread over more feet.

Reverse — the $4,000 budget: the foundation and delivery take $450 of the budget, leaving $3,550, and $3,550 ÷ ($40.00 × 1.10) = 80.68 sq ft of shed, which is about 8 by 10 ft. An $8,000 budget buys 171.59 sq ft, which is about 12 by 14 ft.

What the defaults assume

The model assumes a freestanding shed on level ground: a shed on a slope, a shed with a concrete slab, or a shed with electricity and plumbing changes the structure, because the walls and the roof are cut to fit and the offcuts are waste. It assumes the rate per square foot includes the timber and the labour, which is right for a builder quote but not for materials bought alone. It assumes the foundation is one flat fee: a shed that needs a poured slab will cost more than $300.00. It leaves out the paint, the shelving, the ramp, the permit, and tax — ask the builder whether the quote includes those. Rounding convention: money is rounded to cents, areas to 2 decimals, and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner clearing the garage: they learn a 10 by 12 ft shed costs $5,730.00 — $5,280.00 of structure and $450.00 of foundation and delivery — so they know the exact number before they call the builder, and they know it is $47.75 a square foot, not a guess.
• The landlord storing tools for a rental: they learn an 8 by 10 ft shed costs $3,970.00 — and they learn the foundation and delivery are $450 of $3,970, so building the shed in one go is cheaper than two small ones.
• The couple choosing between a shed and a garage: a shed costs $5,730.00 for this yard, and the same yard in garage is dearer to build — so they check the shed against the garage before they decide, because a shed stores and a garage parks.
• The renovator on a $4,000 budget: they learn $4,000 covers 80.68 sq ft — so they know the 8 by 10 ft shed fits with room to spare, and the 10 by 12 ft shed does not.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the area is the length times the width, the billable area is the area times one plus the extra, the structure is the billable area times the rate, and the total adds the foundation and the delivery. What the model cannot do is measure your yard for you: measure the footprint you want for storage, and for a shed that follows a slope or a fence, measure the shed, not the straight-line distance. It leaves out the paint, the shelving, the ramp, the permit, and tax — ask the builder whether the quote includes those. It assumes the rate per square foot includes the timber and the labour, and that the foundation is one flat fee. It assumes the shed is built the season the timber arrives: timber left in a pile warps, and the extra you ordered does not cover timber that warped. For the pergola for the same yard, see pergola cost calculator; for the concrete for the same yard, see concrete cost calculator.