How Much Does It Cost to Build a 12×20 Gambrel Shed?
Pricing assumptions
- Pricing basis:our engine's baseline materials price table, built from Charlotte, NC–area retail estimates (spot-checked against Home Depot listings) — the region we operate in, not a location-specific quote for your ZIP code. Lumber and materials prices vary by region and week; treat the total as a planning baseline and check your local supplier.
- Price effective date: 2026-08-18. This date moves whenever the underlying price table is updated.
- Waste factors: included — a 10% waste allowance on framing lumber and sheet goods (higher on hip roofs and around openings), matching what the engine assumes for every quote it generates.
- Excluded: sales tax, delivery/freight, tools, permits, and site work (grading, foundation excavation). Labor is shown separately below only when an estimate is available — it is never folded into the materials number above.
Materials Cost Breakdown
| Category | Estimated Cost | % of Materials Total |
|---|---|---|
| Framing Lumber | $1,391 | 17% |
| Sheathing | $1,250 | 16% |
| Roofing (Shingle) | $973 | 12% |
| Doors & Windows | $838 | 10% |
| Exterior Trim, Soffit & Paint | $824 | 10% |
| Foundation | $788 | 10% |
| Siding | $740 | 9% |
| Fasteners | $536 | 7% |
| Housewrap & Rain Screen | $339 | 4% |
| Caulk, Flashing & Consumables | $222 | 3% |
| Hardware & Connectors | $136 | 2% |
| Materials Total | $8,037 | 100% |
DIY vs. Hiring the Framing Out
- DIY (materials only): $8,037 — you supply the labor.
- If you hire out the framing: add an estimated $5,560 in crew labor (roughly 9 build days for a 2-person crew), for a materials-plus-labor total of $13,597. This is crew labor only — it excludes contractor markup, permits, and site work, so a real contractor quote will run higher.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does it cost to build a 12×20 gambrel shed?
- Based on our engine's default materials bill of materials for the 12×20 Gambrel Barn with Loft plan, the computed materials cost is $8,037. Materials run approximately $8,000–$10,300 including the loft package. Cost per usable square foot — counting the upper level — is the best in the catalog, which has been the gambrel's sales pitch for two hundred years.
- What's included in this materials estimate?
- The estimate covers every material line in the plan's bill of materials — framing lumber, sheathing, roofing, siding, doors & windows, fasteners, and hardware — priced at the engine's default rates. It excludes taxes, delivery, tools, and (unless shown below) labor. See the assumptions block on this page for the full list.
- Does this include labor to build it?
- No — the number above is materials only. If you hire out the framing, our engine also computes a separate crew-labor estimate of $5,560 (about 9 build days for a 2-person crew), for a materials-plus-labor total of $13,597. That figure excludes contractor markup, permits, and site work — it is not a contractor quote.
- What's the biggest cost driver for a 12×20 shed?
- Framing Lumber is the largest line item at $1,391, roughly 17% of the total materials cost. The full category breakdown is on this page.