Dismantling a shed made of any material is a delicate process, especially if the shed sets in your garden. When dismantling a garden shed, you must account for all pieces of the shed, down to the smallest nails to prevent injuries to your feet, hands and gardening tools as you work in your garden. While you can dismantle a prefabricated metal or plastic garden shed within minutes by simply unscrewing the panels, a site-built garden shed requires more time and attention to detail.
Set a ladder up next to the shed or lean a ladder onto a sturdy shed and begin dismantling the shed from the top and work downward. If you try to dismantle from the bottom to the top, you may cause the shed to collapse, resulting in injury or death to yourself or any helpers.
Have an assistant steady the ladder as you climb up and work from the ladder. Get high enough on the ladder to easily reach onto the shed roof. Once you get to the desired height, have your assistant reach a five-gallon bucket up to you with a utility knife and hammer inside.
Remove the shingles or tin from the shed roof using the utility knife and hammer. Place the removed pieces in the five-gallon bucket or reach the pieces down to your assistant. Once the bucket fills, reach the bucket down to your assistant to dispose of properly.
Continue until you have removed all roofing materials from the garden shed and only the rafters or roof frame remain. Climb down from the ladder and get started on the rest of the shed.
Use a screwdriver of the pry bar on the back of the hammer to remove the hinges holding the door onto the shed. Place the door in the wheelbarrow to cart away.
Start pulling the boards or aluminium siding off the exterior of the shed. Use the pry bar on the back of the hammer to remove nails and place them carefully in the wheelbarrow to avoid dropping them in the garden. Pull each siding piece off one at a time.
Continue to fill the wheelbarrow with the siding from the shed until you have removed all the siding. Cart the wheelbarrow away as necessary to dispose of the siding or reserve for later use.
Begin dismantling the frame of the garden shed. If the nail heads stick out enough, or the carpenter used screws to assemble the frame, you may use a hammer or power screwdriver set on reverse to remove the screws and take the pieces apart. If you cannot get the screws or nails out this way, you may have to cut the frame wood to remove it.
Remove the large support posts of the shed. These support posts usually are set at the corners of the shed, though larger sheds may have posts through the middle. These supports anchor into the ground, so you have to lift them out of the ground by hand or by tying rope around the post and pulling the post loose with a truck or tractor.
Wear work gloves, safety goggles and a face mask as you dismantle any type of garden shed. This protects your eyes from metal scraps and dust, your lungs from dust and asbestos and your hands from cuts. If you do not know what materials the carpenter used in constructing the garden shed, have it tested for asbestos before you start dismantling the shed. Save the dismantling project until the winter to avoid encountering bees and snakes and to prevent damage to garden vegetation.
Tips and warnings
- Wear work gloves, safety goggles and a face mask as you dismantle any type of garden shed. This protects your eyes from metal scraps and dust, your lungs from dust and asbestos and your hands from cuts.
- If you do not know what materials the carpenter used in constructing the garden shed, have it tested for asbestos before you start dismantling the shed.
- Save the dismantling project until the winter to avoid encountering bees and snakes and to prevent damage to garden vegetation.
Things you need
- Utility knife
- Five-gallon bucket
- Power screwdriver
- Hand saw
- Work gloves
- Safety goggles
- Face mask