San Diego custom shed cost for a site-built building starts at $15,000 for an 8×10 and $18,000 for a 10×12, anywhere in San Diego County, with no trip charge. That’s the same price we charge in Orange County. It buys the finished outside of the building on a real foundation, with the inside left bare. The final number is confirmed in writing at a site visit before anything is signed.
By Bedrock Sheds | CSLB #1087479 | September 21, 2026
Want a number for your yard? Call (949) 688-2674 and we’ll give you a real range the same day.
San Diego County is half our service area. We’ve built in La Jolla, and the price doesn’t change with the drive. What does change is the permit math. The City of San Diego measures the 120 square foot line differently from most of California, and coastal lots have a second layer of review. Both are covered below.
How much does a custom shed cost in San Diego?
A custom site-built shed from Bedrock costs $15,000 to $18,000 in San Diego County, depending on size. Here are all four published starting prices.
| Size | Square feet | Starting price | Per square foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8×10 | 80 | $15,000 | $188 |
| 8×12 | 96 | $16,000 | $167 |
| 10×10 | 100 | $17,000 | $170 |
| 10×12 | 120 | $18,000 | $150 |
Those are starting prices for the standard build on a level, accessible site. For context, HomeGuide puts custom shed construction at $25 to $150 per square foot nationally. Our 10×12 sits at the top of that range, and the 8×10 is above it, because a foundation and a roof cost close to the same whether the building is 80 square feet or 120.
If you only need somewhere dry for a mower and some bags of potting soil, a kit shed from a big-box store costs a fraction of this, and it’s the right call for that job. We’d rather tell you that on the phone than after a site visit.
Why is the price the same as Orange County?
We publish one price for both counties because a price that changes with your zip code is hard to trust. There’s no trip charge and no distance surcharge anywhere in San Diego County. A 10×12 in Oceanside costs what a 10×12 in Tustin costs.
What does the starting price include?
The whole exterior of the building, finished, on the foundation you choose.
- Foundation. Your choice at the same price: a 4 inch, 2,500 psi slab with #4 rebar over a 10-mil vapor barrier, sand and gravel, or 12 inch concrete piers with pressure-treated beams and 2×6 joists at 16 inches on center, each one in a metal hanger. The pier option is what we use on a lot of sloped yards.
- Framing and sheathing. 2×4 Doug fir studs at 16 inches on center, 2×8 Doug fir rafters, and CDX Struct 1 plywood on every wall and the roof.
- Roof. Base sheet, felt sheet, and a GAF Liberty self-adhering cap sheet over a single pitch.
- Exterior. Tyvek house wrap, Hardie cement lap siding, primed and painted two coats in your color.
- Openings. One 24 by 48 inch window and one fiberglass door.
Hardie cement siding matters more near the coast than inland. It doesn’t swell with marine moisture and it doesn’t feed termites, which is why it goes on so many houses here. The full line-by-line spec is on the sheds page.
Inside, the building is a bare shell. Insulation, drywall, interior paint and flooring are sold together as the Finished Interior package, $5,350 to $8,000 with vinyl plank or $6,100 to $9,150 with tile, depending on size. Electrical is quoted per job after we see your panel.
Does a 120 square foot shed need a permit in the City of San Diego?
In the City of San Diego, a storage shed is exempt only when its projected roof area is 120 square feet or less, so the roof overhang counts. The county and the other cities we’ve checked measure floor area instead.
The rule is in San Diego Municipal Code section 129.0203(a)(1), which exempts one-story detached storage sheds “provided the projected roof area is 120 square feet or less.” The city’s permit guide puts it the other way around: “Storage sheds or playhouses over 120 sq. ft. in projected roof area require a permit.”
This matters most for a 10×12. The floor is exactly 120 square feet, and a roof that overhangs the walls covers more than that. Inside City of San Diego limits, we measure the roof as drawn against that number before anything is ordered. If it’s over, we either adjust the building or pull the permit under CSLB #1087479.
Power needs a permit in the city and the county alike, so any shed that gets electrical gets permitted. That’s part of the electrical quote.
What are the shed rules in unincorporated San Diego County?
Outside city limits, the County of San Diego exempts storage sheds with a floor area of 120 square feet or less, and its zoning sets minimum distances for where a detached accessory building can sit.
The county’s building permit handout, form PDS 110, exempts one-story detached accessory structures used as non-habitable space, such as tool or storage sheds, “provided the floor area does not exceed 120 square feet.” The placement rules are summarized on form PDS-577:
- Walls at least 3 feet, and eaves at least 2 feet, from interior side and rear property lines
- Walls at least 6 feet from the walls of the main building, and eaves at least 4 feet from its eaves
- One story, 12 feet maximum height
Every incorporated city in the county, from Carlsbad to Chula Vista, writes its own placement rules. Setback rules are written city by city rather than statewide. We look up the rule for your parcel and measure it at the site visit, before anything is ordered. More local detail is on our San Diego County page.
Does a shed near the coast need a Coastal Development Permit?
It can. A shed that doesn’t need a building permit can still need a Coastal Development Permit if the lot is in the City of San Diego’s Coastal Overlay Zone and close to the water.
Under SDMC section 126.0704, improvements to an existing home are generally exempt. The exemption doesn’t hold within 50 feet of a coastal bluff edge, or for “significant non-attached structures” between the sea and the first public road that parallels it. Coastal neighborhoods like La Jolla are where this comes up. We check your parcel’s coastal status before anything is ordered, and if it needs coastal review, you’ll know before you sign.
What moves the price after the site visit?
The starting price is firm for the standard build on a level, accessible site. These are the things that change it.
- Slope. A lot that falls away needs more foundation work, or a pier foundation at the same price as a slab.
- Access. A narrow side yard or a set of steps changes how material gets to the back, and that shows up in labor.
- Ground conditions. Old footings, roots, or soil that holds water.
- Upgrades. Gutters, a gable roof, stucco or board-and-batten siding, a porch overhang, a second window, the Finished Interior package, and power.
Every job gets a site visit before anything is signed. The deposit is $1,000, and it comes off the price. Most builds finish in one to two weeks from the day we start the foundation, and a finished interior adds about another week. The full cost breakdown with interior pricing by size is in our shed cost guide, and every price in it applies in San Diego County too.
For a finished office in San Diego County, see our San Diego office cost guide. City by city permit rules are in San Diego County shed permit rules, and why to hire us is in our San Diego shed builder guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you really come down to San Diego County at the same price?
Yes. San Diego County is half of our service area, and we charge the same published price in both counties. There’s no trip charge and no distance surcharge. We looked at pricing by distance and decided against it, because a price that moves with your address is one nobody can plan around.
Is electrical included in the starting price?
No. Electrical is quoted per job because the trench distance to your panel, the panel’s capacity, and the permit change the cost from yard to yard. We look at the panel during the site visit and price it there. Any shed with power gets an electrical permit, and we pull it under our license. Our backyard office cost guide walks through what a powered build adds.
Can you build a shed bigger than 120 square feet?
Yes, and anything over 120 square feet is quoted per job. Past that line you need a building permit whatever the shed is used for, so drawings, plan check and inspections become part of the job. In the City of San Diego, that line is measured by projected roof area, so it can apply sooner than you’d expect.
Do you build saunas in San Diego County too?
Yes. A custom sauna is a full second product line for us, built on the same site-built shell with rock wool insulation, a taped aluminum foil vapor barrier, and western red cedar inside. Saunas start at $30,000 for a 6×6, electrical included. Ask about a sauna when you call.
The short version
Fifteen to eighteen thousand for a finished exterior, anywhere in San Diego County, at the same price as Orange County. In the City of San Diego the permit line is measured at the roof, and near the coast there can be a second review.
If you’re working out what this looks like in your own yard, call (949) 688-2674 or email info@bedrocksheds.com and we’ll give you a real range the same day. Build once.
About Bedrock Sheds
Bedrock Sheds builds custom sheds and saunas on site in Orange County and San Diego County, California. Every building is framed and finished in your yard, with the same framing as the room you’re sitting in right now. No kits, no prefab. Brandon Radley Construction DBA Bedrock Sheds, CSLB #1087479, Class B General Building. Call (949) 688-2674, email info@bedrocksheds.com, or visit bedrocksheds.com.