Tool sheds

[DestinyKnight]

hey, hey, hey, stay out of my shed OK?

 

[Vdubchaos]

The problem I found with most of the kits is that all of the lumber is very undersized. Instead of using 2x4 for a lot of the bracing and studs, they will use 1x3's. Sheathing is 1/4" or 3/8" instead of 1/2" or 3/4". Same with the decking. And the shelving. Ect.

A lot of it is cheap, low strength stuff.

Correct. When I estimated my design it was using 2x4 and 3/4 sheathings and quality siding/roofting etc.

When you get it prebuild you get lower end materials.....I also noticed a lot of these prevbuild sheds had 20" spacing between the studs etc.

Not up to par for ME, especially if I'm going to pay top dollar.

So in general, building yourself = much better quality/longer life and 1/2 price of comparable size sheds of lower quality hehe

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

So in general, building yourself = much better quality/longer life and 1/2 price of comparable size sheds of lower quality hehe

Bs. I just built my own shed 6 months ago. Go to the lumber section and price out a similar size shed and it will be equal or slightly more than the kits. I'm not sure why you keep spewing this 1/2 price as it's totally inaccurate and simply put made up bs.
And I built my own thinking I'd save a ton of money over a kit. After I was done I looked at the kits and was in shock and pissed I had spent so much time and money when I could have done the kit for less money and still have it 10 years from now.

 

[Vdubchaos]

They have already built models to look at at Lowe's/hd. If it's not to your liking then build your own. Just be prepared for 4x the amount of labor. I didn't find any of what you're talking about when I looked and its not like you can't do some customization/upgrading along the way.

Define "4x the amount of labor"?

When you build your own, you don't really count labor. It's a project you take on and if you are a do it yourself you mostly enjoy.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Bs. I just built my own shed 6 months ago. Go to the lumber section and price out a similar size shed and it will be equal or slightly more than the kits. I'm not sure why you keep spewing this 1/2 price as it's totally inaccurate and simply put made up bs.

First off, I wouldn't go to the shitty lumber section....but a Lumber yard.

HD/Lower lumber sucks and there is a reason why it's so cheap. I would NOT use those materials!

But I will take you up on above. Send me a link to your "kit shed" and the price etc

You are still building it yourself. Only thing you are saving is "plans" and cutting/measuring. All of which I enjoy/want to do myself anyways.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Define "4x the amount of labor"?

When you build your own, you don't really count labor. It's a project you take on and if you are a do it yourself you mostly enjoy.

Cutting each piece of wood, siding, etc by hand vs pulling out a pre cut piece and nailing it together. Yes I enjoyed building my shed the first weekend but it was the second and third weekend that really started to suck.

 

[olds]

If you live in a humid or wet area, you may get moisture in the plastic shed and rust on your tool.

 

[boomerang]

Original wood shed rotted from the inside out because the garden tractor was stored in it. It grew mold on the inside of the shed in that moist, dark environment. Tore it down and had a steel one put up. It's been up almost as long as the wood one and shows zero signs of deterioration. Plus, zero maintenance.

 

[vi edit]

Heh. I'm in the process of building a shed right now. Except mine is sitting on a 5" poured slab of concrete, about 2/3 of the wall height is made up of 8" masonry block, and the remainder will be some minimal framing and roofing. Probably going with some concrete siding board for the rest of the framed section.

It's about 16'x16'. I've got around $500 into the slab between concrete, foam insulation and rebar. Another $200 in block and mortar materials. No real clue on what windows and framing materials are going to run me. I figure around $1000 + a cheap garage door. I'll have under $2500 into it, it's big, and will probably outlive me.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Cutting each piece of wood, siding, etc by hand vs pulling out a pre cut piece and nailing it together. Yes I enjoyed building my shed the first weekend but it was the second and third weekend that really started to suck.

Well, we all like different things. I enjoy it all and have plenty of help from my son. Makes for quality father/sons time.

 

[esquared]

I have a Keter. I've had it for going on 12 years. It's partially in the sun and there is zero deterioration that I can see. It's around 4' x 5' x 6'.

http://www.keter.com/categories/welcome-to-keter

These are not cheap. I got mine at Costco back in 2002 for around 350. I believe that a similar size sells for 500 at Home Depot.

This isn't the one I have but the size is similar.

http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Or...&omni=c_Storage & Organization&searchNav=true

Less than that at Amazon with free prime shipping:

http://www.amazon.com/KETER-Manor-Ou...=keter+storage

 

[Vdubchaos]

That's an outhouse, not a shed.

 

[twinrider1]

The kits I've seen skimped on things....smaller lumber, 24" centers instead of 16". Stuff like that. Maybe those things are plenty strong for a shed, but I'm stubborn and still want full 2x4s and 16" centers.

It's doesn't take a ton of tools. Air tools are nice, but not required.
Good shed building video.

 

[Scarpozzi]

...Another vote for wood. They last longer, can be reshingled, insulated, vented, wired for electricity, etc...

If you don't feel crafty enough to build one, there are quite a few places that sell prebuilt ones....and Home Depot will sell you a kit with assembly for a price. My neighbor has one with a loft they built last Fall.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Yep, building a shed is a fun project. I wouldn't pass up on design/material selection and build. You can do so many cool things with it and have freedom to do exactly what you desire.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I would just build my own, it would be a fun project. Make sure you have a good footing that is 6-8 feet deep to get below frost level, so it does not shift around. Can probably just get away with sonotubes and concrete pillars, like you would do for a deck. Of course you can go all out with a concrete slab.

Might end up being more expensive, but it will last longer than the flimsy plastic/metal ones you buy. And you still need to do some kind of foundation for those anyway.

I'd also insulate/vapor barrier, maybe even run a small sub panel to it to power some heaters and lights. If you build it right and seal it up real tight it should not cost much to keep the temp above 5 degrees so at least you could store stuff that would normally have to go inside in winter, such as sprinklers, pressure washer, etc. Basically build it like a small house.

 

[LookBehindYou]

See if you can find someone locally to build you one. I needed a shorter one that wouldnt be seen from outside our yard. Our neighborhood restrictions required any buildings to be of the same construction as the home, needless to say I wasnt going to brick a small shed big enough for a mower and some misc stuff. I found a guy to build a custom shed that was shorter than our 6' privacy fence. It was wood construction using 2x4s, shingled and everything. A very quality job and it only cost me $500. It's roughly 5' tall and about 6' deep and 5' wide, exactly what I needed. I have it sitting on four 4x4s that I put in the ground. I mounted it using hurricane rated brackets on the 4x4s and rediculously big lag bolts.

 

[BoomerD]

FWIW, I had an 8 x 10 Lifetime shed that I got from Lowe's on sale. Relatively well built, (for plastic) held up well, (for plastic) and when we moved, I sold it for almost as much as I paid when I bought it.
The big drawbacks are:
1) Screws will strip easily...and there's no easy fix.
2) You can't really hang much on the walls...see #1
3) There's not much in the way of customization for special uses.

The plusses are:
1) Easy to build. Parts snap together and only need a few dozen screws over all.
2) Well designed, parts fit well, and if assembled correctly, they are reasonably water-tight.
3) Relatively good looking. (for a plastic shed)

Mine was built on a concrete slab that I had poured especially for the shed. It was made so that it could be bolted to the slab...but I always had enough crap in the shed that bolting it down seemed un-necessary.

Would I buy one again? Maybe.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Why would you insulate a garden shed? You open the door throw in your mower and a rake then shut the door. I have electricity run to mine but I've never used it. I've went out there one time after dark when the light came in handy.

 

[vi edit]

Why would you insulate a garden shed? You open the door throw in your mower and a rake then shut the door. I have electricity run to mine but I've never used it. I've went out there one time after dark when the light came in handy.

You live in Texas. Freezing probably isn't an issue for you. In places with snow if you need to get a tractor or snow blower out you don't want it to be 20 below zero in there if you can avoid it.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Not building a shed is like letting someone modify your car, takes ALL the fun out of it.

 

[herrjimbo]

i bought a lifetime 11 x 11 shed with 2 extensions approx 10 years ago. still looks like new. and it only cost $800. they hold up extremely well, imho

 

[boomerang]

Why would you insulate a garden shed? You open the door throw in your mower and a rake then shut the door. I have electricity run to mine but I've never used it. I've went out there one time after dark when the light came in handy.

Insulation is useless without a heat source. The inside temp will eventually equal outside temp.

Edit: Replied to the wrong poster. I'm not going to dig back through to figure out who Oilfield was responding to.

 

[Pulsar]

I have 4 lifetime fold up tables, one lifetime picnic table, oneline lifetime swing-out patio table, and a lifetime shed.

They make absolutely fantastic products. My shed is 15 years old and it looks brand new. My children have beaten the crap out of it, and it's no worse for wear. Just two suggestions:

Screw plywood on the inside of the shed all the way around. Just use 4x8 sheets and drywall screws. It can be 1/4" thick. It doesn't need to be thick. This is needed because in the winter plastic gets brittle, and a kid dropping his bike handle against the wall or your snowblower can crack the plastic. It takes quite a bit to crack it, but you know someone is going to hit is hard enough eventually throwing shovels inside that it's better just to be safe. This also gives you an implement-mounting surface if you need one.

Next, get a bigger lock-bolt for the second door - usually the door on the left if you're facing the shed. The second door (the one whose handle doesn't have an actual latch) has a small lock at the top that prevents it from opening when the first door does. You need to get a much bigger drawbar style lock and put a bracket on the floor. This is true of all 'dual door' sheds - if both doors open at the same time it can tear the latch out of the door. The small lock they put on the top of the door can easily be torn out if someone yanks on it.

Go plastic. You'll have a big grin on your face and a beer in your hand while your next door neighbor power washes then stains his shed every other year (also from experience).

 

[EagleKeeper]

Heh. I'm in the process of building a shed right now. Except mine is sitting on a 5" poured slab of concrete, about 2/3 of the wall height is made up of 8" masonry block, and the remainder will be some minimal framing and roofing. Probably going with some concrete siding board for the rest of the framed section.

It's about 16'x16'. I've got around $500 into the slab between concrete, foam insulation and rebar. Another $200 in block and mortar materials. No real clue on what windows and framing materials are going to run me. I figure around $1000 + a cheap garage door. I'll have under $2500 into it, it's big, and will probably outlive me.

What benefit is insulation unless you are turning it into a work shed.
Same with windows.

I have a 20' that with the four foot of sliding door open, allows enough light all the way to the back. If I need something at night, I have a 60w bulb for light.

Corrugated metal all around. Treated plywood floor on a cinderblock foundation.
Wood framed with 2x4 along one length (both vertical and horizontal) and two sets of shelves along back.