Buying a Shed: Any Tips?

[Turquesa]

DH and I are going to buy a small, premade shed for our backyard and have it installed. Is there anything that we should be looking for? Any considerations or questions we should be asking? DH is pretty adamant about getting one made of "wood" (i.e. composition) siding. Are there any advantages to vinyl or another material? Please give me advice if you have any experience with this. I'm totally going from scratch here. Thanks.

[mattemma04]

I have an old metal shed.If I had a wood one it would have windows.It would have a good base-wood or cement.And a ramp to make it easy to roll in/out of.Our metal shed is right behind the garage.I like the placement.I notice a lot of people put their sheds far from their home.I don't know why they do that.I like it closer to the house.

[grahamsmom98]

We bought a pre-made, 12'x14' shed, with cedar siding & green shingles (to match our home). It has 2 windows and vents at the roof peak. Double barn-type doors on one long side. It even has a quail weathervane on the peak!

Get the largest shed you can afford for the site you are using. It is better to have some extra room inside, rather than wishing you'd gotten one just a foot or two larger! Pace out and then measure, and mark, the area it will cover. Place the larger items you will be storing within the perimeters of the markings (lawnmower, snow blower, chairs, whatever). This will give you a better idea of what you need.

The number one thing I must emphasize is site prep!! It must have adequate drainage. Either a concrete slab (I'd recommend making it larger in area than the shed measures, maybe an extra 12" on each side) or a heavy layer of gravel underneath. Don't just place it on dirt.

You'll want the shed on risers (to allow water to run underneath, not through, the shed!). Ours is on 6"x6"x14' beams set on top of 6" of chunk gravel (don't use rounded gravel, it will always allow movement!). This is on top of hardpacked soil.

Then, make sure it is level, level, LEVEL!!! Before you place the shed and after, as well.

Make sure you put some kind of flashing at the bottom, so that critters don't make their home under the shed. We didn't do this and a feral cat gave birth under it. We had quite a time trapping her and her 7 kittens. Immediately after, we added the flashing. Cats are one thing, skunks would have been worse! Now, nothing can access the space underneath.

We our shed and it is large enough to hold everything we want, with room to move around. During the Winter, ours holds: a snowblower, riding lawn mower, commercial rototiller, a garden bench, stacks of plastic lawn chairs, laundry baskets with Winter squash, two free-standing shelving units and a couple of stone-look fountains. We also have shelves on the walls which hold a LOT of stuff!

Hope this helps!

[Turquesa]

Mattemma04, I'd love a metal shed, but that's non-negotiable with DH.

Originally Posted by grahamsmom98

Hope this helps!

Helps? I'm printing out a copy for DH. Thank you!!

[grahamsmom98]

Glad to help!

I thought of one more thing: WEATHER!

I don't know where you live. But, we are in the mountains of Washington state and get heavy snow. Some of those cheaper metal sheds aren't strong enough to support the weight of a lot of snow. Also, they don't always to so well in strong winds!

Our shed has a 30 year composite roof and withstood the heaviest snowfall our area has had in over 50 years last Winter! My late Dad's house roof collapsed, but our sturdy shed held beautifully! We also had some mini-tornado-like winds, the Summer before. Our 23' boat blew over, but the shed stayed put.

Just something else to consider, depending on where you live.

[Turquesa]

Southwest Idaho. Lots and lots of WIND. That's another reason we're sold on something more solid than metal.