Looking for Storage Shed Advice

[Alan Rutherford]

If it is for temporary storage, why not rent a storage space and hire some young guys to move your stuff. Brian

I'm not looking for an alternative to a storage shed. I'm trying to decide if what's out there is going to work for me. So far the opinions are not very good, except for Amish-built, which AFAIK is not available here.

[Perry Holbrook]

Since you've got a contractor, why can't they throw you up a shed? Most of those guys can do a shed in very little time.

[George Yetka]

I would recommend local built. Im in NJ and have access to Amish built but they arent cheaper then local built. The BORG parking lot units are wide spaced on the studs, even in the floor. If you go local you will have the option of taller walls. Many are 6'6"-7' but you can opt for 8'. If you plan on keeping weight in there you can up to 2x6 on 12" centers for the floor. The base is important. Crushed stone is the way to go it is cheaper than concrete and drains the water away from your shed. Im getting one ordered this month as well. Its been something Ive been talking about since we moved in. Wife always had comments/questions/wants/ and fought location. My Xmas gift this year was free reign over everything to do with the shed. I should take that to mean I can build a 50x50 shop but I wont push it. I would look at Shed builders not GC's. Sheds are basic but the guys who build them all day will build them faster therefore less expensive.

[Jim Becker]

I'm with George and some others...relatively locally built, often "Amish" built, are generally well made and water tight. They deliver and place them for you; worst case is you need to do the ground prep so you have things level, etc. Given you want longevity, getting a crushed stone base down before having the shed in place will help with that for sure. The 10x16 shed here on this property (pretty old, but generally in good condition) was not installed on a properly leveled stone base and did not remain level over the decades it's been here. That hasn't affected its usability, but it has resulted in a little more moisture issue over time...I replaced a few places of the LP Smart Side on it after moving in because of that.

[Ron Selzer]

How about these guys?
Portable Steel Buildings Florida | Florida Shed Installers (superiorsheds.com)
floridasfineststructures.net

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Today the "Heavy-Duty ProStruct Floor" is a $700 option (as opposed to no floor) with that kit. Google found https://lpcorp.com/products/outdoor-...ducts/flooring which looks like what I was seeing on most of the sheds. Do you think that's what you have? What would you rather have used?

I don't think that was available when we bought ours. My LOML painted the floor a few years ago with some leftover paint, but if memory serves me correct, it's just your common OSB panels.

If I had to do it again, I would still go with that shed kit option because it was all pre-cut and ready to assemble. While moving in to this place, we had too many things to do and not enough time to do them. We closed on the house shortly before Xmas and started moving in that very night. We did not have time to find a shed builder and coordinate with their schedule, nor are there Amish shed kits being sold around here.

[Pat Germain]

I have also been looking at wooden shed options. The selection at Lowe's and Home Despot is OK, but not great. Like Florida, there are no Amish communities in my area. We do have a few local shed builders. (I'm looking at Tuff Shed and Sunset.) Their sheds appear to be built slightly better than the big box sheds. Likely, there are multiple local shed builders in your area. I would suggest looking at those. Some will build the shed on site. Others will crane it into your back yard and drop it wherever you want.

I understand your situation. Sure, I could technically build a very nice shed, but there are just so many other things I would rather do. And I'm getting to the age where my stamina isn't what it used to be. If I built a shed, who knows how long it would take me to get it done? If I was in any kind of hurry, self-built would simply not be an option.

Yeah, those steel sheds are not worth the boxes in which the thousands of pieces are contained. Even when brand new, the doors are hard to open and close. And again, THOUSANDS of individual pieces and fasteners to assemble. That's a big no bueno.

[Jim Becker]

Tuff Shed has a pretty good rep, Pat. If I'm not mistaken, at least one 'Creeker has a whole shop built from them as they do larger structures, too. AFAIK, they are or are nearly nationwide.

[Pat Germain]

Tuff Shed has a pretty good rep, Pat. If I'm not mistaken, at least one 'Creeker has a whole shop built from them as they do larger structures, too. AFAIK, they are or are nearly nationwide.

Thanks, Jim. I knew Tuff Shed is a chain, but wasn't aware they are nationwide. As I understand it, my local Tuff Shed builds sheds locally. I guess wooden sheds are one of the few products which can't be built in China and shipped across the Pacific cheaply.

[Jim Becker]

I'd guess that they might have a franchise type setup that has local production. And yes, it makes absolute sense that wood sheds would be constructed in-country just due to their nature, size and weight. Even knock down kits like you can buy from the home centers are quite a bit of weight and bulk...not something to ship around the world, IMHO.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Yeah about those Amish sheds...
Maybe one of the crew owns or wears a straw hat.
(or they have a gag picture of their dog or their girlfriend's dog wearing a straw hat)

That's about as close to Amish as they are going to get.

We bought our 'Amish shed" from the guy down the road that sells "Amish sheds", not because it's an Amish shed, but, because they offered two different installations - either drop it fully built in place, or deliver the pieces and build it on site.
The price was the same either way.

The guy also has a huge lot filled with sheds. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he supplied sheds to both Home Depot and Lowes.

[Jerome Stanek]

My neighbor had an Amish shed built on his place the only extra that he had to have was a plce for the horses to get tied up and clean up the poop

[Jim Becker]

Depends on where you live, Rich. Here in PA, there are many firms building structures and the owners and many of the workers are Amish folks. Heck, my new workshop could be considered "Amish built" given that four fifths of the crew that put it up were young Amish men who were accompanied by a fifth man who was Latino; he drove, plugged in the tool chargers and did his share of the construction, too. They were a contract crew out of Lancaster PA, while the post frame company is in eastern central PA. (and not Amish nor do they bill themselves as such)

But yes, there are also a lot of folks out there who use the "Amish" name for their own marketing purposes. I'm sad about that, but people gonna be people...

[Pat Germain]

But yes, there are also a lot of folks out there who use the "Amish" name for their own marketing purposes. I'm sad about that, but people gonna be people...

I'm recalling a discussion here many years about the "Amish Heater" being advertised on TV. As I pointed out, there are no copyright or trademark issues associated with calling any product or business "Amish". You can build a step stool out of MDF, paint it blue and sell it as an "Amish Stool". It's not like the local Amish order is going to take you to court.

As Jim pointed out, there are some businesses genuinely owned an operated by the Amish. I have hampers and laundry baskets I ordered from such a business. They weren't cheap, but wow are those things well-built. No kidding, they will last for generations and they're also beautiful. My dining set is made of solid maple, to include the chairs. It was built by an Amish woodworker to signed a card and placed it in an envelope attached to the bottom of the table. It's obvious whomever built it used power tools, but that thing was still crazy expensive. I got a significant discount because it was damaged during shipment.

I wish there were genuine Amish sheds available in my area. While I don't have any naive preconceptions about anything Amish being the best it can be, the Amish are typically honest and hard working individuals; as well as good business operators.

[Jim Becker]

Pat, just to level set, many Amish woodworkers and carpenters use power tools. As with any kind of culture, there is a wide variety of diversity within the overall Amish communities ranging from eschewing all modernity through embracing tech to the highest levels. The four young men on the crew that put up my post frame building used battery operated tools extensively, but their particular group left the charging and plugging in the compressor to the latino gentleman that was also on the crew and also was their driver. The crew chief had a cell phone. In manufacturing, some groups use electrically powered tools but get their power from big diesel generators rather than the grid. Some places use power tools that are run by hydraulics powered by diesel engines. Etc. They also employ many non-Amish. It's an interesting thing!