Looking for Storage Shed Advice

[Alan Rutherford]

We're thinking about getting a storage shed. One of those cute but cheaply built sheds you see in the parking lot at the BORG and many other places. There's some urgency to this because we're getting ready to start a remodel that's going to require emptying a couple rooms of the house for a few months and we need the storage space.

The sheds I looked at all have 2x4 studs at 16", T1-11 siding and flooring that looks like something laminated to MDF. Some have a galvanized steel base frame and others are wood. I'd like to think I could build a better shed but I'm getting too old to do everything I would like to do, and we really need it now. The barn style about 8 or 10 wide x 16 feet long feels about right and would look good where we want to put it. I saw those for about $4k+ to $6k. Didn't think I saw a lot of difference in materials and construction except for a few more windows but didn't look too deeply.

Some of the things we will store in it will not do well long-term with humidity. Boxes of books, for example. We'll have power available but it doesn't look realistic to heat or dehumidify the whole thing. I thought about building a closet-like space inside with a little heat available.

Any advice on what to look for and what to avoid? What about steel vs. wood for the base? We are not considering a concrete pad - it would sit on pier blocks. The manufacturers' warranties on components like the roofs and siding are 30-50 years, but there's typically only 5 years on the construction. I'm not looking for perfection but I'm hoping to get something that will solve the immediate problem of temporary storage and not be a big disappointment sooner or later.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

When we bought our current house 9 years ago, all it had was a small 2-car garage big enough to fit the Morris and motorcycles in it. We were in a big time crunch to install livestock fencing around the perimeter as well as build a goat shed and storage shed and wedge the rest of the vehicles, RV and trailers in among the trees. We bought one of those kit sheds with the flooring materials. It was the only full kit they had in stock at the moment and if you look on that orange web site, the model was 18631-8. With the help of a buddy, we put it together in a weekend. That shed has been on blocks and elevated slightly off the ground and has been used for storage.

As of today, almost 9 years to the day of putting it together, the floors are really sagging and the barn doors are warping. If we were to do it again with the same limited time to build it, we should have built it with better flooring. We have also had challenges with mice making their way into it via gaps in the barn doors. Strategically placed metal strips has helped solve that problem for now. Oh yes. Wasps find their way into it all the time via the doors and nest in the peak.

[Tom M King]

There's a place here that sells Amish made shed buildings like that for about the same money as the ones at box stores and they're a lot better built. Look for such a specialized shed sales place. We just use shipping containers here, but we have a place to put them out of sight.

[Paul F Franklin]

IIWM, I'd probably get a temporary container (PODS) to solve the immediate need, and that would buy more time to plan a good long term solution.

[Alan Rutherford]

When we bought our current house 9 years ago, all it had was a small 2-car garage big enough to fit the Morris and motorcycles in it. We were in a big time crunch to install livestock fencing around the perimeter as well as build a goat shed and storage shed and wedge the rest of the vehicles, RV and trailers in among the trees. We bought one of those kit sheds with the flooring materials. It was the only full kit they had in stock at the moment and if you look on that orange web site, the model was 18631-8. With the help of a buddy, we put it together in a weekend. That shed has been on blocks and elevated slightly off the ground and has been used for storage.

As of today, almost 9 years to the day of putting it together, the floors are really sagging and the barn doors are warping. If we were to do it again with the same limited time to build it, we should have built it with better flooring. We have also had challenges with mice making their way into it via gaps in the barn doors. Strategically placed metal strips has helped solve that problem for now. Oh yes. Wasps find their way into it all the time via the doors and nest in the peak.

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?

IIWM, I'd probably get a temporary container (PODS) to solve the immediate need, and that would buy more time to plan a good long term solution.

PODS are a possibility but they sure are ugly. At my age long-term isn't what it used to be and if we can do this without being too disappointed - that's good enough.

[Edward Weber]

Is there a possibility of building one yourself?

[Alan Rutherford]

Is there a possibility of building one yourself?

I'd love to. I feel guilty not doing it. I could do a much better job. I could also do this remodel myself and if I did it myself we wouldn't have to empty 2 rooms at the same time. Or I could have done those things in the past. But I've reached the point where if someone else doesn't do it, it ain't gonna happen. We also need it ASAP because the contractor is itching to start and we need to relocate a lot of stuff.

[Cameron Wood]

When my now wife moved in, I built a shed for her.

Existing floor platform that had been under one of those metal sheds, 2x6 joists with plywood. I repaired and painted it, & set it on pier blocks.
Walls from 3/8" plywood, fastened to the sides of the floor frame. Top plate fastened to top of plywood, and some studs- 2x3 flat ways, between the floor and the top plate. Back wall lower, front wall higher with doors (same plywood and 2x3s). 2x4 shed rafters, side wall plywood laps onto the rafters- no top plate. 1/2" roof ply with torch on roofing, & a piece of glass at each end for windows. Some button vents low on the back side, and screen between the rafters at the front for ventilation. Painted with a couple of coats of regular house paint.

It's been 3+ years & it's doing well. I had most of the materials so it cost almost nothing, but was easy to build & not too much $ even if everything was bought. For humidity, just leaving a light bulb burning might be enough. I haven't had a problem but not so humid here.

[Patty Hann]

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?



PODS are a possibility but they sure are ugly. At my age long-term isn't what it used to be and if we can do this without being too disappointed - that's good enough.

I'd go with the POD, ugly or not.
They are sturdy, also are probably critter proof, whether the critters have 4 legs, no legs, or wings.

[Alan Rutherford]

I'd go with the POD, ugly or not.
They are sturdy, also are probably critter proof, whether the critters have 4 legs, no legs, or wings.

In this case, appearances matter. After things settle down it will be my wife's garden shed and will anchor the other side of a newly-resurrected sort of patio space if I can dig up the overgrown azaleas that came with the house. I'll deal with the critters.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Like others, +1 on PODs. We've used them twice. Super easy to carry out sofas, chairs, lamps and the like, bolt it up and wait for the contractor to finish the floors.

A regular storage shed might have to be awfully large to store an entire room or two of stuff, and I think I'd rather have a real garden shed if I'm going to buy or build one. Those Home Depot ones are made of plastic and can warp in the Sun and heat. We only got about 8 years out of ours, and an actual shed with a concrete floor, honest 2x4 studs, simple rafters and torch on roofing will last a lifetime. You could even add lighting or a sink in one.

[Patty Hann]

I meant for storage during your remodel/renovation. You said the need for that was kind of urgent.
Store the furniture in the pod and it will give you time to do (or figure out) a permanent [garden] storage solution that is attractive and can be somewhat customized .

[Alan Rutherford]

I just priced pods and the smallest would cost us slightly over $1000 per month. It's likely that we'd be paying almost as much as we would for a shed, possibly more. Even if we get less than 10 years out of a shed, that sounds far better. Not that the shed longevity I'm hearing here sounds good. I was hoping for better than that.

[Brian Runau]

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

[Rich Engelhardt]

We had an Amish built shed at our old house from 1987 until we moved out in 2022. It was still in great shape and ready for another 35 years.
We bought an Amish built shed last year when we moved into our new place.
Both were 10X20.

I rebuilt all 4 sides & the roof and floor on a shed at a rental once. I could rebuild it - but - according to code, I couldn't replace it with a new one. I don't recall why.

Many years ago - like back in 1973 - I bought a house that had a brand new steel shed. Within a few years, the shed was trash.