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-living/products/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-living/products/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.

[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) (https://www.superiorsheds.com/about-us/)
floridasfineststructures.net (https://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-living/products/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!

[Pat Germain]

I agree, Jim. It's very interesting. My brother was a truck driver and used to haul oak logs for BBQ restaurants. He would get the logs from Amish lumberjacks in Missouri. They owned thousands of acres of wooded land. They used chainsaws and heavy equipment to cut and haul the trees as well as load them onto my brother's truck. My brother got to know them pretty well and one family invited him to a meal. They ate in the basement to avoid the oppressive Missouri summer and sat around a big table. My brother really enjoyed the experience. Apparently, that particular family used power tools and power equipment to harvest logs, but there was no electricity in their home.

[Rich Engelhardt]

This thread made me curious so I checked. Sure enough, our "Amish shed" is an "Amish made shed" - made by Alpine Structures.
They claim to be an Amish owned business.

Honestly - I don't care one way or another - as long as it's decent quality & they stand behind what they make, they could be Baal worshippers or Moabites.

[Patty Hann]

This thread made me curious so I checked. Sure enough, our "Amish shed" is an "Amish made shed" - made by Alpine Structures.
They claim to be an Amish owned business.

Honestly - I don't care one way or another - as long as it's decent quality & they stand behind what they make, they could be Baal worshippers or Moabites.
Too funny :D

[Brian Elfert]

I bought some lumber from a lumberyard about 60 miles away. They also sold sheds. They didn't advertise them as Amish made, but the owner told me he employs Amish to build the sheds. I saw some of the workers putting together sheds and their dress sure looked like they were Amish.

The Amish don't have the same rules nationwide. My understanding is the local church can be more or less strict than other Amish churches. I understand that some Amish business owners even have cell phones to support their business. They may also be allowed to have electricity, phones, computers, and the like in their businesses in order to do business.

[Pat Germain]

I bought some lumber from a lumberyard about 60 miles away. They also sold sheds. They didn't advertise them as Amish made, but the owner told me he employs Amish to build the sheds. I saw some of the workers putting together sheds and their dress sure looked like they were Amish.

The Amish don't have the same rules nationwide. My understanding is the local church can be more or less strict than other Amish churches. I understand that some Amish business owners even have cell phones to support their business. They may also be allowed to have electricity, phones, computers, and the like in their businesses in order to do business.

I'm not an expert on the Amish, but I do know each community has their own Ordnung. Oh, I also know that "Amish Mafia" TV show was complete fakery. :)