PDA

View Full Version : Tuff Shed?



Don Bullock
03-29-2008, 10:00 AM
Does anyone have a garage/shop built by Tuff Shed? I just got the news that our offer to buy a home, a bank repossession, was accepted (Yes, gloat and pictures will be posted when escrow closes). The only problem is that the house does not have a garage/shop on the property. I'm looking at the cost of having a garage built or getting a prefabricated garage from Tuff Shed. A stick built here in Southern will run about $55 sq/ft where as the Tuff Shed would be about $30 sq/ft. That means that I could get much more shop/garage space for my money if I went that direction. Yes, the Tuff Shed will fit right in because the home is a prefabricated house. The siding would actually match the house.

John Cooper2
03-29-2008, 12:29 PM
Tuff Sheds are Ok, in the past when I priced them they where allot more than what I could build, but compared to having something built they are cheaper. I have seen several and the quality looks good. Besides they will have it up in a day or so then you can start making sawdust.

Good luck with it.

Jim O'Dell
03-29-2008, 1:15 PM
Don, they normally have "outlets" where you can go see several sizes. This would allow you to look at the construction techniques and make sure that what they build is what you want. If it is, then go for it. Especially if it gets you a bigger shop for the funds you have alloted for the project.
Another hint for extra space....promise TLOYL a section on one end for grooming the dogs. Works wonders!! Especially if you can swing indoor plumbing. (the covenants in our area don't allow running water/sewer in out buildings) Congrats on the bid acceptance and good luck with the move. Jim.

Don Bullock
03-29-2008, 6:42 PM
Jim, we're very excited about the house. It's literally a "steal" and actually a similar house to ones we had considered placing on land in the same town. When we "crunched the numbers" the cost of the land and placing the house on it was going to be more than the purchase price of the house we found with over an acre of land.

We do have several Tuff Shed outlets that are close by and one that is fairly close to where the house is located. We do plan to go and look at them before we make our decision.

I was just hoping that someone here on SMC had purchased one to use as a shop.


Another hint for extra space....promise TLOYL a section on one end for grooming the dogs. Works wonders!!

Pam got a kick out of that. Actually a place to groom dogs and storage for dog supplies, which as you know are endless, is part of my reasoning for going with a Tuff Shed instead of "stick built." :D

Don Bullock
03-29-2008, 6:46 PM
Tuff Sheds are Ok, in the past when I priced them they where allot more than what I could build, but compared to having something built they are cheaper. I have seen several and the quality looks good. Besides they will have it up in a day or so then you can start making sawdust.

Good luck with it.

John, that's nice to know. You comments on the quality are very helpful, especially coming from someone who has the skills to build their own. I like making furniture. A carpenter I'm not, so building one for me is out of the question.;):D

Peter Quadarella
03-29-2008, 7:48 PM
I came very close to buying a 16x30 Tuff Shed to use as my workshop. The cost of running electricity pushed me over the edge budget-wise but I think they are pretty well constructed for the money. With my limited spare time it would have been a project of months compared to what they could do in a day. I may still do it someday.

Don Bullock
03-29-2008, 9:41 PM
Thanks Peter for the information. I appreciate your analysis. Yes, electrical, insulation and something to finish off the interior will add to the coast. I would have that "extra" expense if I went with a stick built building. The $55 sq/ft quotes I have do not include any of that.

Here's the link to what I'm looking at.http://www.tuffshed.com/products_models.cfm?CategoryID=G&ZipCode=92029
http://www.tuffshed.com/img/products/garage_ranch_1.jpg

Doug Hobkirk
03-31-2008, 10:56 PM
Do you have estimates for the foundation, electric, plumbing, insulation, and drywall (fire protection)? I am curious.

Also, I believe the FWW Tools issue details someone who built a similar garage/workshop with a cost breakdown, suggestions, and observations. It seemed interesting - but I can't locate the mag right now, so I hope my recollection is right. His total w/ foundation, insulation and electrical was $40K. His architect ($560) gave him an elevated ceiling in a building that looks virtually the same as yours. FWIW...

Peter Quadarella
03-31-2008, 11:01 PM
To tell you the truth, I wasn't going to put down a foundation, put in plumbing, drywall it, or insulate it. I was just going to work in the bare shed (on the metal supports it comes with) and put electric in it. I priced it out at just over $10k without the electric for a 16x30 in the configuration I wanted.

Don Bullock
04-01-2008, 9:59 AM
Do you have estimates for the foundation, electric, plumbing, insulation, and drywall (fire protection)? I am curious.

Also, I believe the FWW Tools issue details someone who built a similar garage/workshop with a cost breakdown, suggestions, and observations. It seemed interesting - but I can't locate the mag right now, so I hope my recollection is right. His total w/ foundation, insulation and electrical was $40K. His architect ($560) gave him an elevated ceiling in a building that looks virtually the same as yours. FWIW...

I'm still working on estimates. Since the house isn't out of escrow I can't actually get estimates at the site. I'll be doing that as soon as escrow closes before the end of April. I'm just trying to check out as many options as possible. That's the reason for the post.

I think the FWW article you spoke of is "Smart Garage Workshop, From the Ground Up" by Matthew Teague. I'm very familiar with Matthew's shop and am impressed with what he has done. There are a lot of things he's done in his shop that I plan to incorporate into mine when I get it built. Matthew lives near Nashville and obviously has lower building costs than we do here in Southern California. His idea of finding a contractor that just builds garages is something I am investigating. That is the major reason his project was built for that price. I'm trying to build a building that's twice the size of Matthew's shop so that I can also use it for garage space. I want a building that is 25' x 40'. That's one reason I sought out Tuff Shed. Their quote for a building that size is around $18,000 plus concrete, electrical, etc.

The building I want is something like this, but one bay longer.

http://www.tuffshed.com/img/products/garage_ranch_2.jpg

Peter Quadarella
04-01-2008, 10:16 AM
I may have been looking at 20x30, I forget now.

Don, have you looked at their other designs? If you are going to insulate it, you may be better off with double doors on their ranch or barn style than garage style doors.

Ted Jay
04-01-2008, 1:00 PM
I'm still working on estimates. Since the house isn't out of escrow I can't actually get estimates at the site. I'll be doing that as soon as escrow closes before the end of April. I'm just trying to check out as many options as possible. That's the reason for the post.

I think the FWW article you spoke of is "Smart Garage Workshop, From the Ground Up" by Matthew Teague. I'm very familiar with Matthew's shop and am impressed with what he has done. There are a lot of things he's done in his shop that I plan to incorporate into mine when I get it built. Matthew lives near Nashville and obviously has lower building costs than we do here in Southern California. His idea of finding a contractor that just builds garages is something I am investigating. That is the major reason his project was built for that price. I'm trying to build a building that's twice the size of Matthew's shop so that I can also use it for garage space. I want a building that is 25' x 40'. That's one reason I sought out Tuff Shed. Their quote for a building that size is around $18,000 plus concrete, electrical, etc.

The building I want is something like this, but one bay longer.



Get a quote from these guys. Their website says they are getting into garages and concrete, couldn't hoit... they are in your area.
http://sheditsheds.com/
Ted

Don Bullock
04-01-2008, 9:33 PM
Get a quote from these guys. Their website says they are getting into garages and concrete, couldn't hoit... they are in your area.
http://sheditsheds.com/
Ted

Ted, their website says, "Now we serve all of the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties." My place is too far south. They also don't list one large enough for my needs.

Don Bullock
04-01-2008, 9:37 PM
I may have been looking at 20x30, I forget now.

Don, have you looked at their other designs? If you are going to insulate it, you may be better off with double doors on their ranch or barn style than garage style doors.

Peter, the above picture is of their Ranch model. At least half of the building will be a garage. I have one car that needs to go in at least every night and another that will go in if I don't need the space for a project. That's one reason I want a 24' x 40' and I need a roll up door.

TYLER WOOD
04-02-2008, 12:52 PM
I have used a tuff shed for one. I was not real impressed. The price does not include anything inside. I am in the process of building a shop myself. I am having a slab laid for the building (granted this is in west Texas, where the ground is concrete and no frost depth) But for a 24X30 foundation is running $2500. Then I got a garagae package from a local lumber yard to build. 2x6 walls, hardipanel exterior, electrical out the wazoo, r19 insulation in the walls and roof, couple of rooms, 8'x9' o.h. door. Total building price was $4750. So a total of roughly $7300 for the entire shop. Now I do have an electrician friend, so that cuts cost, and I'm doing all the work but the foundation myself. If you have the time and ability you can save a fortune. I had a quote for the shop from a contractor at $15,000. So as you can see.

Don Bullock
04-02-2008, 9:10 PM
Tyler, thanks for the idea of a garage kit. I will have to check into that possibility.

BTW -- Your concrete cost is about a third of the most recent prices I've seen here in Southern California. That's an amazing difference.

glenn bradley
10-26-2017, 9:17 AM
Given your local (I lived in Vista and dad was in Fallbrook) I can comment directly. We had a smaller Tuff Shed put in for dad so my comments are more shed related than barn related. They are like Foster Grant sunglasses. Foster Grant took the bargain sunglass market and made a science out of it. Their product is more likely to fit more people than probably any other inexpensive sunglasses. they just plain do a better job at it than most.

The Tuff Shed is the same in the pop-up building market. They will not win any Fine Homebuilding awards per se. However, it arrived in good shape, went up quick and was finished off by the installers as good as any tract home in a general area neighborhood in SoCal (better than some, in fact). We did run electrical and lighting, put in linoleum floor and skin the walls in 3/8" plywood. It has served dad quite well and looks like it will survive in our mild climate for as long as the house.

Jim Becker
10-26-2017, 9:50 AM
This thread is from 2008

Jim
Forum Moderator