metal yard shed recommendations?

As some of you may have heard, SW MI had a little storm a couple of weeks ago. My back yard is a lot sunnier now, with 4 big trees down, and another that will probably have to come down. Anyway, a 60-foot pine totaled my shed. The same shed that the pine's twin brother landed on after an ice storm 2 years ago, but I was able to blacksmith it back into usability. Good thing I didn't replace it then. (Compared to a lot of people around here, I got off lucky. All I lost were the shed, trees and 3 days of power- house didn't even lose any shingles. Some streets/roads/neighborhoods look like they got bombed.)

Anyway, the existing shed is the mid-grade Arrow 10x14, with the horizontal siding and internal bracing. Big-box wants around $820 for current version in same size, in a hideous faux woodgrain. Cheaper beer-can version without internal bracing is around $530. I think I can blacksmith the extra roof beams from the old one and reuse them, so I don't have to pay $250 for the roof 'beef up' kit. Neither shed model impresses me much. I'd stick build a wood one, but I'd have to lay and anchor a course of block for a stem wall, since you don't put wood sills directly on a slab. So, metal would be a lot less work, and I wouldn't have to repaint it every five years.

Anybody got any brand and model recommendations around 10x14, tall enough to stand up inside, with a door big enough to get wheelbarrows and mowers through? Looking for as close to zero-upkeep as possible, and able to take snow loads. I'm not a rich man, but I'm willing to pay a little extra for quality. Something built like those wiring huts Ma Bell and airports use, but bigger.

Reply to
aemeijers
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You can put pt directly on the slab. All those metal ones look like shit in 10 years if you ask me.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

-snip-

Has it got to be metal? In this area [middle-ish of NY] wooden prebuilt 'Amish Sheds' are cheaper, stonger, and better looking than a good quality metal shed. There are several outfits that deliver them and roll them off right onto your prepped site.

I don't know how much the Amish really have to do with them- but the guy whose lot I looked over the closest really does go to PA to pick them up.

They come in a bunch of sizes and styles- this guy orders them & picks them up in 2-3 weeks. [he's got a bunch on the site that are seriously discounted- mistakes of some sort or another]

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

Doesn't homeowners insurance cover wind damage to your entire property???

Reply to
hrhofmann

Not around here, unless you bought an extra-cost rider or something. Damage to man-made structures only. Insurance actually did pay out an absurdly high amount on the shed- enough to pay for all the tree removals- but I have fingers crossed that I don't have another claim anytime soon. This was my one freebie, apparently. Adjuster submitted the claim without even telling me first- I thought he was just coming to verify the house was still here.

Reply to
aemeijers

PT means water-resistant, not water-proof. In five years, I'd be replacing the bottom plate, unless I made it out of plastic or put it on Simpson spacers or something.

Reply to
aemeijers

Do prebuilt wood ones come in 10x14? And does anyone sell them without floors, which I don't need or want? (a wood floor inches above a larger slab will always have dampness and insect problems.) And does anyone make them out of real plywood any more? I'm not impressed with how OSB holds up on non-heated, non-weather-sealed spaces.

Probably a moot point anyway- unless my neighbors are feeling real kind, no road for a flatbed into my back yard without driving over septic system. So that takes it down to precut or stick built, which are a LOT more expensive than metal, from what I have seen.

Reply to
aemeijers

Read all the replies and yours to date.

You just got to bite the bullet and do this right. Even mixing your own mortar how hard is it to lay one course of block around the slab?

Stick frame the darn thing and cover it with vinyl or hardieBoard siding. Spend $50 more and wrap the gables and fascia. Throw away you paint brush and enjoy life.

Now that I have motivated you, what time is the cookout? I can bring some beer if you furnish the steaks.

Colbyt

Reply to
Colbyt

Around here a 10X14 is a no-go without a building permit. Maximum

100 Sq feet without a "permanent foundation"
Reply to
clare

Another reason for sticking with the same brand and size, I guess- it makes it 'repair', not 'new construction', since I could use the original well-tarnished and lagged-down base rails. :^/

Around here, people try to avoid permanent foundations, since that puts it in a different tax class. I have an out- my slab is much bigger than the shed, and has a fence around it. 'But that is a dog pen, not a shed foundation! It was that way when I bought the place!' Not real worried- inspection in this township is more theoretical than real, especially for detached structures with no power to them.

I did look on the website for the local 'Amish shed' dealer here in SW MI. They do have 10x14, but they have floors, and look like they are skinned in OSB. And they START at double what the mid-range Arrows like I have, price-wise.

Reply to
aemeijers

Pt got nothing to do with water resistance. It's rot resistant. Who cares if it's wet. If it's not in contact with the ground it'll be fine for longer than a metal shed will last. If you're really worried run a strip of that new composite deck board as a base instead of the pt. You can stick build a shed for not much more than the slightly better than crap metal ones.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

I lucked out and got this shed for $250 as an "open box" clearance item at Home Depot. Current price is $869, but it was around $600 2 years ago when I bought it.

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Be careful with any kit that you buy, metal or wood. Many of them cut corners with inferior design and lack of "parts" to keep the cost down.

For example, even at full price, my kit does not include floor decking or roofing materials such as tar paper, shingles, drip edge, etc. Worse yet, there is no sill plate for the walls. The 2 x 3 studs are supposed to be toe-nailed to the floor decking.

The back wall has no studs, just a horizontal member and a vertical member, notched to overlap in the center of the wall.

Since I saved so much money on the kit, I "upgraded" by buying some extra 2 x 3's and building proper walls. I used screws instead of nails, etc. All in, including "open bundle" shingles (at 50-75% off) I stayed well below the retail price of the kit itself.

My point: Even if you can't score an "open-box" deal like I did, make sure you know what you are getting with the kit. Try to download the assembly instructions before you buy so you can determine how much extra you are going to have to put into the kit to build something you'll be comfortable with. If nothing else, it'll save you extra trips to the store because you'll know what you are getting (and not getting) with the kit.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Same here. You need to alert the taxman with a building permit if it is > 100 square feet or on a permanent foundation.

Most popular around here are the so called "Amish sheds" because they are built by folks in Lancaster county and trucked here.

Reply to
George

re: Your subject line...

You have a metal yard?

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I'd say it would be highly likely if tried it wouldn't get passed. I'm thinking there's almost certainly another section that will limit height to be less than that of the main building even if the footprint clause doesn't state it for the tax purpose.

Reply to
dpb

If he can't go UP, maybe he could go three stories DOWN?

If so, a SECRET entrance would limit the building and tax inspector's interest...

Reply to
HeyBub

Good idea. I don't think Google Earth is continuous. If one could find the schedule for the satellite, there might be windows of opportunity.

But they're not just looking for scabbed-in construction !!

My city, Houston, used satellite photos (not sure if they were Google) this past month to determine how much of each bit of property was not, er, grass.

The city then levied a tax (fee) on the non-permeable part of the property (i.e., the house, garage, driveway, sidewalk, etc.) for storm drainage access. The fee is not inconsequential - in my case about $16/month or $190/year. If I recall, the fee is $0.03xx / sq ft / year.

My town has received about 1.5" of rain in the last three months, roughly equivalent to what the middle of the Sahara Desert gets (normal for Feb, Mar, & Apr is better than ten inches). I can't see how the city needs storm drainage improvements in this scenario.

Reply to
HeyBub

Wouldn't stand long without the permanent foundation that also triggers the requirement for a permit - and taxation.

Reply to
clare

They can't find any structures in my yard with Google Earth. GE shows my lot as being only rough graded. ;-)

Reply to
krw

I don't pay any particular tax on my shed either but all sheds in Florida require a permit and they have to meet wind code. Basically you can't even have one of those sheet metal or plastic things anywhere on the peninsula. You might get away with it up there in Baja Alabama.

Reply to
gfretwell

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