I'm thinking of putting up a tool shed for storage. Has anyone done this? How difficult is assembly? Do you need a foundation if you're on a paved surface (like a parking lot)? Any other comments?


Shed by kpkina, on Flickr

i see costco has one in their flier

I have built several myself the last one being a 12 x 12 when I lived in Virginia Beach. While not terribly difficult, it did require a second person for some things and a lot of time in the build.

Now in Pennsylvania, we have several local suppliers who use the Amish to build custom sheds and deliver on site. The cost difference in doing it myself versus buying was well worth the time I would spend in having the materials delivered and doing the actual build.

I’m not sure if you have local builders in your area, but you may want to look around as many offer customization and various options.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
i see costco has one in their flier

My wife and I put up the Costco shed. The only "difficult" process was getting the ground level. (You would have to do that with any shed) We aren't as young as we used to be so doing the shovel work was a bit difficult for us. It is light so it does need to be anchored to protect against strong winds. We used the pet tie auger stakes on all four corners. We get strong canyon winds quite a bit and the shed has not moved an inch. The shed took a few hours to put together and it was done. Easy, peasy, and it doesn't look bad at all.

I don't think what you have pictured would require a separate foundation if you're putting it on pavement, but it might need some anchors.

Check your local ordinances first because they may have some rules about how big it can be, the type of construction allowed, and where you can place it (offset from property lines, other structures, etc.). I build a 10x12 shed in 2020. It's on 4x4 skids set on blocks, which makes it not a "permanent structure" so it is in compliance with local zoning regs and kept me from having to jump through a bunch of legal hoops. I wanted a bigger pole structure, but it would have required permits and a variance, and it wasn't worth it to me to deal with that. 10x12 is the largest I was allowed to go without a permit.

I built mine from scratch. It's 2x6 floor joists set on 4x4 skids, with a 3/4" plywood floor. The walls are 8' 2x4 framed on 16" centers (not the 2x3s that a bunch of the department store kits use), and it has vinyl siding and a metal roof. I think I have about $1500-$2000 into it, but that was right before lumber prices went though the roof so it would probably cost me about 40-50% more now. Still cheaper than the pre-built units I'm seeing around here that start around $8k and go up from there.

Whatever you do, decide on how large of a shed you need, then get a bigger one. I had a site built 8 x 12. Should have got a 10 x 14.

quote:

Originally posted by nosticks:
Whatever you do, decide on how large of a shed you need, then get a bigger one. I had a site built 8 x 12. Should have got a 10 x 14.

Yep! Rule number one:
No matter how big a shed or garage you build, it ain't gonna be big enough.

I built a 8X12 shed years ago for the gardening tools & my wife's potting stuff, and it's pretty full. I built a pole building for the vehicles, tractor, snow blower, etc. It's big enough, but barely.

I have had 2 sheds built by TUFF SHED. Great quality, reasonable price. Maybe they are in your area.

Sheds are exactly like ladies handbags tool boxes tackle boxes you can't have them big enough.
I think it was George Carlin that said you can't have everything,
where would you put it?
It took my neighbor 12 days to build his 12 ft by 12 ft shed in the backyard he did everything,
bought the lumber hauled it home cut all the lumber roofed it painted it put the floor in the whole shebang.
But he did all the work on the shed after he got home from work.

I’ve put up a few. One on pavers and it was a nightmare. I wouldn’t ever consider doing it if the surface isn’t perfect. The shed was a Rubbermaid from Lowe’s.

The second one, I poured a slab. It went up easy and I was quite happy. This one was a Suncast from Costco. Quality was far better than Rubbermaid. The engineering and sturdiness of the Costco shed was fantastic. It’s still at my daughters house, four years later and it looks great.

quote:

Originally posted by nosticks:
Whatever you do, decide on how large of a shed you need, then get a bigger one. I had a site built 8 x 12. Should have got a 10 x 14.

Yep, pretty much assumed as much. The one I posted is a 9 x 10, which is already larger than what I initially looked at. I'm sure we can manage to fill even that one up pretty quickly, like perhaps day one.

quote:

Originally posted by nosticks:
Whatever you do, decide on how large of a shed you need, then get a bigger one.

Yea, it's kinda like buying a gun safe.

Had this 12' x 10' gable shed installed in March. Shingles match those on the house.
Built in floor properly leveled and solidly supported by pavers. The no-grass playground material corner area where it sits had been a previous owner's site for a swing set.
And here too, it is the largest allowed without a permit.

Thanks for input, everyone. Another question: the metal panels come covered with a plastic wrap. I'm seeing conflicting information whether you should peel it off, or leave it on as extra protection. What say you?

Peel the plastic wrap off as it will fade and look terrible..

Seeing that you’re in Cali I would be sure that you don’t need a building or zoning permit first…

The Rubbermaid one I installed was super easy for not having any instructions. I bought it from Home Depot for $300 as a display model. Disassembled it packed it up and brought it home. Poured pad for it then reassembled it a week or so later. Probably 1.5 hours to disassemble and about the same to reassemble it. I used about a half dozen to a dozen concrete anchors to secure it to the pad.

I bought it thinking it would be temporary and I'd replace it with a 'real one'. 12 or so years later it's still in great shape.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Seeing that you’re in Cali I would be sure that you don’t need a building or zoning permit first…

Already looked at that. Apparently if you're under 120 square feet, no permit required in my county.

As an aside I never considered plastic or metal and went wood for my shed. Winds and hail in these parts negated those for me.

I bought this shed from Lowe's last year. I built a wooden platform for the shed. It does take two people to put together. There are a million small screws with plastic washers!!!!

I put in a 10’x14’ Tuff Shed and added skylights, ridge vent, two sliders on the front and just finished adding a dedicated 60A electrical service with lighting and bench top outlets.

Couldn’t be happier with it. They rolled onto my property at 8am and they were finished by noon including repainting.