Sheds

This is a discussion that I did not want to be having so soon, but here I am.

A few years back, we bought a Yardmaster 8x10 (or thereabouts) metal shed and I spent considerable time building a solid floor for it, that it was subsequently erected onto. In short, it has leaked badly since day one - @ARMANDII was kind enough to recommend a paint to seal up the leaks and whilst this was partly successful, the thing still has so many leaks I am wondering if it is Welsh.

As most of you know, last year everything was neglected, including the shed which was overdue a tidy up before everything went wrong; it has only been in recent weeks that I have managed to get back onto my feet somewhat, and almost immediately upon entering my shed, my foot went through the floor.

I have lost tools and other equipment including an oil filled radiator that had to be binned as it had perforated due to corrosion; currently, my greenhouse is being used as an impromptu holding area for things as it is dry, unlike the shed. So, I need to do something and fast.

Now, please don't even attempt to persuade me to find the leaks, repair the floor etc as I have reached that point with this shed it is only the fact that I am disabled that has prevented it being ripped down. It is getting replaced by hook or by crook.

We saw a plastic shed in Costco which quite took our fancy - aluminium frame, integrated floor and so on. But, we simply don't have the thick end of a grand on the hip to be able to buy one, and of course then the materials for a suitable base for it, so we are looking at alternatives.

There is a company, sheds.co.uk (anyone used them) who do finance on sheds that are also not wildly expensive (some sheds I have seen start in the thousands and work up), so we are wondering if this might be a relatively painless way to solve our problem.

Their plastic sheds are not the same size as ours (although we do have a wee bit of space to play with) and the first review I read of one (review not on their site, but same shed) mentioned the word 'leak' and that has put me off a bit.

So, whilst I will still consider a plastic shed, I am now looking at more traditional sheds, and have narrowed down to three (in no particular order):

Option 1 - Adley 8' x 10' Premium Double Door Shiplap Dutch Barn

Option 2 - Hartwood 8' x 10' Double Door Premium Tongue & Groove Pressure Treated Apex Shed

Option 3 - Adley 8' x 10' Premium Double Door Shiplap Apex Shed

So, what are the thoughts and experience of the collective please?

For clarity, I will be able to get help assembling these and getting the old one dismantled and to the dump, but I don't want to be in this position again in a hurry as I am not fit enough to do this stuff any longer. The shed has to sit on top of a patio, so no grass/mud or digging for foundations etc.

 

It was coming in between the floor and the shed walls - for some reason (and I have never established why) the instructions said to build the base with a four inch overhang all around it, so 8 inches wider and 8 inches longer than the dimensions of the shed.

It is not just leaking from there though @pete - this thing is leaking all over the place. Useless pile of junk.

The problems with the base are another thing that sort of put me off the plastic sheds, not least the ones that come with no floor - hence the wooden sheds are back in the picture.

Assuming I go for a wooden shed, I was thinking of making a frame out of something like 4x2, using a plastic layer on the top of the wood (damp proof course maybe) and then sitting the shed on top of that, so there would be a double air gap under the floor. This will mean a step up of around six inches into the shed, but so be it if it stops it leaking and keeps it dry.

 

I don't know a great deal about these but I presume the floor comes with bearers although they don't say so.

If you raise the shed you may need to build a ramp to get anything heavier out of the shed. I have one made from plywood on a 2"x2" frame and it is propped up just inside the shed. I use it for getting the mower out.

 

The three wooden sheds have floors that are laid on top of bearers, yes - they suggest that they are suitable to sit immediately on top of a suitable base just as they are - but, whilst the patio at that corner has been pretty much levelled, it is not completely flat so I am also thinking a frame might be useful for levelling up before the shed is put on top.

If I had to have a ramp or something, then that wouldn't offend me - I just want stuff to be dry, and to get my greenhouse back.

 

@pete - you are the man that would tell me actually.....

Shiplap versus tongue and groove (both 12mm) for the walls, which is best?

Tongue and groove (12mm) versus pressure treated board (thickness unknown, and I presume this to be OSB?), which is best?

I quite like the extra height of the barn style, but not sure if the shiplap would be more likely to leak or less durable than the tongue and groove?

 

I have looked at them, and their website is interesting - but, they do not do finance, to that counts them out.

I would also love to do the local thing, but again, finance is the stumbler, and to be fair if I could I would be back in the zone of the Costco shed as it is the ideal solution in a lot of ways.

@ricky101 - I was one of the voices advising against a metal shed on the basis of the blighter that I have. Regarding runners, that is also part of the reason that I would want to do the extra runners of my own - firstly, for levelling, but secondly to allow water to run off on the natural drop of the patio, which runs in the opposite direction to that of the runners on the proposed shed.

Credit cards, not a chance - the only cards I would be likely to get following last years problems would be those 39% jobs, and there is no way I am doing that.

 

Thanks for the offer @Vince - I actually have a good Bosch mitre saw, and would even consider doing it myself now (I could build it in panels at a time over a number of weeks to bolt together later), but it is financing the timber etc that is going to be my issue.

If this damned shed wasn't leaking so badly, and a health and safety hazard (thanks to the holey floor!), I would prefer to wait and do something of my own, even if it was with a flat roof, but I cannot get stuff out of my greenhouse because the shed is increasingly unsafe/unusable

 

@Fat Controller I know you are looking at wood but have you considered these plastic ones.? My friend has one similar to this and it went together easily and no leaks.. Looks good as well..


Lifetime 8ft x 10ft Shed

 

That is EXACTLY the one we saw in Costco, and the one we actually want - sadly, we cannot find it available with a finance offer (and Costco are over £300 less than the one in your link, unless I have forgotten to add the VAT or something).

Looks like it is time to get my skimpy clothing on, and pimp myself on street corners for a while..............














OK, stop laughing............