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DAE think building a shed from scratch beats a kit every time? | Diy Builders - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

the_thomas•5mo ago

DAE think building a shed from scratch beats a kit every time?

I built a 10x12 shed in my backyard last spring, and my neighbor bought a pre-cut kit for the same size. After helping him put his together, I'm totally convinced my way was better, even though it took two weekends instead of one. My floor is made with pressure-treated 2x6s on concrete blocks, while his kit had a flimsy plastic base that wobbles. I used real 2x4 studs 16 inches apart, but his walls were this thin, weird composite board that feels hollow. The big thing was the roof; I framed a proper gable with plywood sheathing and shingles, and his was a single piece of corrugated metal that sounds like a drum in the rain. Sure, the kit was faster, but I know every nail in my shed and it feels solid. Has anyone else done both and found one way just makes a stronger building?

4 comments

4 Comments

drew9345mo ago

But some kits use real wood frames too.

adam4145mo ago

A plastic base? That's not a shed foundation, that's a glorified pallet. You can't build anything solid on a piece of wobbly plastic. It's wild they even sell kits like that.

murray.pat5mo ago

Totally agree, your shed will be standing long after that kit is gone. Did the same thing with a small workshop, used 3/4 inch plywood for the floor and it feels like a house floor. The kits just feel like fancy garden toys, not real buildings. You can't beat knowing every piece of wood in there.

coleman.hannah3mo ago

You're bang on Murray, there's nothing like that solid feel under your feet. I built a little 8x10 for my gardening stuff and went with 5/8 ply on 2x6 joists, but I doubled up on the rim joists too. That floor doesn't flex a bit when I roll the wheelbarrow in, it's like walking into a real room. Those kit sheds, you can feel the floor bounce just stepping on it and the walls bow if you lean something heavy against them. Every time I open my shed door I get a stupid little grin knowing I cut every stud and screwed every sheet myself. It's just built different.