Before You Spend Money on A Shed…Watch This Video

#shed #DIY #carpentry #garden #storage
In this video, I build the Heartland Stratford 12 foot by 8 foot shed, purchased from Lowes on sale. This video covers some of the process and challenges I encountered when building a modified floor design with a prefab kit. The other challenges included dealing with poor quality structural lumber that was warped, twisted or bowed. The take away for the manufacturer would be to supply a better framing structure and wall studs made from thick plywood as opposed to 2 X 3s. In the end I made it all work but it didn’t really save me any time versus building from scratch. The kit did come with all the hardware and the OSB boards for the roof. The roofing itself was made up of Ondura corrugated roofing panels.

DISCLAIMER: My videos are for entertainment purposes only. Do not attempt to do anything that is shown in my videos. Woodworking and Metal Working are very dangerous activities and should only be performed by trained professionals.

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[justiceprevail]

I built a shed from scratch using lumber from a local one man saw mill 44 yrs. ago. Still standing and looks as good as the day it was built.

[Ofageover]

I have been considering building a shed and was most concerned with how to level the floor joists and frame. Your're idea of getting the blocks close and then using a 4x4 to dial in level is excellent, thank you!!!

[JohnJones-oymd]

Nice build. For those looking for alternatives, the last shed kit I assembled was from Lifetime Products. They're blow-molded plastic, and the shed was 8'x15'. Came with a plastic floor, which we installed on a raised 2x6 and plywood frame. I was skeptical, but it went together like a dream and came out quite sturdy. It's survived several heavy New England snow storms and is maintenance free - just hose it off once a year. IIRC, it cost $1400 or $1500 delivered on sale. A nice bonus is that you can buy extra kits to extend the ends - so you can size it to any length you need. Neat system and sure beats the old metal shed kits.

[waynethera]

Excellent video, I bought a package shed several years ago from Home Hardware. I am not the carpenter type but I gave it a go. Same type of treated panels, and lots of treated lumber. My wife was so impressed I had to build a second one.

[freeamerican]

Building a shed from scratch can be very rewarding. You did a nice job. There's all sorts of reasons to build a shed.
I built my insulated 7'.9" x 9'.9" shed from scratch using all wood screws and i'm glad I did. Gave it the Red barn look with small windows on both sides. and added white trim. Built an upper loft shelf for storage but it's big enough for a small mattress as well. Even bought a "new looking" used exterior door from a second hand store, built the frame, and added the hinges. It works and looks nice. Added paneling to the inside walls and I added stained tongue & groove to the ceiling, then I put tile on the floor. I set it up with a small "through the wall" air conditioner, Deep cycle solar batteries, solar panels, charge controllers, LED lighting, and a plug in for an alternative Generator setup as well. I added a wall mounted tv with an outdoor antenna. Three DC to AC inverters, plugs to charge lap tops & cell phones,  a Futon that makes into a bed, and a small fridge. The next time a hurricane takes out our power for a week or longer like it did last year we intend to sleep in comfort without the South East humidity.

[mattdarbyshire]

"A little cheaper than pouring a slab". Understatement of the year. Lol

[dp]

One thing I've learned from YouTube: There's more than one way to build a shed.

[kddvmkatdaddie]

Thank you for the video. You are correct about the bulk lumber being seconds or just about thirds.I built a shed in 2001 out of sawmill scraps from out of the backwoods of Arkansas. It was about the same size as yours. I never painted or preserved it. It is still sturdy but my family members put v-8 engines and transmissions on the floor and the floor has dropped. The sidewalls and roof are still sturdy. Seconds windows still open and close but the wall sole seals were made out of pressure treated lumber and they have deteriorated over time. When I first put it up I used it as a chicken coop. The tax collector asked me who lived in the building. I told him my chickens. He said my chicken coop was built better than a lot of peoples houses in the backwoods! Ha, ha, ha! Take care.

[jcking]

Excellent video! Not just the info it contains but the editing as well; you didn’t waste my time with unnecessary babble and you provided complete information. Kudos!

[bobbiemitch]

Great job. Years ago, I bought a metal garden shed for my son and thought it would be easier than wood. Probably was, but a job that should have taken a full day, took a long weekend. The instructions were very good until the end. It never said to anchor the shed to the wood floor and had no screws to do so. After that experience, when I needed a garden shed, I went to the local Mennonites who built, delivered, and installed a 8x12 shed for half the price of my local big box stores just for the kit.

[Workswell]

As a retired contractor, having worked in the field for 40 years I say, Thank You Very Much for you HONEST Video and Opinion which I feel are 100% correct. This is what you get if you buy a package.
If you have some skill and take your time, I would agree, buy everything from a reputable Lumber dealer and you will get far Superior Material

[aloysiusjones]

That sub floor is fantastic. You’ve solved my digging into solid rock problem. Thanks.🇦🇺👍

[unsaltedlife]

I built a shed and used them blue barrels to make it float on 2 20 foot poles, when the Mississippi River comes up the shed floats and lands back were it was before the flood. Got tired of moving stuff all the time.

[markp.]

Thanks Eric for the video. I sell sheds for a major shed manufacture and am always out looking at what others are offering. I too am a do it your self guy and enjoyed watching your video. I actually built my first shed myself many years before I got into the shed business. Now that I'm in the business I see the mistakes I made simply because it was my first shed. My company has built many thousands of sheds thus we have made all the mistakes possible and have learned from those mistakes. Because we never claim to be the cheapest we are always looking for improvements we can make to provide a better product for our customers. With your skills I'm sure you could have built one from scratch which would have been better than that kit. The care you took starting with the foundation layout was impressive which shows you want to do quality work. With those kits that is almost impossible. It's a poor design done with poor quality materials. Thanks again and keep

[sirdukeusa]

Lowes offers a small building for $899. by the time they get finished with it it was over $3000. I told them to keep.

[jackeminor]

Excellent video. I’ve built one shed from scratch. I’ll definitely build the next one from scratch as well. Thanks for the vid, I think it’s cool you sealed all the ends of all the floor framing.

[johnhodgson]

That was a perfect delivery by you Eric Sorenson - not an ego trip, not showy - honest and to the point. AND it helped me finally decide to avoid kits and make one from scratch - then I can decide where the spend needs to go to make it survive winter northerly gales! Cheers Eric...

[pamelaspooner]

Good job doing this all by yourself! I’m impressed. And the emotional support from Pup was a nice addition.

[MrJaxparadize]

I've built many sheds in my time. I appreciate the video. I've always just bought the materials without a deal and just did them as they were requested. I guess you can say, custom. I've always wondered how these kits came. I never bothered looking it up because there was never a need. Now that covid has us locked up, why not look it up! Now I know, and knowing is half the battle.

[JudgeBuster]

Nice video. I'm a commercial carpenter & everything you said is accurate, especially buying ANY shed or other kits from Lowe's. I don't know if you live in an area with annual bad wind storms or tornadoes, but putting in some anchors from the 4x4s into the ground is highly recommended. I've seen lighter weight sheds like this simply get blown over. Gluing the 4x4 base frame pieces to the concrete blocks could have helped add more weight & wind resistance. You can still buy the large screw in anchors at the 4 corners of the shed. Also install vents at the gable ends to prevent extreme heat build up which will ruin paints & many common liquid home repair products like caulk, some solvents, stains, etc. Vents are very important