The Best Shed... Metal, Plastic or Wood?

If you are feeling a bit cautious about storage garages for sale, maybe you should be. 

What do you do when you run out of storage in your own home? As with any body that has more stuff than room, your options for getting more storage space are limited to adding on to your current house, which is an expense that most of us can't afford, renting a storage unit, which means that only being able to access your stuff whenever they are open and finally a storage shed which you can place on your own property. You're thinking about a storage shed and don't know where to start. There are so many choices out there and so many manufacturers but what is the right storage shed for your needs?

Now for some, adding on to their own homes means that they can build it up any way they want, it might not be just for storage. Extra rooms, a play area, a new bedroom or TV room. Building an addition to your house means planning, paying for permits, getting permission from a HOA (if there is one) and time. Renting a storage space means trusting someone else to look after your own stuff, as well as, having to take time from your busy schedule to run over to the storage facility, hoping that the item or items you're looking for are still there. Building or placing your own storage shed gives you the best of both worlds. You can access your storage anytime you want, build it any way you like and you can choose any style available. Storage sheds afford the home owner several options that they can exercise.

Metal Sheds

These are made from thin sheet metal panels, generally galvanized steel, aluminum or corrugated iron. Attached to a metal frame, metal sheds are good for long-term installations. Useful when fire, rot and pests are a concern. Metal can rust and corrode if you are using non galvanized steel. If you are planning on installing a metal shed, care should be taken when using a concrete floor. Concrete flooring is corrosive and can cause damage to panels that touch it. To over come this, use treated lumber on top of a concrete pad to keep the damage to a minimum.

Plastic Sheds

These are made from PVC and are less expensive than metal sheds. Easily constructed with plastic molded sides and roofs attached to a metal frame, the sheds are less susceptible to dent, weather rot and pests, requiring little to no maintenance and don't have to be maintained with a preservative to keep the rot out. Plastic sheds are also easy to expand, adding lights, sky lights, windows, extra storage and other accessories as you need. You need to also add in a floor such as concrete or wood and it needs to be purchased separately.

Wooden sheds

Wood sheds are a more natural, aesthetically pleasing shed. Stronger and more durable than vinyl or metal sheds, wood sheds need more maintenance than wood or vinyl. Rot, mildew, mold, split wood and other issues can cause problems with the wood shed if it is not treated and maintained consistently. Because wood is such an easy product to work with, adding accessories such as windows, trim, and extra storage is a little easier with wood sheds than metal or vinyl because you can use readily available tools and materials and wood is a renewable resource.

What it comes down to is this. What are your needs for storage? Do you require a large amount? Does it need to have a car port attached or do you just want to store a few things away for the holidays or special times of year? May be you just add a small unit to your yard so you can park your lawnmower and put gardening tools away. Some sheds require building permits because of their size, make sure that you have all the permits and permissions necessary to build a storage shed on your property.

To talk more about this, or anything else, as always, give us a call!  Call Us.