Review of the Suncast® Brand 7' X 7' Yard Storage Shed

When our quest for a backyard storage shed began, my wife and I looked at wooden yard barns. These were very expensive and requiring either outside labor to build or a rather large crane to hoist a finished yard barn into our fenced back yard. Enter our discovery of the Suncast® line of vinyl storage sheds. The local big box store, Menards, had these sheds on display at a discounted price. We elected to purchase the 7' X 7' model. The shed came with a floor, which is usually not the case with the do it yourself metal yard sheds available. Allow me to share, step by step, my experience with this home improvement project.

Procurement Phase:

We start with the purchase and material pick-up at the yard at Menards. Be warned: This shed comes in two large heavy boxes, secured to a wooden pallet (skid) from the factory. I used a GMC Sonoma compact truck. Well, the kid on the forklift got real glassy eyed when I told him to break the pallet into two separate boxes. Long story short, the yard manager assisted, and yes, I got both boxes into the truck oriented long ways, with one box resting partially on the fender well. It can be done. (Both boxes side by side are too wide to fit between the fender wells. This would not be a problem with a full sized pickup truck.) Also, Menards got to throw away the pallet.

Delivery and Material Lay Down Phase:

At our house, I simply backed the truck up to the man gate in our fence, opened the boxes while still on the truck, and easily slid all the shed pieces and parts out of the boxes and into the back yard. I thus had my own handy project lay down area, and did not have to wrestle with the heavy boxes at all. Spread the different large pieces out, and use a table to layout the bags of small pieces.

Site Selection and Preparation Phase:

The directions say to have a level area upon which to erect your shed. They mean it! Level means level. An elevation difference of even a couple of inches will adversely affect the trueness of the shed when completed. I was fortunate. I had a perfectly level area of the yard, right where I wanted to put the shed. (Make sure an area of at least 8' X 8' is prepared. This will allow for an easier job.)

Prepare for Installation Phase:

OK, now is the time to read the directions. Yes, read them before you start. (Tough for some of us that go about a project like we're killing snakes, but trust me on this.) Then reread them. Find all the pieces, and know what they are for. The directions of installation state that if you snap a piece together incorrectly, it is nigh impossible to remove that connection. Believe them!

Installation Phase:

Now the fun begins. The floor sections are to be screwed together. May I strongly suggest using a drill motor with a Phillips screw head driver attachment? It'll save you about 15 minutes or more, as well as a sore wrist. There is quite a bit of resistance to the screwing of the floor sections. The following steps in the directions take you through wall sections installation, followed by the doors, center support, and finally the roof sections.

It took me about 2 ½ hours to completely assemble this shed. And, I was able to do it by myself, even though the directions say to have help on the roof sections. It worked well for me to slide the roof pieces into place from the inside, then to go outside to snap them in place. Beware: You must follow the directions to a "T". Any assembly out of order will come back and bite you! But, the instructions are very clear.

Construction Notes:

Basically this shed has decent engineering. However, the panels on the back wall of the shed are, in fact, duplicate design of the doors. If you position your shed with the back against a fence, there will be one securing piece you cannot install. This happened to me, and it is really no problem. Also, keep in mind that while the shed will not leak rainfall, it is NOT critter and bug tight. If you want to lay foam or even caulk to try to seal it, so be it. I don't have anything stored in mine that is a concern. You can lock the double doors with a padlock, if you need security.

Conclusion:

For the money, about $785 on sale, I feel this shed is a good, borderline great value. It is attractive and durable. I did not use any ground ties, and the shed has already withstood sustained winds of 40 MPH with gusts to 50 MPH. The head room is greater than 6', and there are many slots inside for shelf attachments. I use tie down straps with hooks on each end to secure items. I would recommend this shed. Suncast® has proven to me that they make quality products. And you can pack a lot of stuff into this size shed. Go get one.