Thread: I want to buy a shed

I got a Titan 9m(long) x 6m(wide) x 2.7m(high) built in december just before xmas. Installed it cost me around $13000. In January I had power installed in it. It is my haven(away from swmbo when I am in the (POO), it is my workshop where I do side jobs and where I get to think CLEARLY.

IF you get a Titan, get it written in the contract that THEY return your surrounding lawn to how it was BEFORE THEY SCREWED IT UP. I failed to do this and will spend the next year or so fixing it or many hundreds of $...

Okay you blokes, just a bit of clarification on some terms.
BMT= Base Metal Thickness. Pipeclay said it earlier and is correct; it's the thickness of the steel before either painting or electroplating occurs.
TCT= Total Coated Thickness. Thickness of cladding after electroplating or painting has been done.

Gate_Keeper, I hope you went with the Fielders shed. If what you say is correct, that Ranbuild are using .40TCT material for both roof and wall cladding, then in my view and understanding of things they are using roof cladding which does NOT comply with Australian building standards.

If anyone has recently purchased a shed from any company who quoted based on the use of .40 TCT roof cladding, could you please look through the set of plans which bears your local council's 'Approved' stamp.

If your council approved it, they are wrong in their assessment and must be held to account.
If however the plans specify .47TCT roof cladding but were supplied as .40TCT at the behest of the customer for a reduction in price, then both the company and the customer are at fault.
Council Building Inspectors are not known for using a micrometer on cladding as an everyday occurance. Due to the out-sourcing of inspection services, the council has limited it's own liability in this regard.

How do I know this? I've been roll-forming the stuff for the past decade and also have several years of steel detailing/quantity surveying experience for a large manufacturer of sheds and shed building components.

While we're at it, don't assume that because you buy stuff from Bluescope or it's agents that you will be buying Bluescope products. The mob I work for supply several branches of Bluescope, Onesteel and Surdex in both Vic. and NSW with cladding, purlins, angle, mesh and other products.
Much of the raw material is actually imported from places like China, Korea and in the case of coloured cladding, New Zealand.

It's up to the end user to stipulate which material is required but most buy on price so unless your surname is Rockefeller, patriotism is something that most people just cannot afford anymore.

Tom,

I have sent you an email seeking advice.

Ken

This arvo, I had a look at a kit shed over in Thomastown. I won't mention any names.

It was approx 6m x 3.6m. The galv bolted up framework was good quality, with cold rolled C-section girts and purlins. What let the whole thing down was the dreadful fit of the cladding, especially around windows and doors. Where the gable end capping met the guttering was like a dogs breakfast.

Are all kit sheds like this, or am I expecting too much?

I'm almost tempted to erect a timber frame, and clad the sides with vertical boards.

Would a timber shed work out much dearer than a metal one?

Ken

Ken
I can't tell you about prices re metal vs timber but I can recomment GarageWorld for a metal shed.
I had one at my last place and it was great. Very well finished and put together.
In fact I hope to be building another shed later this year and it will be a Garage World one again. They are a little bit more expensive than some of the others but I reckon the better quality is worth it.
The new one I'm planning is 12m X 7.2 X 2.4h ( I might price out 2.7h as I get closer to the time)
From Garage World Newcastle I was quoted approx $27600. That was for everything except council fees. Including one 2.7 wide roller door and one 2.4w roller door, vermin flashing and aircell insulation to walls and roof. This was for them to do the lot.
I've had a couple of other prices and GW was still only about $2K more expensive. For the extra you get gal brackets fitted to the slab when its poured (rather than the frame dynabolted down) their, you beaut joints on the frame. They use .42bmt thick sheets for both roof and walls. The other quotes I got used .35bmt for the wall sheets.
GW also works out the lengths and widths so that the end sheets of the walls overlap rather than have to have a flashing. Looks very neat.
I have no connection to the company except as a satisfied customer.

hope this helps

bollie7

Originally Posted by neksmerj

Are all kit sheds like this, or am I expecting too much?

This is not always the kit but the ning-nong who puts the kit together.

I'm almost tempted to erect a timber frame, and clad the sides with vertical boards.

Would a timber shed work out much dearer than a metal one?

It depends what timber you use and what your council will permit.

For me the prime issue was termites and secondly not wanting anything to go into battle with my council.

Originally Posted by neksmerj

This arvo, I had a look at a kit shed over in Thomastown. I won't mention any names.

It was approx 6m x 3.6m. The galv bolted up framework was good quality, with cold rolled C-section girts and purlins. What let the whole thing down was the dreadful fit of the cladding, especially around windows and doors. Where the gable end capping met the guttering was like a dogs breakfast.

Are all kit sheds like this, or am I expecting too much?

I'm almost tempted to erect a timber frame, and clad the sides with vertical boards.

Would a timber shed work out much dearer than a metal one?

Ken

Be careful, the quality of the sheet can vary by rollforming business. That is, some manufacturers with older machinery and less "committment" to quality tend to produce sheeting that has variance greater than what other suppliers will produce.

Sometimes, if it becomes a problem you can get pronounced issues lapping the sheet neatly.

The quality of finishing around windows is really a function of the skill of the installer, assuming all the correct flashings are supplied. A good shed supplier who knows what they are doing will custom order the windows usually in multiples of the effecitve cover of the sheets to make it easy for the DIY'er. This makes slotting the windows between laps simple, and minimises the vertical "slitting" of the sheets, which can get messy if not done neatly.

It is also important that the windows are ordered correctly- and are "face fit". This gives and external flange to screw the window into the sheets, and makes flashing and sealing much easier.

Likewise, tophat or wall girt spacings should be desinged and ordered such that the tophat forms a footer and header for the windows, and ensures that the windows will not fall out, or rattle in winds.

The gable end capping (or the barge capping) should extend past the end of the roof sheets and be cut on an angle to enclose and hide the end caps of the gutter for neatness.

Couple of extra points.

I am not keen on windows. Skylights are fine but the windows they put in the kits are easy to break into. They also allow prying eyes to see what you've got. This cost me a ducati about 6 years ago, lucky they didn't take anything more than they did. Remember this is a work shop and storage not a lounge room.

I built a 9 X 7.5 adro 15 years ago. Cost me $9k then. Very happy with it. Biggest I could fit, now it's full and I'm about to spend easter trying to restore some order.

3 m walls make it feel more spacious, add signifigant storage height and on hot days keep the roof further from you. Insulation is dead cheap right now thanks to our fearless leaders. Pack in some fiberglass and line it with whatever you can get cheap. You will thank me for it later. Also seriously consider getting it wired. I haven't and have always wanted to. The extension cords are a constant nuisance.

I'd go portal frame over space frame anyday.

I used chemsets (these come in different pull out strengths) and am very happy with them. YMMV.

A mate was awfully proud of his 10x20x4.9 until my partners dad built a 18x36x4.9. It's got a 3m eve down one 36m side that covers more area than my shed

And yes they are both full....

3 m walls make it feel more spacious, add signifigant storage height and on hot days keep the roof further from you.

and you can manoeuvre 8x4 sheets around easily.

Originally Posted by damian

Couple of extra points.

I am not keen on windows. Skylights are fine but the windows they put in the kits are easy to break into. They also allow prying eyes to see what you've got. This cost me a ducati about 6 years ago, lucky they didn't take anything more than they did. Remember this is a work shop and storage not a lounge room.

I built a 9 X 7.5 adro 15 years ago. Cost me $9k then. Very happy with it. Biggest I could fit, now it's full and I'm about to spend easter trying to restore some order.

3 m walls make it feel more spacious, add signifigant storage height and on hot days keep the roof further from you. Insulation is dead cheap right now thanks to our fearless leaders. Pack in some fiberglass and line it with whatever you can get cheap. You will thank me for it later. Also seriously consider getting it wired. I haven't and have always wanted to. The extension cords are a constant nuisance.

I'd go portal frame over space frame anyday.

I used chemsets (these come in different pull out strengths) and am very happy with them. YMMV.

A mate was awfully proud of his 10x20x4.9 until my partners dad built a 18x36x4.9. It's got a 3m eve down one 36m side that covers more area than my shed

And yes they are both full....

If people want to get into a shed- they will. Even easier than breaking in through a window is the hex head attachment on a screwdriver. Just back the teks out and peel the sheet back. The fact is metal clad sheds are simply cover, and nothing valuable should be stored inside without significant further security.

Lining them is one way to give your shed a bit more security but again most rollerdoors can be opened with a screwdriver or a bump key so unless you bolt down whatever is valuable inside it will walk.

Skylights are terrible heat creators and insulation destroyers. If you MUST have them, use a silver pearl or the most heat restricive you can find.

Originally Posted by banjoping

If people want to get into a shed- they will. Even easier than breaking in through a window is the hex head attachment on a screwdriver. Just back the teks out and peel the sheet back. The fact is metal clad sheds are simply cover, and nothing valuable should be stored inside without significant further security.

Lining them is one way to give your shed a bit more security but again most rollerdoors can be opened with a screwdriver or a bump key so unless you bolt down whatever is valuable inside it will walk.

Bolting and chaining things down is one thing but don't forget to hide tools like your angle grinders and bolt cutters

Unfortunately lining is no obstacle if it's just rockwool bats and gyprock. I now really wish I had done all of my insides with the miniorb instead of half miniorb and half gyprock.

One thing I learned a long time ago is to lock the door of anything so it cannot be from either side.

That's true but it takes longer to unscrew a panel than it does to snap one of those aluminum casement windows open. As I said it also invites prying eyes.

It is easy to be wise at a distance. I suppose if I'd had it chained up and they brought bolt cutters then it would still be my fault for being so stupid not to have a guard dog.

If our police could be bothered chasing theft instead of just raising taxes and the courts put the mongrels in jail instead of feeling sorry for their hard lives then maybe that would have saved my bike also.