Roughneck shed 7' by 7'

by Kelly
(Otsego,MI, USA)

Hi John, I just finished building my Roughneck shed yesterday. I had put a great deal of thought into it but cost and time to build were key issues for me in this decision. The cost of materials and time needed to build a stick built timber shed had kept this project in the planning stage for 2 years. Menards had the Roughneck shed on sale last week and I went for it. It cost $599 plus $39 for delivery which was well worth it since it weighs 325 lbs. and is in a "pick-up bed" size package.

I read reviews that talked about the product after I bought it. I learned the floor that comes with it is hard plastic.....I had to build a treated timber foundation so that it would be stable enough that the doors would close and open properly. That added another $100 and 3 hours’ work. If you install the shed on a concrete pad the timber sub-floor isn't necessary.

My wife and I constructed the roughneck shed in about 5 hours, that included several breaks and some brief excitement when I fell from the ladder!

Before you start, anyone should read the instructions very carefully....instructions concerning lining up tabs...pushing down on roof panels when placing screws...positioning trusses to insert pins...if you don't this may not be a pleasant experience. Some of the reviews that were negative were due to this (RTFM). Reading the negative reviews helped a great deal in avoiding mistakes that were made.

I like my shed but I honestly was thinking when I unpacked it that I needed to run down to ToysRus and grab a slide and wading pool to go with it! :-)

Good value for money and time...now the landscaping!

Cheers,

Kelly


John says

Hi Kelly,

Well done on completing the fabrication of your shed. Building the shed base as accurately as possible so that the holes line up really is the key to successfully building any mass produced shed whether it is made of plastic or metal.

For those following on in your example more information can be found here on building a timber sub-floor for a small shed.

And if your preference is to go down the route of building a concrete base for your shed then details of how to go about it can be found here.

It sounds like you did a good job researching the potential pitfalls of building a pre-made shed. Searching through the one star reviews is a great way of learning from the problems that others have experienced.

Overall it sounds like a very successful project. The mass shed manufacturers do a reliable job of building sheds to create quick cheap storage. As long as you build a good level base and are aware of any pitfalls in advance then their solutions really do offer some good savings in terms of time and money.

All the best

John