Laurel's Adventures in Home Repair
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Tuff Shed

Tuff Shed Installation, Review, and Repairs

Installation - April 10 - 11, 2019

Repairs done by Tuff Shed - July 12, 2019  (See below in red)

Hail - April 21, 2020 - Damage and repairs  (Bottom of page)

 

When we purchased our new home in June 2018, we had set aside some money to have concrete slabs poured and to purchase a storage shed.  After waiting for no-freeze days in the Spring of 2019 we were finally able to get this job done.

Storage Shed Placement

After living in our new house for 9 months, I now had a better idea of where I wanted the concrete slabs to go.  This 9 month delay, could be seen as a blessing.  What had happened during this time period, was rain and where it pooled in our backyard. 

The rain turns a portion of our backyard into a lake during heavy downpours, right where I had wanted the storage shed to go in the southeast corner of our backyard.  If I had immediately had a storage shed installed in this corner when we moved in, it would have been a costly mistake, even with a cement foundation. 

The second option was the northeast corner, which was worse.  The southwest corner is out of the question because our septic system is there.  The only corner left in the yard, was the northwest corner of our yard.


Northeast corner of yard on Dec 26, 2018 during heavy rain. 
After the rain stops, the pond remains for a few days.
The storage shed WILL NOT go on this side of the yard.

I want this storage shed to be as far away from the house as possible because it is where flammable materials like gasoline and propane will be stored. 

So the northwest corner of the yard is where the shed will go.  The rain does pool a little in this area during downpours....but with a 5" slab of concrete and the raised bottom of the shed, the floor of the shed will not have water sitting in it after it rains.

Based on the rain we have had this past 9 months, only a couple inches of rain pools here until it moves downhill or is soaked into the ground.


Northwest corner of yard on Dec 26, 2018 during heavy rain. 
After the rain stops, this water disappears.


Northwest corner of yard on Mar 29, 2019.  Ready for cement slab.

Storage Shed Size

The type of shed I decided to get was a 12' x 16' Tuff Shed.

I needed to balance the size and price.

I needed something big enough for a riding lawn mower to be rode into AND to store the yard related junk we have.

It also had to be tall enough for my 6' 2" husband to walk into without hitting his head.


Plan for the storage shed foundation. 
May actually move the front of the shed closer to
the edge of the concrete.

A simple 12' x 16' shed was all I could afford with my budget.  The only additions I added were a 3' x 3' window, vents on 2 walls, and a 6' wide double door.  I will be painting the shed myself and creating the shelving and hanging system inside.  Solar powered barn lights will provide lighting inside.  At this time, there will be no electricity in this shed.

Storage Shed Concrete Slab Size

With my shed picked out, I could then determine the size of the concrete slab.  I decided on a slab that is one foot wider than the shed. 14' x 18'. This way if something is leaning against  the wall of the shed, it can rest on the concrete and not the ground.  This will also give us at least 3' of space between the shed and the fence.

The 252 sq ft of concrete will be 5.5" high.


Foundation forms complete. Ready for concrete.


Foundation concrete being poured


Cement slab ready for shed

After the foundation for the shed had been poured I was ready to finalize the purchase of my Tuff Shed.

Why Tuff Shed?

Tuff Sheds cost more than other options. 

There are some cheaper sheds at the big box hardware stores.  For those, the price they give you for this size, is about $1000 less.  However, you have to put it together yourself.  If I am going to do that, I might as well make it from scratch.  There are also a lot of complaints about these sheds.

You can also opt to have one of their private contractor installers do it, which will bring it up to the Tuff Shed price.

I also found some lesser known or family run custom shed businesses on the internet in this area that used to be in business. Hmmmm

If there is a warranty, I want to know that there is someone I can call...... in say 2 or 3 years.

This is why I went with Tuff Shed.  They have been around for a while and the price includes installation.  All I do is stand back, watch, and take photographs.

Making the Purchase of My Shed

I went online to configure my shed.  The website calls it "Build a Quote".

Last August 2018 I went on their website to do this.  It was a breeze to do and fun. 

When I went on the website this March 2019, the website was now very clunky to use and slow.   I could not find items and the website basically pissed me off.  I had to keep closing the website down and deleting their internet cookies and then starting over again with what I wanted, providing I could find it.  Instead of taking me an hour to do....it took me days.

Because of this website change, I added on less features than I might have. I wanted the ramp and a drip edge over the door.  I could not find these items.  I just wanted to Build My quote" and get the hell off the website asap.  I'll add a ramp and drip edge later myself.

After You Build A Quote

After you build your shed on the website and submit it, you get an e-mail confirming your quote which does not include tax or any delivery charges they might want to tack on.

You will then get a phone call from one of their sales people.

Think car salesman.  Where they tell you if you buy right now, I can take an additional....say $300....off the price, after I check with my manager.  These sales people, particularly the ones that have been around a long time, will do or say anything to make a sale.  "Check with my manager"  is bullshit.  They have the authority to make a discount without checking with anyone.

When I initially built my quote on March 21, 2019, I spoke with Keith Wells.  After a 30 minute phone call with me asking for the EXACT price of the shed with tax and delivery minus any promotional savings I finally got a price of $4649.49.  But to get this price he needed to get approval from his manager and he would call me back on Monday, March 25, 2019.  He said he could not do it sooner because he was planning for a Home & Garden show somewhere in OKC.

Keith Wells did not call me back.   I guess they did well at the Home & Garden show!

I went ahead and got my cement foundation laid, April 1-3, 2019.

I then called Keith Wells back at the OKC Tuff Shed office on April 4, 2019 and told him I was ready to purchase my shed.  He then proceeded to tell me that the price was now in the $4800.00 range.  I said whoa there..... YOU did not call me back when you said you would.  Long story short, I got the original quote.   Jeezzz.. it had only been a couple of weeks!!  I can see jacking up the price a year later, not 2 weeks later.

What I bought:

Premier Ranch 12' X 16'.  Upgrade of a 3' x 3' window, 2 vents, and a 6' double door opening.  NO PAINT.


 Premier Ranch shed I am purchasing

Installation Day
April 10, 2019

Up until yesterday, communication with Tuff Shed had been almost daily via their automation system.  Primarily automated text messages or e-mails telling me that my shed delivery is on schedule.

The e-mail I received on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 let me know that my shed would be delivered tomorrow and I would receive an e-mail with a time range and the name of the installation crew.

This e-mail never came.  Nor did I receive any phone calls!!!!!!!

At 10:45am " I " made the call to Tuff Shed in Oklahoma City and spoke with Chris to ask, when my installation would be. 

The responses I received were the basic bullshit responses you get when a company knows they fu**ed up:

-"Uh....we had some call-in's"
-"Needed to find another crew"
-"The crew will be leaving shortly and they will give you a call when they are on their way"

According to the crew of Robert and Morgan, out of Shawnee, OK they did not receive the call for the installation job until 11:00 am.

They did not call me on April 10, 2019 until 2:00 pm.  This was the first phone call I received from this crew.  What was going on between 11:00 am - 2:00 pm?  Who the hell knows.  Probably a lot of scrambling and the covering of asses.

The crew did not actually show-up until 3:00 pm.  A whole day wasted, waiting for the Tuff Shed crew to show-up.  I already had a feeling that the installation would not be completed today.

Oh... and I had came down with a cold the day before.  So I was sick as a dog.  This is the time I should have been laying down and resting my body so it could battle the virus.  But no....I needed to be up and ready to go when the crew finally showed up.  If I knew they were coming this late, I would have stayed in bed resting until at least 2:00 pm.


Shed in pieces on the back of the installer's trailer when they finally arrived at 3:00 pm

Installation

The first thing that was put together was the 2″x 6″ hot-dipped galvanized steel floor joists on top of the cement slab.  Tuff Shed uses these instead of pressure treated dimensional lumber.

The one thing I changed about the placement of the shed was to move it forward on the cement slab so only 3" of the slab showed in the front.  This makes the cement ledge in the back wider, which is fine.


2″x 6″ hot-dipped galvanized steel floor joists being installed on top of the cement slab.

After the floor joists were screwed together, they placed cement bricks under the joists to raise them off the cement.  Wood wedges were also used to level the floor joists.

They then installed the floor boards which is nothing more than particle board.  I would have preferred 3/4" plywood.


Floor joists assembled and leveled with bricks and wood wedges


Floor boards attached to  floor joists

The walls had been pre-assembled at the factory.  So they lifted them in place and attached them to the floor and then to the other walls.  This assembly stage was not easy for them to do because of the winds we always have at this house.  They needed to brace the edge of these walls because of this wind.

What they should have done is move all of the walls to the worksite from the truck first.  They kept going back and forth from the truck to the corner of the yard with a wall and installing it before going back to the truck again to get another wall.  I did not allow them to drive on the grass because of the damage the cement truck had done.


Two walls up


All four walls up


Roof rafters up


Roof trim on.  Adding the roof.


Doors going on


Shingles going on

Needless to say, they did not finish the installation by 8:00 pm.  It got too dark to work.  There are no street lights where our house is.  Without the moon, it is pitch black outside.

Before they left, I asked what time they would be here tomorrow to finish the work.  Robert told me 7:00 am.  I remarked about how early that was.  They assured me they would be here at 7:00 am.
Installation continued
April 11, 2019
7:00 am came and went with no installers.  At 9:00 am I called Tuff Shed to ask where the crew was.  Chris at the Oklahoma City Tuff Shed said he would call the team to find out where they were.  One hour later, I received a call from Chris telling me that the installation team would call me.

Robert called a few hours later telling me they were on the way and that he had truck problems early in the morning.  More bullshit!  If he had problems with his vehicle in the morning, he should have called. 

They did not show up until 5:00 pm!!!!!

Another day wasted waiting.  Oh and I was feeling sicker than the day before.

By the time the installers finished, it was dark again. 

A lot of time was spent on the double doors.  They had a hard time getting them even and closing properly.  The door on the right side, with the handle, was not closing flush with the door on the left.  They repositioned the screws about 4 times. I know this because I was watching them and I had to fill all these holes before I did the painting.

The Survey I DID NOT fill out

When they were done with the installation, Robert asked if I would fill out a survey on his phone.  Tuff Shed sends a survey to their installer's phone using DocuSign.  He wanted me to fill out the survey on his phone standing outside in the dark.

Bullshit!  What kind of scam is this????  If Tuff Shed really wants survey answers that reflect the actual work done, they don't ask you to fill it out on their installer's cell phone where they know what your answers are.  Also, they should not be doing this on a phone, because the type is too small for most folks to read.  Additionally, after the install is the worse time for a survey because most customers just want the installers to g-o  a-w-a-y after spending hours disrupting their lives.  I had dogs that needed to use the bathroom after holding it for hours.

I told Robert I would not being filling out any survey on his phone because I would not be able to read it.  I told him to tell Tuff Shed to e-mail the survey to me instead.

The next day I received an e-mail, but it was not the survey.  It was the original documents I signed when I bought the shed.  I tried phoning Tuff-Shed.  It kept going to voice mail.  I suspect they were ignoring my calls which are easy to spot on caller ID because I have an out-of-state area code.

I then sent an e-mail to the dimwit in their office that sent the wrong document, asking where the survey was and where is a copy of my warranty.  They sent both the survey and warranty to me via DocuSign.  I was unable to fill out the survey.  The document said this was done already.  Again, bullshit.  I did not fill out the survey or sign anything saying the installation was complete.

Since Tuff Shed obviously does not care about my experience with their product.....this web page will be around for many, many years instead.....with the good, the bad, and the ugly. 
The Tuff Shed Warranty

Tuff-Shed has a standard 7 year warranty on materials and workmanship for the Premier Series.
All of their warranties are on this web page:   https://www.tuffshed.com/warranty/

I did not see this warranty until after the shed was installed.  The warranty was supposed to be in the original contract documents.  After reviewing the documents several times after the installation, I realized that the warranty was NOT with the original documents. 

Whoever reads this, learn from my mistake.  Make sure the warranty is with your purchase contract when they e-mail it to you and read it. 

What I wish they had told me prior to finalizing my order, was the painting of the exterior.  According to the warranty:

"In order for this warranty to be valid, all exposed surfaces must be painted within ninety-days (90) of installation, repainted every five years thereafter (proof of paint purchase required) and properly maintained."

When I ordered the no paint option, the Tuff Shed website did not let me know that I would need to paint the shed within 90 days or my 7 year warranty would be void.  Nor did the salesman say anything about this.   Yes, I know.  The warranty is right there on their website where I could have read it.  It would have been nice to have been reminded of this.

Why don't they remind you about the 90 days when you place your non-paint order?????

   1) If the shed does not have to be painted, the product moves faster from the factory
        to the consumer's build site.  More profit and less work for Tuff Shed.  If they mention
        the 90 days and a void warranty, many folks may switch to the painted option.

   2)  They don't tell you about the 90 days because they want you to NOT paint it. 
       Al least half of the population will not get around to painting their shed within
       90 days.  They are either too lazy or more important stuff comes up.
       Then.....surprise!!!!.....Your warranty is void.

When I ordered my shed, I ordered the no paint option because I wanted to paint the shed myself.  In fact, I had already purchased the paint primer for the shed prior to April 10, 2019 to take advantage of a sale at Sherwin Williams.  And yes, I have the receipt.

I wanted to paint the shed myself because I knew that I would do a better job than Tuff Shed.  I am pretty sure their paint job would involve a single thick coat of a water based paint, sprayed on each of the assembled pieces.  No caulk on seams. Nail holes not filled. No primer.

As of April 28, 2019 my Tuff Shed has been caulked, painted with an oil-based primer, and then painted the final color with Duration by Sherwin Williams.  My shed was painted within 30 days.  Receipts have been placed in a file.  Therefore, my warranty will not be void if there is a problem in the next 7 years.


Window wall nail holes filled and seams caulked

There is good reason why your Tuff Shed needs to be painted within 90 days.

There are hundreds of nail holes.

I have used this type of siding before.  It is a good product.  Even without paint, there is a finish on it which acts as a primer.  Without paint this siding will last a long time......

UNLESS.....the finish has been disturbed in one way or another.  Nails and dings will break the surface.  Water will get into these breaks and start the deterioration process.

Most of the nails in the siding were countersunk.  Which means water will sit in each hole every time it rains.

Before painting, I filled each of these holes.  I also caulked every seam I could find.
 


Back wall nail holes filled and seams caulked

The primer that I used was Sherwin Williams Exterior Oil-Based Wood Primer.

I have a love / hate relationship with this paint. 

I hate it because it is thick and messy and hard to brush on.

I love it because it is a bad ass paint that really protects your wood or siding.  This will protect your outdoor surface longer than a water-based product.

This is your grandpa's paint .....minus the lead.
 


Sherwin Williams Exterior Oil-Based Wood Primer


Side wall nail holes filled and seams caulked


Front of shed nail holes filled and seams caulked


Window wall primed.  Two empty paint cans hanging along fence drying out before I toss them.

The primer, fresh out of the can, is white.  I had the store clerk add some black to the primer to give me a gray. 

He was overzealous with the black so the gray was darker than I liked.  It would be covered anyways, so it really did not matter.

After the shed was painted with the primer, I waited a few days for it to dry.  There was a rain day in-between while this was drying, which does not effect the paint after 24 hours.

Painting also included the underside of the siding on the bottom and the visible steel joists of the foundation.

Sherwin Williams was having another sale at 40% off so I went to purchase the final coat of paint for the shed.


Back wall primed.

The color orange I selected is based on the bricks of my house.  With a bunch of paint chips, I selected the lightest orange in our house bricks, SW 0040 Roycroft Adobe.  I used Sherwin Williams Exterior Duration brand in a satin finish.

The trim color is SW 7038 Tony Taupe.  This is the same color as the trim on our house.  There was about a gallon of this paint left by the contractor when we bought the house, so I am using this up.

For the duration of the painting, I used masking tape on the roof drip edge, hinges, door handle, and window.

The black wire fencing around the entire shed is temporary until all of the painting is done.  This is because of the dogs.  Even though all of our male dogs are neutered, they still pee on any surface that is vertical.
 


Side wall primed


Front of shed primed


 Shed painted with Sherwin Williams Roycroft Adobe and Tony Taupe trim. 
Solar porch lights added to the front.  Temporary steps added.

One thing I discovered as soon as I started to work on the shed, the doors needed to be secured open when not fully closed.

The wind is too strong most of the time.  If the wind blew a door onto me or my husband it could possibly cause injury.

Also, the door with the handle blows hard onto the siding when the wind catches it.

To cushion the handle, I screwed on a rubber furniture floor protector.

To hold the doors open I used a couple of large screw in eyes and a large carabiner for each of the doors.

A hook and eye also would have worked but I could not find a large heavy duty set.  The winds are too strong for a small hook and eye.


Furniture floor protector to cushion door handle and two screw
in eyes plus a carabiner to hold door open

During the month of May 2019 I worked on the inside of the shed painting it and building shelves and hanging spaces.

The floor was painted with an oil-based primer.

 The final coat of paint on the floor was an enamel oil paint for metal.  I wanted a shiny durable floor to make it easier to sweep and clean.


2 x 6" nailed on window wall for hanging


Heavy equipment hangers made against the long wall.  Small work bench made.
Hurricane ties added to the rafters where they meet the walls.


Shelving built against short non-window wall with 3/4" plywood and 2 x 4's.


Solar shed light was installed.  Light works day or night by pulling the string

Problems With My Tuff Shed or Things I Just Don't Like
Repairs done by Tuff Shed July 19, 2019

During the end of June 2019 someone in California (as the story goes), came across this web page.  The link for the web page was transferred to a Tuff Shed corporate office and then the General Manager of the Oklahoma City Tuff Shed was contacted and yelled at.

See what happens when they don't let you fill out a review?  The review gets posted someplace out of their control and all of a sudden heads are spinning.

I was then contacted via telephone by Scott Valdez,  the General Manager of the Oklahoma City Tuff Shed. I have to give credit where credit is due.....  Scott bent over backwards to make me happy and try to fix everything that was wrong with the shed. 

After the initial phone call, Scott drove down from OKC to see my Tuff Shed in person.  I went over everything with him that was wrong with the shed and the problems I had with the installers (arriving late in the day, etc)  He also brought with him some 4 foot long ramps to try out on my shed.

In about a week, he contacted me to schedule the day that his warranty man, Will, would come out to my shed and fix all of the problems.

For each of the items I had a problem with, I have addressed the Tuff Shed repair solution below in RED....


1)  Door Latch

The one thing that took the longest on this installation, were the doors.  When they were installing the doors the right side was not closing flush to the left side.  The problem with this over time is that the rain and sun will continue to hit this edge.  Causing it to swell up and shrink over time and be the first part of the door siding to fail.  I pointed this out to the installers. 

Trying to fix this involved them attaching and removing the door at least four times.  My husband and I watched with great amusement as the installers tried to figure out the problem with this door.  I had made it clear that they would not be able to leave until this problem was resolved. 

Their ultimate solution to the right door closing flush to the left door was to install the strike plate or the door latch catch to the farthest extreme of the left door.  If you pull really hard on the door or slam it really hard, it will "just" catch on the door latch and hold it closed.  Sorry, not good enough!!!!

I let the idiot installers leave.  They were not able to correctly solve the issue. I would figure it out and fix the latch.


Door latch barely caught on the strike plate/ridge.  Had to move the strike plate/ridge to the
left on the edge so the door would close.

Sure enough..... the first rain we had 2 days later swelled the siding up enough that the latch would not connect on the strike plate/ridge.  The door could not be closed.  So after having to find a star drill bit for the screws, I removed the strike plate/ridge and moved it about 1/8" to the left. 

Now the door closed easily without slamming it or pushing hard on it.  However, the right side was not flush with the left.  This is when I looked up and down the edge of the left door.  That is when I found the reason for the door not closing.

On the left door are the two spring loaded pole catches.  One at the top and one at the bottom.  To attach them to the door are two long screws.  Screws that are so long, they slightly protrude to the other side of the doors ledge........keeping the right door side from closing flush to the left side.  Mystery solved!!


Top of the left door along edge Screw tips that keep the
right side of the door from closing all of the way.
  After painting.  They were more noticeable without the paint


Inside of left door with spring
pole bolts

TUFF SHED REPAIR - Will, from Tuff Shed, informed me that the top spring bolt should have been installed more to the right on the inside of the door.  This way the screws would not have protruded through the edge of the door.  Other than the screws protruding out, the bolt works fine where it is.  To fix the screw problem, Will took out the screws and cut off the tip about 1/4" of an inch and screwed them back in.  He did not have shorter screws.  This hack works!

As for the door latch, it is supposed to have some "spring" to it.  There is a screw that tightens the spring action of the handle making it easier to operate.  In my shed's case the handle was tightened too much.  Will loosened the screw and the handle now operates like it should.
2)  Single 2 x 4's on Corners - Tuff Shed Does Not Use Double 2 x 4's on Corners

I have been building closets and sheds for a number of years now (See any of the following:  El Paso Storage Shed, El Paso Garage Closet, and Oklahoma Garage Closet )  I always use double 2 x 4 construction on free-standing corners (corners that are not against a wall)  In some cases, I just use the double 2 x 4's because it makes for a sturdier structure.

Tuff Shed does not use double 2 x 4's in the corners.  There is only one 2 x 4 in all of the corners.  Hmmm.... at a price of only $2 for a 2 x 4, they could have done better.

TUFF SHED REPAIR - No repair done.  This is how they make their sheds. 

Of note, the basic framing of my shed has been reinforced on one side with the sturdy 2 x 4 and plywood shelves on the non-window side of the shed.  The entire shelf structure I designed is strong and can hold a lot of weight including a 200 lb adult climbing on it.

The 2 x 6 pieces of wood nailed between the framing for the hanging system I designed, also reinforces the basic framing.


Inside of the shed along the west wall.  Only a single 2 x 4 in each corner. The siding Tuff Shed uses is radiant barrier siding and roof decking. Which is simply siding and decking with a foil coating.  Whether this will actually keep the shed warmer or cooler with the presence of open vents will be tested in the months to come.

I guess Tuff Shed figures that the two pieces of 1 x 4  trim they attached outside on the corners replaces the need for 2 x 4's on the inside.

When I build my shelves and hanging system inside of the shed, I will beef-up the corners with 2 x 4's.

If there is a storm or tornado, I want to give the shed a chance to remain standing.

3) No Rafter Brackets

I will also need to purchase rafter brackets / ties.

The only thing holding the roof rafters on the shed are the nails at the top of the walls.

Again, I am worried about a strong storm.

 


1 x 4 trim pieces added on the outside corners of shed

TUFF SHED REPAIR - None.   Not included with Tuff Shed.  However, a shed owner can buy these rafter brackets or hurricane ties cheaply for $2-3 and install them in about 30 minutes or less.
4) Attaching Trim to Walls ON TOP of Air Vent

Really?  I mean.......really?  What the hell!!  Who does this???  Tuff Shed!  I went to remove the vents prior to painting and discovered this. 

In order to change these vent covers in the future, I will have to pry off the trim first.

There are narrower vent covers on the market that Tuff Shed could have used.  I needed to mask the vent before painting instead of removing it. 

I will cross my fingers and hope that the cover does not become damaged in the future so I do not have to replace it.

** 2020 - Hail update at the bottom of this page regarding these air vent covers

TUFF SHED REPAIR - None. At my request.  Why?  Because to fix this problem would mean removing all of the trim.  Remember the caulking, the paint primer, and then the final paint that went onto the exterior of this shed?  I told Scott that I did not want this fixed because of the work I would have to do on these areas caulking and repainting it after they fixed it.

He did agree that something was not right about this and the trim should not have been placed on top of the vent edges.  He commented about some type of computer design problem.  However, come on.......if all of the sheds are like this, someone should have noticed this before.


Trim placed over aluminum vent cover

5) Unsightly Bottom of Shed as a Result of Leveling with Cement Blocks and Shims

I will mention this before I begin......Tuff Shed does point-out the unsightly shimming of the shed that will be very visible when they level the shed.  Yes, it is very ugly.  The shims that are on the edge will weather and fail eventually from rain and sun exposure.

In Tuff Shed's "What to Expect" document (see this document here...), which they send you when you purchase your shed, they provide pictures of this.  They inform you to consider the appearance. 

Not until the 4th page of this document do they mention that skirting is available.  However, this skirting is made from the same siding they use on the shed, which will rot if it is sitting in water at the base of a shed.   The skirting will also seal-up any ventilation you have under the shed.

You want ventilation under the shed to prevent any type of moisture build-up.


Shims and cement blocks used to level shed

My shed needed very little leveling.  There was a little more leveling needed at the back and center of the cement slab.  After it rained, I had noticed this low spot before the shed was installed.  A difference of about a 1/2".

While painting the shed, I painted the floor joists at the bottom.  I figured they were steel.  Therefore, they would eventually rust.  Paint would provide some protection.

BUT.......I need to cover-up the big gap at the bottom of the shed.  Cover it up.....NOT seal it up.

I needed to find something to cover this area but have holes to allow the air in.  I needed something with small holes.  There are two creatures I need to keep away from underneath the shed........

Snakes and toads / frogs. 

There are poisonous snakes mixed in with the non-poisonous snakes in this area.  I don't want either living under the shed ready to bite me or the dogs. 
 
Toads and/or frogs leave stinky poo and drive the dogs crazy.  Don't need the stinky poo or dogs tearing up the shed trying to get to a damn frog.  Keeping the critters out, is the name of the game.

The covering also needs to be weather proof.  So wood or steel screens, are a no.

And did I mention inexpensive?

I settled on these 3' x 3' aluminum sheets from M-D Building Products.  There are other patterns, smaller sizes, and colors of these aluminum sheets.  I settled on the the 3' x 3' because it was cheaper per square inch.  I liked the Lincane Pattern because it was a smaller pattern than the others.  I went with the Venetian bronze color..... just because I liked it.


MD Building Products 57015 3-Feet by 3-Feet Venetian Bronze Lincane Aluminum Sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Building-Products-57015-Venetian-Aluminum/dp/B005GSOHA0

The plan is to cut the aluminum sheets into 6" wide strips 3' long.  To cover-up the bottom of this shed I will need 16' + 12' + 12' + (12' - 6' door ramp) = 50 linear feet.  Each sheet will give me 6, 3 foot strips for a total of 18 feet.  So I will need 3 sheets of the 3' x 3' for a total of 48 linear feet.

At the time of my purchase both Amazon and Home Depot had this product for the same price of  $32.98 for one sheet.  Shipping was free on both  web sites.  I went with Amazon because they ship faster. 

The height of this space between the bottom of the siding walls and the concrete is 7.5" - 8.25".
So I needed a top and bottom frame to support the 6" wide strip of aluminum sheeting.

I thought of pvc lattice.  But it would need to be made narrower and painted.  I also thought of aluminum bars, but they were costly. 

While walking around Lowes I came across some plastic patio screen connector caps for $3.66.  Which was cheaper than any wood, pvc, aluminum, 8 foot long object in the store.
 


Screen Tight Vinyl Frame Connector

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Screen-Tight-Vinyl-Frame-Connector/3024741


Glue aluminum sheet to ridged / back side of plastic


Installed bottom of shed ventilated gap cover

TUFF SHED REPAIR - None.   Scott showed me some plugs he had for the holes in the metal which does nothing to address the ugly shims and the gap that allows critters to get in underneath the shed. 

After all of the work that I put into installing the shed bottom cover, nothing Tuff Shed could offer would replace it. 
6) Really Difficult to Install a Ramp

The only reason I added the double door 6 foot wide option was to store a riding lawn mower, that can be ridden INTO the shed on a ramp.

I looked for a ramp option on the Tuff Shed website, and could not find it.

The doors are installed hanging below the front edge of the shed floor.  So if you build a ramp to the lower edge of the door, there is still a 3" ledge a wheel would have to go over.  Too high to ride up.  Manageable, but bumpy going down causing damage to the edge over time.

There are the 2 metal removable ramps I could buy, but I want a permanent ramp.  I am still working on a permanent solution for this.

The other option is to remove both doors.  Remove the bottom hinges.  Remove the bottom trim.  Cut off the bottom of both doors.  Reinstall the the bottom trim.  Reattach bottom hinges.  Re-hang the doors.  May sound simple.  But this is a lot of work.

In the mean time, I created some temporary steps leading up to the shed entrance with some landscaping blocks I had on-hand.  With a 11" drop,  I kept tearing my inner thigh muscles stepping in and out of this shed carrying things.

When I install the ramp, I will update this section of the page.

TUFF SHED REPAIR - There are two lengths of ramps that Tuff Shed offers.  Neither of which I could find on the web site when I was purchasing my shed.  4 feet and 6 feet. 

When Scott Valdez initially visited my Tuff Shed he brought the 4 foot ramps.  For my shed, 4 feet is not long enough because of the height.  The shed was installed on top of concrete.  Which means, it is higher than the ground installed sheds.  What happens with the 4 foot ramp is that the bottom of the riding mower bottoms out when it hits the top of the ramp.  Scrapping the bottom of the mower and door threshold. 

For my shed, the 6 foot ramps work better.  When Will worked on my shed, he brought the 6 foot length ramps pictured below.

 


 6 foot removable ramps provided by Tuff Shed.  The ramps hook onto the edge
of the shed on a modified L shaped threshold that hangs over the edge of
the door threshold.  When not in use, the ramps can be removed or hooked
onto the lower ledge of the threshold.  When the ramp needs to be level with
edge, you pick up the ramp and move it to the upper ledge.


To install the ramp, Scott needed to remove the original door threshold and then install the ramp threshold.  The ramp door threshold has an extra row below the top of the threshold.  This row has a ridge that the ramps hook onto when not in use.  When you want the ramp edges to be level with the shed floor, you move the edge of the ramp up to the top edge. 

This ramp system is patent pending with Tuff Shed so you may not be able to purchase it elsewhere.
 


Ramp sitting on lower ledge of threshold


Ramp on left moved to upper ledge of threshold

What I like about this ramp system:

1)  Is that it works with the existing doors. 

What I don't like:

1) Is that the ramps are heavy for me and hard to move up and down with bad hips and back.

2) Is that you have to keep moving them up and down every time we remove the lawn mower.  My husband is now again leaving the mower out of the shed because it is a hassle to move the ramps up and down every week he mows the lawn in the summer.  You have to keep moving them up and down because the doors will not close with the ramp on the upper ledge.

I would prefer a ramp that is permanent and does not have to moved up and down all of the time to accommodate the doors.  Better to design a door that does not hang down so low below the opening.
 

7) Window not set level into the opening which causes it to leak when it rains
 
After we had some heavy rain, I wondered where some water on the shed floor was coming from.  It ends up that it was coming from the window. 

After looking closely at the window, I realized that the top portion of the right side (the side that opens and closes) was tilted to the left, leaving a slight gap in the upper right corner of the window.  Letting the rain in. 

To temporarily fix this problem, I put a couple of pieces of folded cardboard at the top edge to level it out.  No more water, but the cardboard looks tacky.


Folded cardboard wedged into top left
edge to level sliding portion of window


It is hard to see in the photograph but the top of the right
side of the window tilts to the left at the center of the
 window. This leaves a slight gap on the upper
right side of the window.  The rain come in the window
 in the gap in the upper right corner.

TUFF SHED REPAIR - The window pictured above is warped.  Manufacturer defect or it was stored too long in a hot warehouse.

Will from Tuff Shed took out the warped window and installed a new window.  This window is now straight.  He also centered it in the window frame better than the initial installers did. 

The only problem with replacing the window, is that all new trim material was used around the window on the outside.  I will now have to paint this area with primer and the final paint colors again.  I will have to wait until the temperatures drop a little to do this because 90 degree temperatures can screw-up a paint job real quick because the paint dries on the brush before you can get it to the surface.
 
Hail - April 21, 2020 - Damage and Repairs 
On Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at approximately 9:25 pm our new home was hit bad with large hail the size of tennis and baseballs. Inside of the house, all we could do was hope that one of the pieces of hail would not come crashing through the roof.  The hail storm lasted for at least 10 minutes and caused significant damage throughout the area. 

The end result of the hail storm on our property,  was a destroyed 2 year old roof, heavily damaged 10 month old gutters, 3 windows, and damage to the top of our air conditioner.  Our cars??  Nothing, because we park them in our garage.


Hail the size of tennis and baseballs on April 21, 2020

But what about our Tuff Shed?  How did it fair?

I expected at least a few dents on the west side of the shed.  On close inspection the next morning, I could not find a single dent or chipped paint in the siding. Like I mentioned above, when I talk about painting and the siding, the siding is a good product and will last decades if cared for properly.  My paint job probably helped.

The roofing however, needed to be replaced, like the house.

The air vent cover did NOT fair as well. 


Damaged air vent cover on west side of shed after hail storm April 21, 2020

At this point, I will discuss the vent covers that Tuff Shed uses on the outside of their sheds. 

These particular vent covers are actually soffit vent covers that sell for about $2 and are made of light-weight aluminum. I know this because I installed about 50 of these on our old house. 

I repeat, they are soffit vents, meant to be used upside down over a soffit vent, underneath the soffit.  Which means, unless a piece of hail hits the ground and bounces up 8 feet or more underneath your soffit, these soffit vent covers do not see much action.  Stick them on the outside of your house during a hail storm, they will get shredded.

After looking online for louvered vent covers made out of a more durable material than aluminum, I settled for some steel (not aluminum) registers that are actually meant for the inside of a house. About $10. They are a whole lot stronger than the soffit vent covers.  However, because they are steel, they will rust.
To prolong the inevitable from happening, I spray painted the new vent cover with some rust brown colored paint that I had on-hand before installing it.

I also placed some screen over the opening before installing the register.  AND because this register was not designed to keep water out, I added a piece of flashing over the top of the register to help divert rain water.


Steel register spray painted brown.  Installed over screen covering hole.  A piece of flashing over register to help divert rain water.

Page last updated August 25, 2020

https://laurellynn.com/KidsZone/

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