I purchased a 10x14 shed based on a friend's recommendation. I went to the sales lot, and the models looked pretty good, so I ordered a prebuilt unit.
It was supposed to take about 2 1/2 weeks. When I called weeks later to schedule delivery, I was informed that it would be almost 3 weeks from that date. Also, due to the roof pitch, it could not be prebuilt, but would have to be built on site. Salesman's fault, but he was really nice and helpful, so OK.
The crew they sent was from Cincinnati, and had apparently just barely completed training, and were definitely not carpenters. They were supposed to be there between 10 and 1, and would call when leaving the previous job. They showed up around 3:30. While unloading the pieces, I noticed the little window in one of the doors was damaged, but they shipped it anyway.
The site had been prepped with gravel inside a border so the runners are set back about 5" front and back. They started building it with the runners flush, not realizing it would not fit. Apparently, their training only shows them a particular way, and they did not know how to adapt. I tried to explain it to them, but they still did not quite get it. After much back and forth, they finally called the factory and somebody managed to get through to them. They tore it all apart and started over. They did not understand why I did not want them to reuse the 2 boards with all the holes in them. After leveling the runners, the guy tossed the level aside (this is pertinent later) and started nailing the floor boards. They were warped enough to require a jack to pull them straight before nailing (also pertinent later).
The walls went up either without using a level, or the level was out of whack from sailing through the air. I did not notice until the unit was almost done, that they have switched the left and right end walls. It only matters because of the spacing of the studs. They are closer together at one end in case you put a shelf across the back wall. I pointed this out for future builds, but again, it was as though I was speaking a foreign language.
The two shelves I did get were put up (without a level) and with many nails missing the studs. I had to go back later and put more nails in to make sure the shelves did not collapse.
The rest of the build went mostly without incident. The roof decking is pretty thin, but the rafters are 16" on center. Still, I would like a little more support for 250 pound dimensional shingles.
The fascia boards are too narrow. They do not sit flush with the sloping rake, and there is a 3/4" gap at the top. Apparently, they think drip edge will cover that. They split one board nailing it up.
Since I am having the house reroofed , I was just going to have them felt it until I got it shingled. They left without doing that, so my roofer swung by and covered the whole deck with ice and water shield (and drip edge). I told the crew to just take the $42 felt amount off the bill. Didn't happen.
I did not get invoiced until the window was replaced, which was almost more stressful than the original build. The service tech said I would be his last call of the day (late afternoon) and he would call first. I got home at 1 pm and he was waiting in the driveway. Not late afternoon, and no phone call.
The whole door has to be disassembled, which he did on the dirty ground. So, now the door is marked up and I am picking grass from between boards. Reassembly did not go well as screws do not like to go back in used holes. There is now a gap in the upper left corner where the 3 layers do not lie flat together.
The tech said the doors were not hung properly and proceeded to 'adjust' them. The hinges are not adjustable, so this consists of removing the screws, moving the hinge, and driving the screws at an angle to find new wood (and hope it does not collapse into the adjacent hole). He did this 3 times on both doors, so now they are swiss-cheesed and missing much of the black paint. The latch still does not line up well, but I wanted some wood left! I hope they hold up.
I put a level on the doorway, and then several other locations, and it is about 3/4 to 1" out of plumb. I thought my level was bad so I checked it on the garage wall and door frame, and they read plumb.
My biggest concern is the floor. The unit not even a month old, and there are gaps where the tongue and groove boards are shrinking or pulling apart. One gap is almost to the edge of the tongue (about 3/8"). If the tongue pulls out over the winter and swells next spring, something will split if it does not go back into the groove.
Overall, it is not the same quality as the units I saw on display. I like that it is tall with a high roof pitch. I like the fact that studs and rafters are 16" on center. I do not like the roof decking, the sleazy doors, or the flimsy shelves.
Most of my problems were the installers, but this ain't Amish quality, especially for almost $6000 read more
