The best way I can think of getting stuff out of the basement? Build a shed.
(Yeah, I hear you people, up there in the cheap seats, saying that throwing stuff away is another viable option, but I’m not tossing our whippersnipper or wheelbarrow. Stop being silly, now.)
We’ve been tripping over stuff in the basement for a long time (at least 5 years), and decided this was the year for a shed. We aren’t high-falutin’ fancy types, so we nixed the idea of electricity or windows. To make the process as easy as possible, we decided on a shed kit.
Shed kit requirements
Our basic must-haves for the kit were:
- Finished, weather-proof outside walls and roof
- Lockable doors
- Secure construction
- ALL the parts required to build it
Shed kit contents
The kit we chose had most of these things. It included:
- Pre-built frames for the sides and roof
- Pre-finished panels for the outside walls
- Tongue-and-groove OSB floor panels
- Additional OSB roof panels
- Trim boards for the doors and sides
- 4 packs of shingles
- Door hardware (hinges and clasp; not pictured)
- Several boxes of nails and screws to put it all together (also not pictured)
Technically, the kit is fully functional as is. However, there are some small extras required to make it better.
Additional items
Since we don’t want to repeat this process in a year or so, we planned for some additional items to bump up the shed’s lifespan a bit:
- Ridge cap: allows improved air flow via the roof to reduce moisture build-up, especially on the internal OSB panels
- Tar paper: nice-to-have under the shingles for an additional layer of protection (we get so much damn snow, I’m not taking any chances of leaking)
- Padlock: a key is a safer bet, and we opted for a harder-to-cut version that also has some weather proofing (see above comment re: snow)
- White paint: a finishing touch on the trim pieces rather than the bleached-out grey the wood will eventually acquire from no protection
Shed kit delivery
We opted for the hardware store to deliver the kit, especially since the pre-built frames are, well, pre-built. As per the picture above, the frames are 8 feet wide and 8ish feet tall (we didn’t measure because we don’t bump our heads, so we don’t care). As a point of reference, it was delivered on a flat-bed truck. Not sure our Mazdas could have accommodated that.
Avengers Shed kit assemble
Neither of us have built a shed from a kit, so this is a new adventure. However, I am eager to get that junk important stuff out of the basement, so I’m ready to git’er done. Stay tuned for our progress!
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