Used Sheds

Posts Tagged ‘roofing’

Considering buying a shed? Stunned by the prices of new sheds? What about used sheds? You may want to consider buying one or more used sheds.

Used sheds will certainly save you money but you need to consider some other things before paying out for a used shed. I’ve put together the following thoughts to help you  avoid the pitfalls.
First off there are many different types of sheds, both in style, construction and materials. Whilst the style of the shed may simply be a matter of personal choice, the size will be determined by what and how much you want to store.

What  are you going to use your shed for? Do you  have a specific storage requirements? You can get general garden sheds, tool sheds and outdoor sheds for a variety of uses.
It’s condition and construction material are likely to be the most important factors in your decision to buy a used shed. The materials should be considered carefully and inspected thoroughly before considering a purchase. It is the condition of each that really has it’s value and any ongoing maintenance costs.

Generally there are three main material types – wooden sheds, metal sheds and plastic sheds. Lets look at these individually.

Used Wooden Sheds
Wooden sheds tend to be sturdy and are designed to last for many years. They do however need ongoing maintenance and can easily be painted,  stained or protected.  Used wooden sheds may be a very good idea. You do need to look closely at the wood and ensure it has no rot or insect infestation or damage. Check carefully where the floor meets the walls and also the ends of the apexes  or roof joints. Wooden sheds also tend to have roofing felt to protect the it from the weather so make sure that has not been neglected as rot cab quickly set in if there are leaks. Unfortunately the only way to repair rotten or worm eaten wood is to replace it. If you see those kinds of problems in your used sheds then leave them where they are.

Used Metal Sheds
Metal sheds general have two varieties, steel and aluminium and both can vary considerably in quality.  Steel sheds are generally sturdier than aluminium sheds but the gauge or thickness of the metal in both is important. Obviously the thicker the better (but of course also heavier, especially steel). You should also check for rust in the steel sheds as this is the biggest problem. Depending on whether any rust is simply surface and on what parts of the shed it can be over painted with rust resistant paint or smaller parts may be easily replaced. Some dents are to be expected and can easily be knocked out if you require a more aesthetic finish but if there is a significant amount of rust or it is deep into the structure then give it a wide berth.

Used Plastic Sheds
Plastic sheds, often referred to as vinyl sheds, are extremely hard wearing. There is very little, other than physical attack, that deteriorates the material or the construction. They are extremely resistant to water and insects, they don’t rust and are nor easily damaged. Needless to say a used plastic shed can be a very good buy. The only downside of plastic or vinyl used sheds is that they tend to suffer from color fade.
Finding used sheds can sometimes be a challenge. Try looking online for used sheds. They are often listed on Ebay or Craigslist and the like. Google search may pull up many classified ads and other  locally based sites. You will almost certainly need to buy locally as it will be difficult and expensive tyo arange shipping of a used shed. Most often they are ‘buyer collects’ and may even need to be dismantled by you as well. Actually this is an advantage as you will be familiar with the construction and  reassembly will be much easier and you will have been able to ensure that thre are no parts missing.

Used sheds will most certainly save you a lot of money, at least in the short term. However you need to ensure you checkout your impending purchase thoroughly before you buy. Later repairs and ongoing maintenance can quickly eat into the savings you make by buying used sheds.