Not your father's storage
When our fathers needed a storage shed to stow the lawn mower, they'd head to Montgomery Ward, Handy Andy or another now-defunct retailer and buy a boxy metal building.
Years later, the shed would be streaked and spotted with rust and abandoned in the tall grass at bottom of the backyard.
Let's just say that, today, what is being manufactured and sold aren't your father's storage sheds.
“Nowadays a lot of people are looking for something more durable,” said Cody Stephenson, manager of the Agway, 500 Evans City Road, which sells a wide variety of outdoor storage sheds. “They put it on site once, and it will last 30 to 40 years.”
Stephenson said customers can choose from the models on display at the store, but most opt to customize a shed to their specifications.
“The ones we carry here are all wooden sheds,” Stephenson said. “Metal roofing is the standard option. You can customize them in a wide variety of ways. You can have a 6-by-8-foot shed up to a 14-by-30-foot shed.”
The buyer can choose from door types — from standard double-open doors to garage doors — to roof styles, including minibars, slant roof, Dutch barn or standard workshop peaked. Walls can be up to 7-feet, 6-inches high. Windows can be added.
Buyers can choose different colors for the sheds' wooden siding and the metal roofs.“You can choose them to match the decor of your home,” he said.Once all the specifications and options have been decided, the plans are turned over to teams of Amish craftsmen who will build the shed.Lead time for a completed shed used to be two to three weeks.But Stephenson said, “It's four to five weeks for a custom-order right now because of the shortage of building materials getting in.”Once done, the shed will be delivered on a specialized trailer equipped with a second set of axles to make it more maneuverable. The trailer has a roller-and-push system that can deposit the structure in five minutes.“If the site's prepared, we can be in and out in five minutes' time, not counting a walk-through with the customer,” said Stephenson.The sheds require a flat piece of land and a stone base.The sheds come with four runners to keep them off the ground, which provides ventilation and prevents the shed from becoming damp.Of course, site preparation is the responsibility of the owners.
Another thing the shed buyers are responsible for is ensuring the sheds conform with local building ordinances and homeowners association rules.Township, municipality and homeowners associations have a bewildering variety of rules concerning heights and sizes of outbuildings. A trip to the city, township or borough office might prevent a visit from the code officer later.Once the legalities are satisfied and the shed is in place, there's very little left to be done.“These sheds are designed to be low-maintenance,” Stephenson said. “There is a 40-year guarantee on the roof, and the wooden siding is called smartboard siding. The only time to paint it is if people decide to change the color.”And the sheds are used for a lot more than keeping the gas cans and the weed whacker out of the rain.Sheds are used to store utility vehicles and pool supplies.
“The new trend is the 'she shed,'” Stephenson said. “When they create a she shed, they can be really personalized. They can have power and lights and a refrigerator. They can really be lived in.”Customers thinking about a shed are evenly divided between men and women.Often one person will make the original inquiry and then bring the significant other in for the decision on colors and final details.“A lot of times it's the families making the final decisions,” he said.Whatever the style, size or options, Stephenson said the outdoor sheds he sells are a quality product.“They are Amish-built and very heavy-duty,” he said.
