Storage Sheds: Metal Storage Buildings

Metal buildings as storage sheds have been used for a very long time. One of the most familiar forms that most of us would recognize is the WWII version of the Quonset huts we have all seen in the movies. A good number of veterans would also recognized said hut as a temporary housing unit or hangers for air craft.

One of the hangers where I stored my 1947 Stinson Voyager was a metal Quonset hut. (The plane was used when I bought it in 1964 but it was new to me. As my very first plane, I love it.) The cloth wings appreciated the protection provided by the metal shed.

But I digress: the subject is metal storage buildings. There are many shapes and sizes now available from the 6x8 ft metal sheds to the very large metal buildings known as pole barns.

There are types of storage sheds called run-throughs, which are designed to provide shelter for live stock (mainly horses). Pole barns with metal roofs are also widely used for hay storage or to provide covered parking for large equipment.

The metal exoskeleton provides a long lasting structure that gives the shed or small building a very stable and a relatively long useful life. These buildings are virtually maintenance free once they are set in place. You can either paint them colors that match your home colors or order them with powder coatings that will last for decades.

We have see examples of the small metal garden shed that is used for storage for hand tools and even push movers. Larger metal storage sheds can be used for riding movers, potting sheds or large equipment storage.

These metal buildings are more stable than many of the smaller temporary storage shelters such as canopies, which have their own uses. You will need to decide what you are going to use the storage shed for, what you are to be storing in it. If it is to be use for storing garden tools, then you will not need as large room in which to keep the tools as you would to store the heavier yard equipment.

I would encourage you to consider shelving units of some description. It would increase the storage usability of the space and help keep things much more organized. Even the smaller sheds can hold a half bookcase type of shelving. I like the commercial grade wire shelving; you can assemble them to many different configurations. They also come in various widths so you buy them according to your need and available space. The best buys on these that I have found are at the large ‘wholesale’ stores that are found around the country, (one of them is worldwide), as well as the great bargains to be found on the internet. These shelving units can carry light weight vacuumed sealed bags to over 600 pounds per shelf, so you can store virtually any of your garden equipment and tools on them as well as bags of soil treatments.

For the long or tall equipment like weed whips and the such, hanging them on a pegboard system keeps things organized and up off the floor. Plus you do not fall over them in the dim light of dust as you are returning things to their place.

Most storage sheds do not have a source of electricity so light is at a premium. Have a battery powered lantern at hand or on a shelf so you can find things at night or early morning.

Do make sure that whatever size storage shed you build, you have a good foundation. Many of the run-in sheds do not have or need a concrete floor but with most storage sheds, if you want to keep your things out of the dirt when stored, consider concrete, brick or blocks with wood flooring on top of them as your base. Whatever you use for your foundation, be sure that the building is anchored. It is a sad picture to see your building scooting down the road or your yard, powered by the wind.

All in all, metal storage sheds are among the most popular types of sheds. They are strong, long lasting and stable. If you choose to buy and use a metal shed, make sure that your needs are well defined up front. That way, you will be happy with your new storage shed for a long time.