Metal Vs. Resin Sheds

I'd like to move our yard tools and bicycles out of my tiny garage and into a shed. We have a space for one that's 8'x10', with the door on the 8' side. Wood sheds are the nicest option but we aren't willing to pay for one. So that leaves resin and metal. I live in rainy Portland, OR and the shed will live under a big old plum tree. What's my best option?

Metal buildings sweat with temperature changes if they're not insulated.

It rains INSIDE my 40 x 100 Quonset in the spring and fall.

That's something I hadn't considered. I don't really want our bicycles getting dripped on. 

Not a fan of our rubbermaid shed. It goes together with Tab A into  Slot B and few actual fasteners. Did not hold up well in one windstorm.

going wood next.

We have 3 resin sheds of various ages . They have all been flawless and I'm really happy they aren't metal in rainy Seattle.

you do need to make sure the pad is flat. It can be sloped to drain, but needs to be flat so the plastic floor, sides and roof fit right. 

My shed was one of the wood kits from Lowe's.  It took me a weekend to build and wasn't much more than a E36 M3ty metal shed.  I built it at least 10 years ago and it's still holding up well.  I wouldn't consider metal or plastic if I needed a new one.

My plastic sheds have held up well, other than the windows and skylights. Avoid windows and skylights. Other than that, my son drove his go-cart through the corner of one last weekend. Came in to a turn too hot and pushed wide, putting the right front wheel through the corner of the shed. The plus is that neither my son nor the go cart was hurt. So they are not too bad to crash into if that is on your list. I was able to patch the shed up with plastic glue, duct tape, and flex seal tape. 
 

rustyvw said:

My shed was one of the wood kits from Lowe's.  It took me a weekend to build and wasn't much more than a E36 M3ty metal shed.  I built it at least 10 years ago and it's still holding up well.  I wouldn't consider metal or plastic if I needed a new one.

The nice thing about plastic sheds is that they don't rot, they don't rust, and they aren't on the menu for termites. :)

rustyvw said:

My shed was one of the wood kits from Lowe's.  It took me a weekend to build and wasn't much more than a E36 M3ty metal shed.  I built it at least 10 years ago and it's still holding up well.  I wouldn't consider metal or plastic if I needed a new one.

Same here.  Bought it during Fluhan before the prices went sky high.  Had a friend pour a pad, then built the kit.  Good family fun, nice shed.  Mine is 16 x 10.

In reply to rustyvw :

The cheapest 8x10 wooden shed at Lowe's right now is like $1400. Costco has a resin one for the same size for around $800. 

Cadman5 said:

We have 3 resin sheds of various ages . They have all been flawless and I'm really happy they aren't metal in rainy Seattle.

you do need to make sure the pad is flat. It can be sloped to drain, but needs to be flat so the plastic floor, sides and roof fit right. 

How flat is "flat" here? Could I use a normal level on a decent 2x4 to get it close enough? Or would I need one of those giant levels?

In reply to thatsnowinnebago :

I'd say a  24" level on a decent 2x4 should be enough to do the job.  I put my 8x6 resin shed on a 2x6 frame with 3/4" plywood for the floor because overkill is just the right amount of kill, and my backyard has a pretty steep downhill slope.  A 24" level and deck blocks allowed me to get it close enough to level for it to work. 

I have two resin sheds, and for some reason one of them seems to be made out of candy that the squirrels love - they have chewed the crap out of it. the other one looks like new. Both have held up well and are over 20 years old now.

I just built a wood 10X16 because unless I poured a concrete pad the floor on a resin shed would not hold the weight of the ZTR and genset I keep in there, among other things.

If you're putting a push mower and various garden and kid stuff in it, I would do a resin shed. You can put it on pavers if you don't want to pour a pad.

I can see not going with skylights and such to keep the leaks at bay, but here in Kansas my wood shed gets frikken HOT in the summer, even with the doors open. I'm thinking of adding a cupola to try and let the heat out the top in summer

In reply to thatsnowinnebago :

2x4 + a level is adequate. You just don't want high/low spots that will jack up/down a corner or leave a high or hollow spot under the plastic floor panels

I have a 10x10 plastic shed made by Lifetime. The shed has held up great over the last 15 years. I even disassembled it and rebuilt it when I moved to a new house.

I lost a few fasteners during the move. They replaced them for free. I broke a skylight. They replaced it for free. A latch failed / broke. They replaced it for free. each of these things are part of an assembly bag with other parts. All for free. 

Their customer service earned them a loyal customer. I'm buying another shed for my generator. 

thatsnowinnebago said:

Cadman5 said:

We have 3 resin sheds of various ages . They have all been flawless and I'm really happy they aren't metal in rainy Seattle.

you do need to make sure the pad is flat. It can be sloped to drain, but needs to be flat so the plastic floor, sides and roof fit right. 

How flat is "flat" here? Could I use a normal level on a decent 2x4 to get it close enough? Or would I need one of those giant levels?

This is your excuse to buy a 4' level. I use mine more than I ever expected.

Personally I don't care for the looks of either so I've always built my own.  Every time I've priced them out the material been within a hundred bucks or so of a resin or metal shed.