If you move into a new house, you would hope you already have everything there you need. However, unless you had a construction company build your dream home, you must probably make some concessions. Getting a house that has as many features as you want becomes paramount.
Maybe you move into a home that has a nice backyard where your kids and dog can run around and play. You’d love to have a shed back there for storage, though, and you don’t have one yet. You can buy one and have a company install it. You can even do it yourself if you feel like you have the necessary DIY skills.
One question remains, though: should you go with a metal or wooden shed? There are compelling reasons to purchase both, so let us talk about what kind of homeowners will do better with metal sheds and who should opt for a wooden one.
How Long Will Each Kind Last?
How long you can expect to enjoy your shed will certainly made a difference. Metal sheds can last over 10 years in many instances, depending on what kind of weather you have where you live and whether you installed it properly. As for wooden sheds, you can usually expect to get anywhere from 15-30 years from it.
With metal sheds, you can get a longer life if you control condensation. If you have a roof that’s sound and doesn’t leak, that will probably contribute to the length of time you can enjoy it. Oiling the hinges should help, as should removing leaves and debris from the roof so that it doesn’t cave in. You should also put washing the exterior yearly and keeping up with maintenance on your calendar.
With wooden sheds, using a treated wood means the structure will have a longer life. Applying a sealant is a wise idea as well. Painting your shed is smart if it’s in direct sunlight. You can also lengthen its life by designing a sloping roof, like one with an apex. This prevents the rainwater from running down the walls and causing them to rot.
How Much Does Each One Cost?
The cost will always enter into any home improvement decision, and that is definitely true with sheds. If you don’t have very much money, then you will probably want to go with a wooden shed rather than its metal counterpart. Metal sheds often start at about $150, though that depends on the quality, features, and size, among other factors.
Metal sheds don’t cost as much because you can assemble one without requiring as many materials as you need with a wooden one. Also, metal sheds don’t need as much expertise to build. While you may be able to build a prefab metal shed with decent DIY skills, erecting a wooden one will present the average homeowner with much more of a challenge.
Wooden sheds can cost as much as $4,000 for a high-end one. With wooden sheds, you must also think about the foundation. This kind must have a solid foundation to prevent settling. Wooden sheds typically weigh more, and installing the base usually drives up the overall cost.
Wooden sheds take longer to build as well, and they require more planning and preparation. The combination of time, labor, and installation fees might put this kind out of reach unless you have a sizeable amount of money that you can put toward the project.
There’s little doubt that if you want a shed but have only a little money in your budget, going with metal over wood makes the most sense.
Does the Part of the Country Where You Live Play a Part in This Decision?
Like many other kinds of home improvement projects, you should factor in the part of the country where you reside if you want to install a shed on your land sooner or later. Let’s say you live somewhere like the Pacific Northwest. Residents of Aberdeen or Portland will probably want a metal fence or even one made of composite material over a wooden one.
While you might like the aesthetic appeal a wooden fence provides, you’re in a very humid climate that sees a lot of rainfall. That rain can take years off of a shed’s life, even if you buy treated wood. Within five years you may see the wood rot or warp.
You will also probably want to go with a metal shed over a wooden one if you live somewhere along the East or West Coast. You will typically see metal sheds throughout backyards in California, for instance. If you live in an area that sees a lot of hurricanes or major rainstorms at a certain time of the year, then you’re another prime metal shed candidate.
If you want a wooden shed, you’ll do best in a dry climate like Arizona or New Mexico. You can also enjoy the aesthetic appeal that potentially justifies paying more. There’s nothing quite as picturesque as a wooden shed made of treated boards in a backyard surrounded by shady trees and other attractive landscaping elements.
Additional Factors
While these considerations should enter into your decision, you should think about a couple of others too. If you don’t mind taking care of the shed every year, then you’ll likely want a wooden one. You may need to paint it as often as every year or every other year. You can also stain it. That will protect insect and rodent damage as well as the other longevity threats we mentioned earlier.
With a metal shed, there’s very little maintenance required. You may need to give it a rust treatment, but that’s more like every 2-3 years.
Finally, consider the shed’s size. If you have something like a large riding mower and you plan to keep it in there, you should think about that when you’re looking at some of the shed options available in your immediate area.
