Welcome back to Storage Structures Simplified, your resourse for storage building information. Finding your perfect building requires you to have knowledge of what you need to satisfy your requirements and the requirements of your local neighborhood and state. This post is a breakdown of what to expect from a portable storage building designed for eastern North Carolina.
What is a Portable Storage Building, again?
Very simply, a portable storage building is a wooden structure that is built on skids. This allows the building to be moved about with specialized equipment and delivered to your location pre-built. It is perfect for a quick solution to your storage needs without the headache and mess of building onsite.
These buildings come in a variety of sizes and styles to fit your needs. Along with that, the options offered allow you to customize your building to your specific needs. Portable storage buildings range from simple storage to elegant structures. It is easy for you to find one that fits your situation.
A Storage Shed Floor
A shed floor is one of the least exciting but most important pieces of your building. When considering a new building, it is important to consider what you are storing in the building. Is it lightweight or heavy? Rakes and shovels or UTV and lawn mower? We have seen disappointed customers who didn’t consider the floor and the result was floor failure. Floor overload is not covered under warranty, so you want to do your homework ahead of time.
Typical standard shed floors in eastern North Carolina are framed with 2×4 or 2×6 (manufacturer dependent) floor joists set every 16” on-center in notched 4×6 skids. Standard floor sheeting is ⅝” composite or plywood flooring.
To strengthen a floor, a customer has the option to upgrade the joists to 2×6 members or have them placed 12” on-center in the floor. Doubling the floor sheeting is another way to ensure your floor is adequate for your needs. Some companies, like Old Hickory Buildings, also offer to add extra skids for extreme floor load needs.
Walls: Your Portable Storage Sheds Most Visible Component
The walls of a storage shed are the most visible part of your building. There are various framing and siding options to choose from that will drastically change the look of your building and affect its durability. Choosing the right components for the exterior of your shed will be key to you being satisfied with your purchase.
Wall framing doesn’t vary a lot from one builder to another. The larger companies are usually engineer-certified to ensure that your building is structurally sound. Most portable storage building walls are framed with 2×4 studs placed 16” or 24” on-center and may be doubled under the siding seams to strengthen the structure. 2×6 studs are offered by some manufacturers as an upgraded option for your shed’s walls.
The fun part of designing your shed is choosing the siding type and color. The siding type will determine the type of finish that is applied to your shed and how durable the building’s exterior will be.
LP SmartSide has become a very popular choice among both shed builders and consumers. It is durable, beautiful, and can be coated in a large variety of colors of paint or urethane. Some manufactures offer a reflective barrier, called Tek Shield, that is applied to the underside of LP SmartSide sheets. Typically, the LP SmartSide used on sheds is a 4’x8’ sheet of siding similar to T1-11. It is also offered in horizontal lap siding so you can better match other buildings on your property. This is especially helpful in neighborhoods that require your outbuildings to match your house’s siding type and color.
Treated T1-11 is a very durable wood siding choice for individuals who like the wood look on their shed. Although most manufacturers only offer one stain color for this type of siding, an advantage is that it is mold, rot, and insect-resistant. This makes it a perfect choice for southern climates that are known for high moisture and insects like termites.
The most durable siding type offered by most portable building manufacturers is metal sheeting. Metal sheeting has a baked-on finish that is very fade- and flake-resistant. Metal siding can be oriented both vertically and horizontally and may be backed by OSB sheeting depending on the orientation of the siding. Metal-sided buildings are the first choice for customers who subject their building to harsh conditions or want a maintenance-free exterior.
Portable Storage Building Roof Construction and Options
The composition of a strong shed roof is basic but shouldn’t be overlooked.
There are two basic designs of shed roofs, the A-frame and gambrel or barn styles. Both of these styles are built to be structurally sound with 2×4 or 2×6 trusses set at 16” or 24” on-center, depending on the manufacturer and building size. Truss spacing can be upgraded to 16” or even 12” on-center and 2×6 framing members for any size of building.
The roof deck is sheeted with 7/16” OSB. In warmer climates, many manufacturers have started to offer Tek Shield radiant barrier backed OSB as an upgrade to standard OSB for customers concerned about keeping their building cooler. Consider this if you are thinking about insulating your building so you can heat and cool it.
Topping off your building is either metal roofing or asphalt shingles. Metal roofing has become the standard for most companies due to its durability and customer demand. There are times that a customer simply likes the anesthetics of shingles better or their neighborhood requires the shed roof to match the roof of their house or other structures on the property. In either case, the customer can be assured that they are covered with a strong, waterproof roof that will last for years to come.
How Do I Know That My Building Is Up To Code?
Old Hickory Buildings and other major shed manufacturers have engineers on board to ensure that your building is designed to your regions requirements. In Old Hickory Buildings instance, their buildings in eastern North Carolina are rated for 150 MPH, 3-second wind gust and a 20 PSF snow load. This is crucial for the durability of your building.
Contact your dealer to see what their ratings and specifications are and if you will need to anchor the portable building to the ground to maintain the wind rating advertised.
Thinking over your needs and wants and matching the proper storage shed options to them is critical to your satisfaction in your portable storage building. Never take for granted that because a building is on a dealers lot that it is what you want or need. Do your research and make sure the manufacturer is reputable.
Do you have questions about a portable storage building? Contact Daniel Beachy at EastSide Storage Sales to schedule a consultation or get a quote on your building today!
Chad Beachy, the author of this article, lived and worked in the construction industries of North Carolina and Montana for 14 years. 5 of those years were spent in the portable building industry.
He now operates North Valley Marketing, a marketing agency for the construction and trades industries and is based out of Hardin, MT.
Leave a Reply