Suncast A01B28C03 Storage Building, 10-ft x 10-ft

Review by Kimolaoha for Suncast A01B28C03 Storage Building, 10-ft x 10-ft
Rating:
This May 2009 review is for the Suncast Model A01B37C03 10′ x 12 1/2′ Storage Building — purchased from Amazon. Also see the pictures that I have uploaded.

The most important thing for prospective purchasers to note is that Suncast has substantially improved this shed since it was first released in 2007. While the original shed had only three ridge beams to support the roof, the new Model A01B37C03 sheds now include 5 beams, PLUS an additional header support tube for the rear header. Suncast claims that the roof can now support 15 pounds per square foot, i.e. pretty heavy snowfall. This improvement is significant, and makes a product that was already very good exceptional.

It took only 11 days from the time I ordered from Amazon until the product was delivered to me in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The product is drop-shipped from Suncast in Illinois via freight shipper – in my case CEVA – who called me the morning the shed arrived in their Baltimore facility and delivered it the same morning. There are four large boxes – two of them are perhaps manageable by one person dragging them to the back yard, and the other two are not. The heaviest, with the beams, must be unpacked to be relocated. The CEVA driver was kind enough to help me get the three lighter boxes around back and off of the driveway. The fourth took me about 30 minutes to unpack and repack in the back yard.

I built the wood platform specified in the Suncast manual and used 30 Dek-Blocks (highly recommended) – with exterior grade pressure treated 2x6s and 3/4″ plywood. Because I was building on a pretty substantial slope, the shed platform took me a full weekend to build and several hundred dollars worth of materials. It is, however, rock solid and level – which is critical to the subsequent shed construction. The manual specifies a platform of 10’3″ by 12’10″, which is what I built. However, the actual shed footprint is only 10′ ½” x 12’5 ½’, so there will be a bit of platform underhang if built to Suncast specs.

I took a day off from work to build the shed by myself, which certainly can be done. I first unpacked and checked all of the pieces and was extremely annoyed to find that the 4 Male Corner Posts (Part H) and the one Right Hinge Post (Part L) were missing!! However, upon closer inspection, I was relieved to find that the Corner Posts had been snapped together for shipping to the four Female Corner Posts (Part G) and the Right Hinge Post to the Left Hinge Post (Part P). So, if you find that parts seem to be missing, check to ensure that they are not temporarily attached to other pieces! Note that these pieces are only temporarily snapped to the others for shipping, and must be separated and then reinstalled (in the case of the Corner Posts). Once I verified that all parts were present, installation could proceed. As it turned out, Suncast packs EXACTLY what you need in hardware too – no more, no less – so don’t drop any hardware on the ground and lose it.

A few installation observations for those who are interested:

The 42 total Pan Head Screws specified as being used for connecting the floors pieces are accounted for INCLUDING the 4 floor to front/back connecters, NOT the 10 floor pieces alone.

There are no snaps on the roof panels for the U beam connectors on the 2 extra beams now included with the kits. The panels just sit over the connectors, which support them from below.

Make sure you follow the steps for roof panel installation, i.e. second side starts where first side ends – NOT back at the rear again.

As others have indicated, the Cupola should be installed BEFORE the last two roof panels are installed.

The roof panels can definitely be installed by one person, because I did it. I wouldn’t say it was easy, as there is a certain amount of finessing that might be easier with two persons – but maybe not. In any case, they eventually went in and the shed doesn’t leak. Make sure the adjoining roof panels snap together – you’ll need to exert pretty good pressure from underneath with your fingers.

The shutters CANNOT be done by one person – even two is a challenge – as the 4 screw holes must be lined up perfectly. We used an awl to guide the first shutter screw hole back directly over the corresponding screw hole in the side panel, and then tightened things down from there.

The doors have a nice little feature – when they are swung back to the full open position, there is a détente that will engage and keep them from swinging back closed on you. Very nice attention to detail.

My next step will be to hang some 1x4s on the side panels so that I can install hooks, etc. for tools. Since the walls are resin, you obviously cannot put nails directly into the shed walls. Suncast sells metal pieces that snap into the side support rails, but they are costly and I’d need A LOT of them. I suspect that large zip ties threaded vertically through adjacent side support rail holes and then around the 1×4 will be sufficient for this purpose.

Overall – I am extremely impressed with the quality of, and value for, this shed. This was certainly my largest Amazon purchase – both in terms of size and expense – and it couldn’t have gone smoother. Highly recommended!!