Suncast BMS7400D 6' x 3' Cascade Storage Shed-Natural Wood-Like Outdoor Stora, Vanilla with Slate accents

This is a quality shed with good instructions. We made a wooden base for it using pressure treated wood. I made the base 2 inches larger all around than the maximum outside dimensions listed by Suncast - it worked out great. You do need 2 people at certain parts of construction - in particular for attaching the roof pieces (You need eyes on the inside of how parts are mating up while someone provides weight on the outside to make the part lugs WANT to mate up). The major parts are marked clearly with raised embossing (Left, Right, Front) & on all of them "UP" for which I was grateful for. Installing a couple of thin crossbeams near the end was a pain but, compared to other shed kits I have worked on, this was a picnic. Instructions are clear and unambiguous.MAIN TIP: AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE FOUNDATION SQUARE AND LEVEL....the holes (or screw indents) for this shed will line up properly and the panel lugs & slots will line up properly.ANOTHER TIP: They show under tools needed a crescent wrench. I found that a 7/16" deep socket wrench worked a lot better.YET ANOTHER TIP (WARNING YMMV): In the instructions, Suncast discourages and warns against using power screwdrivers - to the point where it could void your warranty. And I would agree with that for a clueless newbie DIY person not used to power tools - i.e. if one did not have a brain and common sense with drill clutch settings that would be a problem. I will say that one COULD use a low powered rechargable drill driver or screwdriver IF it has a variable clutch that you can dial down to super wimpy level of torque give (breakaway). On my older Ryobi 7.2V rechargable drills, the clutch ranges from 0 - 25. If I set it to "3" the drill "gives up" turning ** immediately ** when the screw head bottoms out - which is exactly what I wanted. What I'm getting at: IF you use common sense, yeah one could use power tools to attach the screws and shave 30 minutes off the overall build time and not wear out your wrists. I DO NOT recommend using something like my Bosch super performance variable speed electric drill which has NO clutch. Forget that, you'll wreck the parts. If the above paragraph is Greek to you, then turn the screwdriver (and screws) manually (by hand) and you will be fine, it's the sure thing.

I have never put a shed together and would rate my do it your selfer ability at about average. I put off assembling it for a couple of weeks because it looked intimidating with all the pieces and big instruction book. But I used the how you eat an elephant strategy (one bite at a time) and just focused on the first step or even the first line in the instructions. Nothing else. The instructions are clear and well written. First day (4 hours including buying the lumber from Home Depot) I put the sub floor together. If you bring the measurements from the instruction book, HD will make all the cuts at the store. All you have to do is assemble. I also stapled a plastic sheet from the $ store to the top of the sub floor as a vapor shield. 2nd day (2 hours) assembled framing, door windows, and hinges. 3rd day, (2.5 hours) assembled the walls, doors and roof, very easy, like a giant erector set. This was the 4x8. The book states throughout it takes 2 people. I did this completely by myself (long arms helps). Don’t rush, be clear what the instructions say and go one step at a time. Three tips, the screws are identified with letters in the book but not on the bag. (There are a bunch) match the screws to the picture and label them yourself. Instruction book says put the two supporting roof beems (not the main one) on after the roof is on. Put on before you put roof on. virtually impossible once the roof is on. If you are having trouble aligning doors make sure subfloor is level with ground.

I purchased this shed for my Mom at her cottage in Michigan. We assembled the base and the shed per the instructions and it went pretty well. It took less than a day with two of us working. The design is such that the shed is held to the base with tabs at the bottom of the panels. The tabs slide and lock in place. About 3 weeks after we built the shed a storm came up (25mph winds) and you can see the result in the picture. The tabs which were to hold the shed to the base failed and the shed was damaged.I was disappointed by Suncast's response. After I sent them proof of purchase and pictures this was their response.Dear Tim,Unfortunately this is not covered under warranty. You can purchase the parts needed for your shed. Please reply to this email with a good phone number to contact you or call us at 1-800-444-3310 and provide the agent reference number B5D. Only by giving that reference number they will be able to assist you.Thank you,____________________________________________________________________________Contact Center Agents1801 Suncast LaneBatavia, Illinois 60510Email: [email protected]: 800-444-3310Fax: 630-406-6697I'll be flying back to Michigan next summer to build a new and different shed for my Mom having received no support or financial relief from Suncast. I'm out $619.79 plus the time to build and then clean up after the shed failure.