New shed built, but very unsturdy some advice please?

[John Tarrant]

Hi All,

I have just bought and erected a new 'Premium' pressure treated 16mm shiplap 12 x 8 shed from Tiger sheds in Leeds. The shed is made of good quality heavyweight materials and so I chose to screw it all together rather than nail it. However, now that it is fully constructed I am amazed at how much movement there is in the end and side panels!

I have e-mailed the company and sent them a video of the issue, but so far they have failed to advise me on any remedy, just asked me to check the level of the base (done) and the fastening of the roof panels (fastened, also with extra fixings over the instructions). I wonder if this could be fixed by attaching extra bracing timbers, but I am a bit loathed to do this at my expense as I paid what I consider to be a lot of money (£1389.00) for it an I am not sure it is fit for purpose.

Any help would be much appreciated as I'm very disappointed in this situation

Thanks
John

 

[JohnD]

photos, inside and out, especially of the roof construction and fixing, please.

 

[Nozzle]

It's all about triangles and tension. Check your corners are properly braced and like that say that the base is properly flat.

Nozzle

 

[Doggit]

Are there any gaps in the construction that would allow movement. Having looked on the web site, I can't see any sheds at that price, so what was the model. And what size screws did you use, what was the thickness of the timber you screw them into, and how often were they spaced.

 

[Nozzle]

Also, did you do a full pilot hole in the first bit of timber and a smaller pilot in the second, thus pulling the timber together as you tighten. If not, the only bit of strength is in the thin steel of the screw - if the timber is not pulled close there's no friction between the joints.

Nozzle

 

[John D v2.0]

Just wondering if it said nail why did you screw? Just in case you need to adjust later? Once you're happy with the position it might be wise to nail it as instructed.

 

[boydcage]

I was in a similar position with a shiplap shed I bought last year. The instructions said to use wood screws (provided with the shed) but it was very flimsy! I and my, trying to be patient with me, wife took it apart and used coach bolts for the walls. It was well worth the extra effort and it is now very solid.

 

[jackieboy]

Once it's all together it should be solid. shiplap is way better than overlap.
not sure what's wrong. all sheds I've put together from flat pack I tend to give them extra strength to. as mentioned. it's all about triangles.

 

[Nozzle]

Dontcha just love it when people post asking for help and then don't bother to follow up?

Nozzle

 

[boydcage]

but most do!

 

[Seafarer1966]

I've yet to come across a flat pack shed kit that is perfectly square. I erected a 8 x 6 foot shed two years ago that was manufactured by a bloke with a white stick. I sat the shed on breeze blocks anyway as a damp prevention measure (which has worked well) and to address the level differences I slotted in a couple of bits of floor tiles on top of the blocks.
Given how easy it is to break into a shed I lined the interior walls and the door with external grade ply and fastened with coach bolts. This made the shed much sturdier (and hopefully track-suit people proof). It's wise to use coach bolts for the door hinges rather than the screws supplied with the kit.